Thread: Oregon HB 2715 hearing postponed, please call!!!!!

OFIR members and supporters:

We just learned late today that the Monday hearing for HB 2715 is not going to happen. House Majority Leader Jeff Merkley pulled it.

The bill was scheduled to be heard in the House Business and Labor Committee chaired by Representative Mike Schaufler.

House Bill 2715 has three Democrat and three Republican co-sponsors. It has wide support of many House members and it deserves a hearing.


[b]We urge you to call Merkleys office and ask him to have a hearing for HB 2715. His phone number is (503) 986-1200. [/b]

IF you have any questions you can call the OFIR office at (503) 435-0141.

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House Bill 2715

House Bill 2715 would require that all non-government employers sign up for the Federal Basic Pilot Employer Verification Program.

House Bill 2715 would require every employer to validate their participation in the Basic Pilot Employer Verification Program when they file their State of Oregon taxes. An employer cannot claim as a business expense any wages paid to an employee who has not had their employment eligibility verified through the Basic Pilot Employer Verification Program.

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The Basic Pilot Employment Verification Program allows employers to remove the guesswork involved with hiring new employees. Conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Employment Verification Program allows employers to use an automated Internet-based system to run employment authorization checks against DHS and SSA databases. In the process, it assists employers in maintaining a legal workforce and protects jobs for authorized U.S. workers.

More than 10,000 employers are currently using the program to verify that their new hires are authorized to work in the United States. 123 Oregon Companies are currently using the program. There is no charge to participate. The President’s FY07 budget request includes $110 million to expand and improve the Employment Verification Program.

Employers can register on-line at https://www.vis-dhs.com/EmployerRegistration, which provides instructions for completing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) needed to officially register for the program.

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It is unfair for companies that play by the rules to have to compete against companies that cheat. Companies that hire illegal aliens have a huge competitive advantage over companies that hire American citizens.

AE:

Thanks for posting this - I also rec'd the message from OFIR about the situation.