Comments about ‘Committee backs worker verification bill’

This bill should apply to all employers of the state or that does business in Utah. It is already a federal law that employing illegals is illegal by any business or employer. It shocks me to think that state and city government agency's were not obeying these federal laws already. It is a well known fact about these federal laws so why haven't they been enforced in the past? This law should also include that any one appling for employment and is not a citizen or is in this country illegally they be detained and turned over to ICE and other immigaration departments as possible terrorist and unwanted illegals. This law should also be extended and services and social progrms receipents to keep the illegals off the rolls of government sponsored programs for it's american citizens. Also the reinforcement of citizenship verification for the schools of Utah. Lets get law done right the first time to cover all the problems these illegals are causing and imposing on the american people. Why wait until our grandchildren are faced with the problem of having to prove who they are to get a job or the ability to be americans?

Let's push this one all the way! Our elected leaders need to pass every single bill aimed at stopping illegal aliens from abusing our system.

I was there. There was only one Nay vote, "that of Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake, the only dissenter, said she's concerned about the number of bills seeming to deal with just one side of the issue." She was selected by the democrats and Gov. Huntsman to replace Ralph Becker the new SLC Mayor. So she was appointed and has never been elected. The committee room was full, but only one citizen spoke when asked for public comment and that was a taxpayer advocate that thought the state and the public agencies in the state should be setting the example for the private employers.

If she was concerned about the "other side of the issue," who would that be? Those involved in ID theft? I guess that is why no one spoke in opposition. She questioned accuracy, but 90 days are allowed in order to resolve these problems. If there is an honest mistake there are procedures to resolve them. For those that are a little weak on the math 0.81 percent error rate is less than one out of a hundred, and these are easily resolved. There is also no punishment for not using E-Verify only protection.

To balance the conversation, private employers are largely opposed to E-verify because of the administrative burdens as well as the current inaccuracies with the system. While E-verify has a .81 rate for false positives (tentative non-confirmations that are later reversed), the percentage of workers who cannot be confirmed without going in person to a federal agency stands at 7%. The level of inaccuracy has caused the state of Illinois to prohibit private employers from using the system.

E-verify is not a magic bullet to eliminating undocumented immigrants from working. Swift Meatpacking Co. used the system, and it was unable to detect the 1,200 undocumented workers in their midst, because the system can not detect true identity theft (where someone has all of the correct information).

For those who are conservatives, the E-verify system should cause you concern. E-verify allows the Department of Homeland Security to have a complete national database with your name, social security number, date of birth, photo, and name of employer. It could easily become the standard for a national id.