[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 33 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E268-E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE ``NEW EMPLOYEE VERIFICATION ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2008

  Mr. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, the lure of employment 
opportunities in the United States has long been acknowledged as a 
major reason for immigration--both legal and illegal. Those in Congress 
know I'm for combating illegal immigration. As the ranking member on 
the Social Security Subcommittee, I, along with several of my 
subcommittee colleagues, offer an important new component in the 
immigration reform debate.
  Employers want, need, and deserve a reliable employee verification 
system, and I want to give it to them. Every day, countless immigrants 
enter our country seeking the economic opportunities that a job in this 
country has to offer. Many play by the rules, wait their turn, and 
obtain the proper permission to work. That is called legal immigration, 
and I am all for it.
  But when it comes to enforcing the law for those who do not play by 
the rules, it can't be done. That is because enforcement is based upon 
a failed system that is prone to both error and fraud. The result is an 
illegal immigrant population that has swelled by some estimates to over 
12 million. This is a path our Nation cannot sustain, and the American 
people have rightly demanded action.
  The bill we are introducing today is designed to achieve three 
important objectives: first, ensure a legal workforce; second, 
safeguard workers' identity; and finally, protect Social Security.
  First, this legislation draws upon lessons learned from the past to 
help guarantee a legal U.S. workforce for the future. The current 
failed, paper-based I-9 screening process is replaced with an 
Electronic Employee Verification System, to be known as EEVS. This 
system would rely on the use of fewer, more secure identity documents 
and would be built upon the new hire reporting process already existing 
in each State. This reporting process is used by 90 percent of 
employers and was put in place a dozen years ago to track down deadbeat 
dads.
  For Americans, work authorization would be confirmed only through the 
Social Security Administration. This ensures that there is no ``Big 
Brother'' law enforcement agency building new databases on law-abiding 
citizens. For non-citizens, work authorization would be confirmed 
through the Department of Homeland Security that has the databases on 
visa and immigration status.
  Second, the legislation would help safeguard workers' identity. A 
voluntary system would be created using the latest technology to 
authenticate and protect a worker's identity. Private sector 
contractors, certified by the Federal Government, would authenticate 
the identity of employees by utilizing existing background-check and 
document screening tools and then safeguard the identity through a 
biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint or eye scan. The private 
sector provider would then verify work authorization in EEVS.
  Think back to December 2006 and the now widely known Swift and 
Company raids. Nearly 1,300 workers in 6 States were arrested, 
including many in Cactus, Texas. A Swift and Company human resources 
official testified before a House panel that Swift had willingly 
participated in the government's voluntary verification program for 
Social Security numbers since 1997. This shows the system is broken and 
must be fixed.
  Third, this legislation would protect the Social Security program by 
preventing wages earned through future unauthorized work from being 
used to determine benefits. Also the bill would protect the Social 
Security Administration's primary mission and trust funds by 
authorizing employment verification only through funds appropriated in 
advance.
  So far, efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation 
have failed. Today we offer a new way forward for this Congress

[[Page E269]]

to discourage unauthorized workers from entering this country illegally 
to seek work. Ensuring a legal workforce must be a key component of any 
immigration bill moving through Congress.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on this 
proposal to achieve a bipartisan solution to immigration reform.

                          ____________________