Republican Party Platform May Call for Mandatory Use of E-Verify Employment Eligibility Verification Program by All US Employers

A draft version of the Republican National Committee (RNC) platform briefly available on the RNC website last week calls for a national E-verify electronic employment eligibility verification program to be used by all businesses in the United States to verify the legal work authorization status of all newly hired U.S. workers. The draft version of the RNC platform discovered by Politico.com on Friday has been reposted on their website here: ‘Preview of Reforming Government to Serve the People – GOP’. Politico reports that while RNC would not confirm the draft version is the final platform language, the document matches amendments approved earlier this week by the platform committee. The final Republican platform will be made public when voted on by delegates at the start of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. The draft version of the RNC platform contains the following language in a section titled ‘The Rule of Law: Legal Immigration’: We insist upon enforcement at the workplace through verification systems so that jobs can be available to all legal workers. Use of the E-Verify program – an internet based system that verifies the employment authorization and identity of employees – must be made mandatory nationwide. State enforcement efforts must be welcomed, not attacked. When Americans need jobs, it is absolutely essential that we protect them from illegal labor in the workplace. E-Verify is a free Internet-based system that allows employers to determine the eligibility of employees to work in the U.S. in a matter of seconds by comparing information from employee’s  ‘Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification’ with records in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than 353,000 employers use E-Verify at nearly 900,000 worksites, and approximately 1,200 new businesses sign up for the program each week. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 made it unlawful for an employer “to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien.” Federal law requires every employer hiring an individual for employment in the United States to verify his or her identity and employment authorization through completion of a Form I-9. In an attempt to improve the employment eligibility verification process, the U.S. Congress created E-Verify. While federal law mandates that federal contractors and subcontractors in all states use E-Verify, several U.S. states have also enacted laws mandating E-Verify usage, creating a confusing patchwork of regulations for employers to follow. A Designated E-Verify Employer Agent can help employers with Form I-9 and E-Verify compliance. To learn more, visit https://www.esrcheck.com/formi9.php. For information about background checks, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority’ and a nationwide background screening firm accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) – at https://www.esrcheck.com/, call 415.898.0044, or email [email protected]. Sources: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80118.html http://images.politico.com/global/2012/08/preview_of_reforming_government_to_serve_the_people_-_gop.html http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf About Employment Screening Resources (ESR): Founded by safe hiring expert Attorney Les Rosen in 1997, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – ‘The Background Check Authority^SM’– provides accurate and actionable information that empowers employers to make informed hiring decisions for the benefit of their businesses, employees, and the public. CEO Rosen literally wrote the book on background screening with “The Safe Hiring Manual” and ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), a distinction held by fewer than 2 percent of screening firms. By choosing ESR, employers know they have selected an agency that meets the highest industry standards. For more information, visit https://www.esrcheck.com/, call 888.999.4474, or email [email protected]. About ESR News: The Employment Screening Resources (ESR) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at [email protected].]]>