WASHINGTON, DC — At a time of soaring unemployment, the Indiana State House of Representatives is blocking legislation that would help prevent employers from filling jobs with illegal aliens. Senate Bill 580, which the Senate passed by a 37-13 vote, requires state and local governments to use the federal E-Verify system and provides incentives for Indiana businesses to do the same. The bill would also allow the state to punish companies that knowingly hire illegal aliens, and even suspend their business licenses. Gov. Mitch Daniels has pledged to sign the legislation if it is sent to his desk.
E-Verify is a federal program that allows employers to electronically verify that new hires are legally authorized to work in the United States. The program is free to employers and has a 99.6 percent accuracy rate. Over 100,000 employers already use the program and new employers are signing up at the rate of 2,000 per week.
SB 580 has been assigned to a House committee chaired by Rep. Earl Harris (D-East Chicago) who has indicated that he will not allow a vote on the measure. Despite the fact that Indiana’s unemployment rate has reached 9.2 percent, and Elkhart has the dubious distinction of having the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 18 percent, Rep. Harris is blocking common sense measures that would help keep jobs for legal residents. “No, I don’t think this session. I really don’t think this is the year we should do that,” said Harris.
“Rep. Harris and the Indiana House do not think this is the year they should act to protect Indiana jobs?” asked Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “Indiana has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, parts of the state have already reach Depression era unemployment levels, and the state is spending $1 billion a year on unemployment benefits. What, exactly, would it take for Rep. Harris to defend Hoosier workers?”
SB 580, which was sponsored by State Senators Mike Delph and Dennis Kruse, was drafted with the assistance of the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), FAIR’s legal affiliate. IRLI is the nation’s foremost authority on drafting state and local immigration enforcement legislation that does not infringe on the federal government’s authority over these policies.
“Enacting SB 580 will not magically solve Indiana’s unemployment crisis. What it will do is help ensure that remaining jobs go to U.S. workers, including jobs that may be created as a result of the economic stimulus package,” said Stein. “The Indiana House of Representatives has an obligation to implement whatever common sense measures it can offer to help struggling families in Indiana make it through this difficult period. This is the time to pass SB 580,” Stein concluded.
About FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.
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