E-Verify Laws, the De Facto National ID, Will Take Effect on January 1, 2012

The latest attack on our right to anonymity and privacy comes stealthily packaged in the form of so-called job protection legislation. Introduced in June 2011, H.R. 2885 (formerly H.R. 2164), the 'Legal Workforce Act,' is being marketed as a way to fight illegal immigration and "open up millions of jobs for unemployed Americans and legal immigrants." However, this proposed federal law is really little more than a Trojan horse, a backdoor attempt by the powers-that-be to inflict a de facto National ID card on the American people.

E-Verify is a government-run database and employment identification verification system. The E-Verify system would require all those wanting to be employed by American companies to register the credentials of their citizenship in a government database. In a nutshell, H.R. 2885 requires all employers to submit potential employees' names, Social Security numbers and other data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for authorization before the employees can start work. If you think unemployment is a problem now, just wait until your employment hinges on getting government clearance. Under this legislation, if a worker's information is incorrect in E-Verify, he or she can't work until the problem is resolved.

This legislation poses even greater threats to privacy, free speech and free association and potentially hinders Americans' ability to travel freely. Because the E-Verify system would apply to everyone eligible to work in the United States and will grow to include biometrics such as fingerprints, DNA and iris scans, it will be used for a host of other purposes by the intelligence community, law enforcement and corporate America. Private employers will become extensions of the government in that they will eventually be required to verify whether employees are delinquent in the payment of federal, state or local taxes, in compliance with child support or alimony decrees, on a terrorist watch list or convicted or even accused of a crime. Employers, thus, would be enlisted as de facto law enforcement officers for the federal government.

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Voter Photo ID, E-Verify Laws to Take Effect in New Year

January 1, 2012

Reuters - Laws that require voters to present photo identification at the polls, recognize same-sex civil unions, and aim to restrict illegal immigration are among the state measures taking effect on New Year's Day.

Measures passed in 2011, which numbered nearly 40,000 across the country, often reflected the priorities of Republicans, who held majorities in most state legislative chambers and held the highest number of seats nationally by the party since 1928.

"When Republicans finally got in control in many states ... they were able to put those things on the table and pass them pretty quickly," said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Immigration was a big issue in 2011. A number of states enacted crackdowns geared toward driving away illegal immigrants, only to see key parts of those efforts halted by federal courts.

But starting on Sunday, many businesses in Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia will be required to enroll in the federal E-Verify program to determine whether their employees are eligible to work in the United States.

On the flip side, a new law taking effect in California will prohibit private businesses from being required to use E-Verify except in cases where federal law mandates it.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said more states are expected to pursue curbs on illegal immigration in 2012, with lawmakers looking to the Supreme Court's ruling on Arizona's immigration law in its upcoming term for guidance on how expansive state measures can be.

"They're extremely frustrated by the lack of action by the federal government on this issue," Conference spokesman Jon Kuhl said.

VOTER ID RULES

Kuhl said additional states were also likely to follow in the footsteps of Kansas and Tennessee, where voters will now have to show photo identification before casting a ballot, or Rhode Island, which will require a non-photo identification from voters.

Well over half of all states already require some form of identification from voters. Proponents say such measures help prevent voter fraud, while critics argue the laws disproportionately affect minorities' ability to vote.

The Justice Department last week blocked South Carolina's new voter photo identification law due to such concerns.

"With the presidential election coming up, it's certainly not an issue that's going to be going away," Kuhl said.

New laws in Delaware and Hawaii will make same-sex couples eligible for civil unions in the new year and allow them the same legal rights and benefits as married couples, the NCSL said.

New Federal and State Laws Going into Effect January 1, 2012

December 29, 2011

AllVoices - Alabama which has the nation’s most punitive immigration law is enacting a provision requiring all employers who do business with any government entity to use the federal system of E-Verify to confirm all new employees are the country legally. Similarly, Georgia is requiring any business with 500 or more employees to use the federal verification system. Employers with more than ten employees will be included by 2013.

Not everyone agrees that E-Verify is the best method to address immigration.

"It is destroying Georgia's economy and it is destroying the fabric of our social network in South Georgia," Paul Bridges, mayor of the onion-farming town of Uvalda, said in November.

He is part of a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Tennessee will also require businesses to ensure employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. but exempts employers with five or fewer workers and allows them to keep a copy of the new hire's driver's license instead of using E-Verify.

A South Carolina law would allow officials to revoke the operating licenses of businesses that don't check new hires' legal status through E-verify. A federal judge last week blocked parts of the law that would have required police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects or people stopped for traffic violations they think might be in the country illegally, and that would have made it a crime for illegal immigrants to transport or provide housing.

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