|
2008 -- H 8031 | |
|
======= | |
|
LC02407 | |
|
======= | |
|
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
|
| |
|
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
|
| |
|
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2008 | |
|
| |
|
____________ | |
|
| |
|
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N | |
|
OPPOSING THE E-VERIFY PROGRAM AND URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS | |
|
TO HALT ITS IMPLEMENTATION | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduced By: Representatives Almeida, Williams, Slater, Ajello, and Handy | |
|
Date Introduced: March 11, 2008 | |
|
Referred To: House Judiciary | |
|
1-1 |
WHEREAS, The federal government is encouraging employers to use E-Verify, the |
|
1-2 |
electronic employment eligibility verification program previously known as Basic Pilot and |
|
1-3 |
administered by the United States Citizen and Immigration Services, which uses both the |
|
1-4 |
databases of the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security with |
|
1-5 |
the goal of verifying employment eligibility of new hires; and |
|
1-6 |
WHEREAS, Both databases contain significant errors, and the database of the Social |
|
1-7 |
Security Administration alone contains an estimated 17.8 million discrepancies related to name, |
|
1-8 |
date of birth, or citizenship status; and |
|
1-9 |
WHEREAS, These erroneous databases result in foreign-born lawful workers being |
|
1-10 |
incorrectly identified as not authorized for employment at a rate thirty (30) times greater than |
|
1-11 |
native-born U.S. citizens; and |
|
1-12 |
WHEREAS, Foreign-born citizens are further greatly impacted by these errors to the |
|
1-13 |
extent that nearly ten percent (10%) of such citizens are initially given a tentative non- |
|
1-14 |
confirmation of employment eligibility status under the program; and |
|
1-15 |
WHEREAS, These high error rates result in discouraging some employers from hiring |
|
1-16 |
perceived foreign-born workers; and |
|
1-17 |
WHEREAS, Some employers across the country have been found to inappropriately use |
|
1-18 |
the E-Verify program in a discriminatory manner to pre-screen certain employees based on their |
|
1-19 |
national origin or other improper factors and to take adverse action against employees who |
|
2-1 |
receive tentative non-confirmation notices; and |
|
2-2 |
WHEREAS, Discrimination on the basis of race, color or country of ancestral origin is a |
|
2-3 |
matter of great concern to the State of Rhode Island, and a flawed program such as E-Verify |
|
2-4 |
contributes to such discrimination; now, therefore be it |
|
2-5 |
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and |
|
2-6 |
Providence Plantations hereby urges employers not to participate in the E-Verify program at this |
|
2-7 |
time, and calls upon the United States Congress to halt implementation of this program until such |
|
2-8 |
time as the issues described in this resolution are satisfactorily resolved; and be it further |
|
2-9 |
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to |
|
2-10 |
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the members of the Rhode Island Congressional |
|
2-11 |
Delegation. |
|
| |
|
======= | |
|
LC02407 | |
|
======= |