ABC July 8 opposed Senate amendment S.A. 1371 to the 2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 2892) that would make the federal government’s voluntary electronic employment verification system, E-Verify, a permanent program and mandate that federal contractors use the system. H.R. 2892 passed the U.S. House of Representatives June 24, and despite a motion to table the amendment, it passed the Senate by a voice vote.
Before the vote, ABC sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate expressing concern over the high error rate associated with the program and the heavy administrative burdens it places on small businesses. ABC pointed out that an error rate of only 1 percent applied to a workforce of more than 140 million workers could disqualify more than 1 million legal workers.
“While it is true that the error rates in the program have been marginally improved, it is important to point out that even the smallest percentage of error has the very real potential of disqualifying legal U.S. workers from obtaining jobs or forcing them out of currently held positions,” ABC noted in its letter. “You can imagine the havoc this would cause in the lives of those workers and their families.”
In addition, ABC expressed concern over the lack of safeguards for employers that comply with E-Verify but are provided incorrect information by the system when determining what action to take on an employee’s status. ABC suggested that safe harbor provisions be added to protect an employer from enforcement by the federal government or a lawsuit by the employee in that situation.
“ABC believes that a workable, reliable, efficient, and easy-to-use employment verification system that meets regulators’ needs without unduly burdening commerce and hampering economic growth is needed by American’s employers,” the letter stated. “However, we do not view the current E-Verify program as meeting those benchmarks.”
To view the complete letter, click
here.