The Hill News

If you haven’t heard of “E-Verify” before today, you’re probably not alone. It’s an electronic employment verification system, currently used by only 4 percent of employers. But that could change soon, with serious consequences for small businesses.


House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is advancing a proposal to mandate E-Verify for every employer in the country. That means every business, large and small, would have to run every employee through a federal database to confirm his or her employment status.



It’s ironic that some of the same members of Congress who’ve been beating the drum to roll back “regulations” â€" mainly, environmental standards that have no negative impact on everyday small businesses and actually produce net benefits to the economy â€" are now proposing a new regulation that will have a direct impact and direct cost to every small business in the country.

A point of agreement: our ! immigration system is badly broken, and it’s doing a number on our businesses, our economy, and our country. But what’s the solution? Not mandating E-Verify.


Read more...