Federal Legislation and Policy - National Immigration Law Center

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Federal Legislation and Policy

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The Legal Workforce Act of 2011 (H.R. 2885, formerly H.R. 2164) (Introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith)

(Requiring U.S. employers to use an Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification System, or EEVS)

Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885): Summary of its Main Provisions (PDF - 9/13/11)
Ley de Fuerza Laboral Legal (H.R. 2164): Resumen de sus disposiciones principales (PDF - 6/22/11)
Legal Workforce Act of 2011 (H.R. 2885): Detailed Summary (PDF - table format - rev. 9/13/11)
Legal Workforce Act: Harmful to the Economy and Dangerous for U.S. Workers (PDF - rev. 9/14/11)
Statement of Tyler Moran, Policy Director, National Immigration Law Center, to the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, Hearing on the Legal Workforce Act, June 15, 2011 (PDF - 6/15/11)

Watch and listen to the hearing: Click on the “Watch Video Webcast” icon under “Hearing Documentation.” Fast-forward to minute 28:40 (when the hearing starts) or to minute 1:13:24 (when Ms. Moran begins her testimony).

Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act of 2011 (S.1196)

(REQUIRING U.S. EMPLOYERS TO USE AN ELECTRONIC EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM, OR EEVS)

Summary: Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act (S.1196) (6/11)
Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act (S.1196) (PDF - detailed summary, table format - 6/11)

New Employee Verification Act of 2008 -- HR 5515

Rep. Sam Johnson's "New Employee Verification Act": Another Version of the Shuler-Tancredo Bill (New Employee Verification Act of 2008 -- HR 5515) (3/21/08, revised 5/21/08; posted 6/12/08)
New Employee Verification Act of 2008 (HR 5515): Myths and Facts. NEVA cannot "ensure a legal workforce," would further cripple our Social Security system, would be plagued by database errors, would impose huge new administrative costs, and does raise serious privacy concerns. (5/19/08)
Preserve the Child Support System: Don't Let the New Hire Database be Hijacked for Immigrant Employment Verification (by Vicki Turetsky, Center for Law and Social Policy, 5/6/08).

Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act of 2007, or SAVE Act -- HR 4088 / S. 2368

Shuler-Tancredo Employment Eligibility Verification System: Poorly Designed, Dangerous for the Economy (Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act of 2007, or SAVE Act -- HR 4088/S. 2368) (2/14/08, rev. 4/9/08) | Sistema de verificación de autorización laboral de Shuler-Tancredo "SAVE Act": Mal diseñada y perjudicial para la economía
AARP Letter Opposing SAVE Act. "Since the SSA's administrative expenses are paid directly from the Social Security trust funds, it is especially problematic to ask the agency to undertake additional administrative tasks that not only fail to directly assist beneficiaries, but in fact detract from the prompt resolution of existing claims." (4/29/08)
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Letter Opposing SAVE Act. "[NCPSSM] is concerned about the likely negative impact on Social Security beneficiaries of a plan to assign a significant new workload to the already overburdened Social Security Administration (SSA)." (4/15/08)

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611)

Analysis of S. 2611 with respect to electronic employment eligibility verification is available on the Immigrant Worker Issues in Comprehensive Immigration Reform page.

Administration Announces Harsh New Immigration Measures

Instead of fixing our broken immigration system, the new plan embraces the bumper-sticker enforcement-only philosophy of immigration reform opponents. (8/10/07)