[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S13980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH:
  S. 1891. A bill to extend the basic pilot program for employment 
eligibility verification, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I stand to introduce a companion bill to 
H.R. 3030, the House bill that would extend a pilot program for 
employment eligibility verification of non-citizens. This bill would 
extend the program, set to expire this year, for two more years.
  This basic pilot program, available to employers in California, 
Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, New York, and Texas, was authorized in 
1996, and has proved to be an incredibly effective resource since them. 
The program allows participating employers to electronically access 
certain government databases in order to verify the employment 
authorization of non-citizens. Electronic confirmation of this 
information provides a critical tool for employers to ensure that they 
are not hiring unauthorized aliens. This program allows employers to 
protect themselves from the employer sanction provisions of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act, while providing meaningful deterrence 
to would-be employers who lack appropriate authorization from the INS.
  During this time of increased national security, we can all 
appreciate any tool that will facilitate enforcement of our immigration 
laws. After communication between the House and the Senate on this 
issue, and the favorable report from the Senate Judiciary Committee 
this morning, I have little doubt that my colleagues in the Senate will 
recognize the useful nature of the Pilot Program and support its 
extension.
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