I'm all about passing along useful information, so here's some recent E-Verify news and state legislation updates. I hope you find these helpful!

• On May 10th, the White House released a plan to establish a “21st Century Immigration System” that included steps to improve and expand the E-Verify program by mandating immigration verification by all employers. The plan sets forth a tiered introduction of the requirement, beginning with businesses with over 1,000 employees. Additionally, the plan would strengthen the self-check mechanism to protect employees and increase E-Verify efficiency and accuracy. The plan further seeks to protect employees be implementing steps needed to ensure that the system is not misused to harm employees and that errors can be corrected.
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/immigration_blueprint.pdf)

• On May 9th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 26738) on updates to the E-Verify program to: (1) add records derived from participating Motor Vehicle Agencies’ systems through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Network; (2) add records derived from individual employees subject to employment verification; and (3) change the verification process to include the validation of information from a driver’s license, driver’s permit, or identification card from a state or jurisdiction that has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the DHS under the Records and Information from Departments of Motor Vehicles for E-Verify program.
(http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-05-09/pdf/2011-11291.pdf)

• On May 6th, the Florida Legislature adjourned its 2011 session without passing a final version of either of its immigration bills (H.B. 7089, S.B. 2040), reportedly due to disputes over the proper role of the E-Verify program (previously reported). Gov. Rick Scott (R) told Floridians to, “get ready for the next session and let everybody we elect know that it’s important to us.”
(http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h7089c1.docx&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=7089&Session=2011)
(http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/2040/BillText/e1/PDF)

• On April 29th, the Indiana Legislature cleared a bill (S.B. 590), which would require the state and local governments, as well as all of their contractors, to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to check the immigration status of employees. The bill would also withhold all tax credits from private businesses which did not use the system or were found to employ illegal immigrants.
(http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/SE/SE0590.1.pdf)