The Nation
E-Verify bill gives agriculture extra time
Posted: Jun 14, 2011 7:28 PM by Jeannette Hynes
WASHINGTON (AP) - The agriculture industry is getting a break in
a proposed bill that eventually would require all U.S. businesses
to use a government database to verify that their employees are
legally allowed to work in the country.
The Legal Workforce Act, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Lamar Smith,
would require all U.S. companies to use the government's E-Verify
program to screen new employees within two years of the bill
becoming law. The agriculture industry, where labor, industry and
government officials say the vast majority of workers are illegal
immigrants, would have three years to start using the database.
Smith, a Texas Republican, said the extra time for agriculture
businesses would give the industry time to legalize its workforce
without having a devastating impact on businesses.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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