Ryan introduces bill to verify legal worker status
Wisconsin’s First District Congressman Paul Ryan introduced a bill that would require all U.S. employers to electronically verify that all of their employees are not illegal immigrants.
Ryan said the New Employee Verification Act document would provide enforcement tools to ensure a legal workforce and end document fraud and identity theft.
While it is the employer’s responsibility to hire employees who are in the country legally, the current employee document verification system, based primarily on paper documents, does not work, Ryan said. As a result, many undocumented workers have been hired through the fraudulent use of someone else’s Social Security number and identity, he said.
The new law would replace the current paper-based system with a paperless Electronic Employment Verification System (EEVS). This system would require employers to enter EEVS data through an electronic portal.
Employers who ignore the law would face much stiffer penalties than they currently face, Ryan said.
The verification system would be administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The bill would preclude the need for a new national database or a National I.D. card, Ryan said.
Additionally, the legislation contains provisions to fight identity theft. The bill creates an alternate and voluntary Secure Electronic Employment Verification System (SEEVS) to verify an employee’s identity and work eligibility and to give the employee the ability to "lock" their own identity, once verified.
SEEVS would establish a network of private sector government certified companies to substantiate identities by using existing background check and document screening tools, Ryan said.
"I firmly believe that ensuring a legal workforce and securing worker identities is essential to stemming the tide of illegal immigration," Ryan said. "The issue of a legal, secure, and immediate employment verification system is far too important to leave to the honor system. Paper documents have proven too easy to forge and the time is now for a new, easy-to-use, and protected verification process. The New Employee Verification Act raises the accountability of employers while providing a tested and effective way to immediately authenticate an employee’s legal status."
HK Systems releases new tracking and control software
New Berlin-based HK Systems, Inc., North America’s leading automated material handling and supply chain software total solutions provider, recently released its enhanced Material Tracking and Control Software (MTC) product, specially designed for the newspaper industry. Material Tracking and Control Software, utilized by the Chicago Tribune, NY Times, Orlando Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and LA Times, provides insert accountability and control.
HK Systems’ MTC product is designed to support today’s complex newsprint and Free Standing Insets (FSI) material management, specifically addressing the industry trend of the growing number of FSIs required for a production run. MTC manages getting the right product to the right place at the right time and contains standard interfaces to allow mid-sized newspapers to deploy the software with minimal investment.
