Immigration Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on E-Verify Bill Tomorrow
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m., the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will examine the Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 1772), a bill authored by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and reported out of the House Judiciary Committee during the 113th Congress. The Legal Workforce Act expands E-Verify across the United States and makes the program mandatory in order to discourage illegal immigration and ensure jobs are made available only to those authorized to legally work in the U.S. E-Verify, a web-based program created in 1996 and operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, quickly confirms 99.7% of work-eligible employees and takes less than two minutes to use. Today, nearly 575,000 American employers voluntarily use E-Verify.
Witnesses for Wednesday’s hearing are below and their testimonies can be found here.
· Mr. Randel K. Johnson, Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
· Ms. Jill G. Blitstein, Esq., International Employment Manager, Human Resources, North Carolina State University
· Mr. Angelo Amador, Esq., Senior Vice President and Regulatory Counsel, National Restaurant Association
· Mr. Chuck Conner, President & CEO, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) issued the statements below on tomorrow’s legislative hearing.
Chairman Goodlatte: “Expanding E-Verify nationwide is a critical component to the interior enforcement of our immigration laws and will help maintain the integrity of our immigration system for the years ahead. This web-based program takes less than two minutes to use and is easier than completing a purchase on Amazon or some other online shopping website. Tomorrow, the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will examine legislation introduced by Congressman Lamar Smith last Congress that would require all U.S. employers to use this program. The expansion of E-Verify will help discourage illegal immigration and protect jobs for legal workers.”
Subcommittee Chairman Gowdy: “A key part of the internal enforcement of our immigration laws is employment verification. In order to find a long-term solution, we must turn off the jobs magnet and ensure jobs go to legal workers and American citizens. I thank Congressman Lamar Smith for his work on E-Verify, a program that has broad support. This hearing addresses one piece of the broader picture of reform as the House continues its step-by-step approach to address our country’s immigration challenges.”
The hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at /. Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.