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Utah Employer Praises E-Verify, Says Using it Helps His Business
A Utah employer who uses
E-Verify spoke out in support of the program last week, saying that customers
called him because he advertised that he participates in the program. Larry
Morrison of St. George, Utah — owner of Morrison Insulation LLC — told a city
council forum that his company "gets 'two jobs a week' just by advertising that
it uses E-Verify to check its employees' work status," and argued that "more
businesses should use the system." (The
Spectrum, April 30, 2009). The fact that small
businesses see a public relations benefit through the use of E-Verify undermines
the claims of big-business, special- interest groups that argue that the work
eligibility verification system places a burden on businesses.
Mr. Morrison's
comments came less than two weeks after the Obama Administration announced its
decision to yet again delay a rule that would require most federal contractors
to use E-Verify. This announcement was the second time the administration
delayed the rule's implementation. (See FAIR's
Legislative Update, April 20, 2009). The rule was
originally set to take effect in January, but the Bush Administration caved to a
coalition of special interest groups — including the Chamber of Commerce — who
sued to stop the rule from taking effect as scheduled. (See FAIR's
Legislative Update, January 12, 2009).
The Chamber, which
claims to be the "voice of business" on its website, has said in its online
magazine that requiring federal contractors to use E-Verify "would have made it
more difficult for employers to hire new workers and keep existing ones."
(U.S. Chamber
Magazine, March 2009). As a real business owner, Mr.
Morrison's recent statement that his company "gets 'two jobs a week' just by
advertising that it uses E-Verify" and his recommendation that "more businesses
should use the system" both seem to conflict with the Chamber's position.
(The
Spectrum, April 30, 2009).
Recent efforts to
pass a long-term reauthorization of the E-Verify have fallen short in Congress,
leaving the program vulnerable to the administration and certain Members of
Congress using it as a bargaining chip in attempts to pass amnesty for illegal
aliens. During conference committee negotiations on the economic stimulus bill
in February, Congressional leadership stripped two E-Verify related amendments
from the final version of the legislation signed into law by President Obama.
(See FAIR's
Legislative Update, February 17, 2009). One of these
amendments, sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), would have reauthorized
E-Verify for four years. (See FAIR's
Legislative Update, January 26, 2009). Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-AL) later attempted to attach an amendment reauthorizing E-Verify
for six years to the Omnibus Appropriations stopgap funding measure that the
Senate debated in March, but that effort was shot down on a 50 — 47 vote.
(Roll
Call Vote, March 10, 2009).
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