Virginia Moves Step Closer To Mandated Citizenship Status Checks
E-Verify legislation passes that requires companies with more than 50 employees over the previous 12 months and performing work under a state contract worth more than $50,000 to use the free federal program that can check a worker's citizenship status.

By Dan Telvock | Email the author | 10:15am

Any company that employs more than 50 workers and has a contract with the State of Virginia for more than $50,000 will soon have to use the free federal program E-Verify to ensure all of its employees are legal citizens.

Del. Richard Anderson (R-Woodbridge) and Sen. George Barker (D-Alexandria) had filed similar legislation that ended up being wrapped into this one bill. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the bill into law this week.

Any company that fails to comply with the law would be debarred from contracting with the state or any state agency for up to one year. The sanction would end if the company registered and used the E-Verify program.

E-Verify bills, until this point, didn't have much success in the General Assembly. One bill that has constantly failed would have required all companies in Virginia to use E-Verify. The Anderson-Barker bill is the only E-Verify-related one to pass through the General Assembly this year.

“I’m pleased that we were successful in moving my bill through the House and Senate in the just-completed legislative session. This law moves us in the right direction by ensuring that companies doing work under a state contract are using employees who are lawfully present in the United States," Anderson said in a prepared statement.

The law won't take effect until Dec. 1, 2013.

Critics of the bill say the law may promote discrimination, and some high-profile groups joined in opposition, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. Tea Party activists were strong supporters of the bill, as was Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

Illegal immigration is a thorny issue for Prince William County. The county's chairman, Corey Stewart, announced earlier this week that he participated in the Federation for American Immigration Reform "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" radio town hall event on Thursday. Stewart then announced he was on a media blitz all week to discuss the topic.

"Chairman Stewart is a national leader on immigration reform after he instituted dramatic changes in Prince William County to crack down on illegal immigration. His efforts have lead to the handing over of 3,600 plus criminal illegal aliens to Immigration Customs Enforcement," according to a press release Stewart released this week.

http://lakeridge.patch.com/articles/vir ... tus-checks