Gallegly Discusses New E-Verify Bill

This week, Rep. Elton Gallegly, who represents Moorpark, made a statement to Congress regarding the Legal Workforce Act, a bill he originally helped cosponsor and which was introduced this week.

The bill would make mandatory and expand the now-voluntary program known as E-Verify. E-Verify allows employers to electronically verify that newly-hired employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.

“E-Verify allows employers to check the work eligibility of new hires by running the employee’s Social Security number or alien identification number against Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records,” Gallegly, chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, explained.

Supporters of the bill say it could open up millions of jobs for unemployed Americans and legal immigrants.

“Currently, there are nearly 14 million unemployed Americans,” Gallegly said. “Making sure that they have every opportunity to find work is more important than ever. One way to do that is to reduce the number of jobs that go to people illegally in this country. The E-Verify program will do just that.”

Introduction of the Legal Workforce Bill comes shortly after a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding an Arizona law requiring employers to check the legal status of their employees using E-Verify. Currently, 250,000 American employers voluntarily use the program.