According to a report in the Jacksonville Business Journal online, pressure is growing for legislation that would expand the E-Verify employment verification system mandate to all employers – not just federal contractors and subcontractors – to use to confirm that their employees are eligible to work in the U.S.

E-Verify – a Web-based system that allows employers to check employment information submitted by workers against government databases – is currently used by more than 137,000 employers voluntarily and approves 97 percent of workers in a few seconds, according to the article.

After several delays in implementation, Federal contractors and most subcontractors will be required by law to use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of both new hires and current employees working on federal contracts beginning September 8, 2009.

In addition, the Jacksonville Business Journal reports that many members of Congress want new legislation that would expand the use of E-Verify to all employers as a way to end the “jobs magnet” for illegal immigration and “open up thousands of American jobs to workers with legal status.”

The “Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement Act” is a bill that would expand E-Verify use to all employers over four years, while also increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, interior enforcement officials, and immigration judges, according to the article.

If the E-Verify system is expanded to include all U.S. businesses in the coming years, employers will have to implement the program properly to reduce errors, avoid government audits, and maintain Employment Eligibility Verification Form ("I-9 form") and E-Verify compliance.

A designated E-Verify service agent, I-9Compliance.com – offered by leading pre-employment screening and Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) provider Pre-Employ.com – helps employers maintain full compliance, reduce risks and liability, virtually eliminate errors, and improve the economy by ensuring jobs for legal Americans.

For more information about I-9Compliance.com, download a complimentary white paper – "15 Facts You Should Know About I-9 Compliance" – visit www.i-9compliance.com, email sales@i-9compliance.com, or call 1-800-300-1821. To follow Pre-Employ.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/PreEmploy.

tahearn@pre-employ.com

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