Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, raised alarms today that E-Verify provisions may have been stripped from the massive stimulus bill that will soon face a final vote before going to President Obama’s desk.
E-Verify is the voluntary program run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that allows employers to check the legal status of employees against federal databases.
Smith acknowledged that a final House-Senate Conference report has not yet emerged, and it is unclear what the final product may contain. He warned, however, against using the stimulus bill to shut down the program.
“I am very concerned with reports that E-Verify provisions have been dropped from the stimulus package,” Smith said.
