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The amendment imposes exorbitant costs at a time when our economy is most vulnerable.
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An economic analysis commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce concluded a federalrule, similar to the provision included in the stimulus package, that would require all federalcontractors to use E-Verify would result in net societal costs of $10 billion a year.
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Imposing these costs would be particularly unwise now, as our economy deepens intorecession. In particular, such costs will have a disproportionate effect on small businessesand their ability to contribute to the economy.
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Small businesses employ approximately half of the entire U.S. workforce and have generated60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade. These businesses, alreadystruggling in the current economy, will face additional burdens and unanticipated problems if they are required to use Basic Pilot/E-Verify, potentially harming their ability to create new jobs and revenue.
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Mandatory participation in Basic Pilot/E-Verify would further increase the cost of doingbusiness in a tough economic climate.
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According to the American Council on International Personnel, nationally, the reason 99 percent of employers have not enrolled in E-Verify is
not
because they are hiringundocumented workers or shirking their employment verification responsibilities, but rather because Basic Pilot/E-Verify enrollment is not easy or efficient.
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Ask any small business about E-Verify and you are likely to hear stories like the following:
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According to a manager of a small business in Maryland, it takes seriously its legalobligation to confirm its employees are eligible to work in the U.S., but has notenrolled in E-Verify because it does not have “the luxury of a large human resourcesdepartment” and the costs for one year would total approximately $27,000.
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MCL Enterprises, an employer in Arizona, found the process of registering to use E-Verify “extremely costly” and “disruptive” to operations.
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E-Verify is riddled with errors—and these errors result in unjust firings, failure to hirequalified workers, delayed employment, and lost productivity.
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Although DHS claims that the error rates are low, that is not what U.S. businesses report:
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Almost 13 percent of workers run through E-Verify by Intel Corporation in 2008could not be confirmed. All of these workers were eventually cleared by E-Verify aswork-authorized, but “only after significant investment of time and money” and “lost productivity” Intel reported.
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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman interviewed a variety of employers in Arizona (where use of E-Verify is mandatory) and found the “concernmost
frequently identified”
is that “temporary non-confirmations (the noticeemployers receive when the federal databases cannot confirm a worker’semployment eligibility) are “issued on work-authorized individuals.” That’s U.S.citizens and legal residents being denied work or having their employmentdelayed by a dysfunctional bureaucracy.
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If people cannot figure out E-Verify, it is said that we have people with a low level of education in this country. It is very simple to use and is very effective. It should be mandated that all companies, especially those people who are getting part of the stimulus package. Next, we need to mandate that the schools should use it and trust me as a parent, parents would volunteer to data entry the information.