"I've heard this a lot, there is going to be great impact to the community ... how many people are we talking about, what type of jobs?," asked Rep. Michael Noel, R- Kanab, the House sponsor of SB81. "Are we not giving our own American citizens the opportunity? ... I want to see this whole picture."

Steven E. Tyler, chairman of an Immigration Task Force implemented by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, said his panel is evaluating the potential economic impacts.

"The Salt Lake Chamber is very, very concerned about E-Verify ... it may be 99 percent reliable, or it may be much less reliable," Tyler said. He added that employers participating in the task force try to play by the rules by hiring a legal workforce, and "they're all saying they can't get enough workers."

Committee co-chairman Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, probed Tyler on the chamber's participation in pushing for federal reform.

"You and your affiliate national chamber of commerce wield a big stick," he said. "Isn't there something you can do to get the federal government off their dead butts to do something?"

Tyler said the Salt Lake Chamber is working with the federal delegation, but any action is doubtful until after the presidential election.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27 in Park City.

---

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com