Media Center: Press Releases

  • Press Releases

    • HR Initiative Cites Arizona Ruling in Call for Congress to Preempt Growing Patchwork of State Employment Verification Mandates
      09/19/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce cited this week’s ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed Arizona’s right to mandate employer participation in E-Verify, as evidence that Congress must act to prevent the further proliferation of discordant state and local employment verification laws.
    • HR Initiative Claims New DHS E-Verify Mandate Contravenes Congressional Intent
      08/11/2008
      Washington, D.C. – In comments submitted today to the General Services Administration, the Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce coalition criticized the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require federal contractors and subcontractors to participate in E-Verify, the government’s controversial pilot employment verification system.
    • HR Initiative Endorses House Bill on E-Verify Extension
      08/01/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce coalition applauded passage of the bipartisan E-Verify compromise bill introduced by Representatives Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Sam Johnson (R-TX), calling the effort a responsible step that will allow policymakers to find a real solution to the problems inherent in the current federal employment verification system.
    • E-Verify Extension Must Not Exceed Three Years
      07/16/2008
      Washington, D.C. – Employer organizations today sent the following letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and all Members of Congress to urge that any extension of the current federal pilot program for employment verification, E-Verify, be no longer than three years and that it include necessary improvements to the system:
    • HR Initiative Critical of Executive Order Mandating E-Verify
      06/09/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce today criticized a new Executive Order requiring all federal contractors to participate in the E-Verify program. E-Verify is the voluntary federal electronic employment verification system that has been widely criticized for its dependence on paper-based identity documents and its subsequent inability to detect the use of fraudulent identification and stolen Social Security numbers – a common tactic used by unauthorized workers to obtain jobs.
    • Employers Urge Alternative to E-Verify
      05/06/2008
      Washington, D.C. – In testimony today before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, Susan R. Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) urged Congress to reject the current effort to mandate use of “E-Verify” and focus instead on creating a secure employment verification system through support for H.R. 5515, the New Employee Verification Act (NEVA).
    • Employers Applaud Support of Democrats for Replacement of E-Verify
      04/03/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today applauded Representative Dennis Moore (D-KS), Co-Chair for Policy of The Blue Dog Coalition, for joining Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), as a Democratic co-sponsor of H.R. 5515, the New Employee Verification Act (NEVA).
    • Human Resource Experts Testify in Opposition to Mandated Use of “E-Verify” in Kansas
      03/04/2008
      Washington, D.C. – Representatives of the Society for Human Resource Management and the HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce are urging the Kansas State Legislature to resist efforts to mandate the use of the federal employment verification system know as “E-Verify.” In testimony today before the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs, Michael P. Aitken, Director of Governmental Affairs at SHRM urged legislators to “reject efforts to mandate the use of E-Verify, which is little more than an inadequate quick-fix solution to a growing national problem.”
    • HR Initiative Endorses Bill to Create an Effective, Mandatory Federal Employment Verification System
      02/28/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today applauded the introduction of legislation viewed as critical to strengthening the nation’s broken employment verification system and to helping prevent unauthorized employment, a key component of any meaningful immigration reform effort.
    • Business Leaders Call for Nation’s First Mandatory Employment Verification System
      02/28/2008
      Alexandria, Va., – Feb. 28, 2008 – The world’s largest association devoted to human resource management today led a coalition of business leaders and HR professionals in endorsing legislation that would create the nation’s first mandatory employment verification system for all U.S. employers.
    • Poll Shows Strong Doubts About Effectiveness of Federal Employment Verification System
      Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research  02/28/2008
      Washington, D.C. - Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies today released results of a national poll assessing public opinion on employment verification as a tool for stemming illegal immigration.
    • Human Resource Experts Urge Defeat of Kansas “E-Verify” Bill
      02/11/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged Kansas state legislators to resist an attempt to mandate the use of E-Verify by state employers, as contained in the omnibus immigration bill, S.B. 458, currently under consideration in the Kansas State Senate. E-Verify is the voluntary federal employment verification system that has been recently mandated by legislative action in Arizona.
    • Human Resource Experts Urge Wisconsin Legislators to Reject “No-Match” Employment Verification Penalties
      02/11/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged Wisconsin state legislators to reject A.B. 712 and S.B. 404, two of a series of immigration reform bills pending before the Wisconsin Legislature that would punish employers for not responding within 30 days to the receipt of a “no-match” letter from the federal government.
    • HR Initiative Urges Restraint by States on National Immigration Policy
      01/17/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged state governors to resist any attempt to mandate the use of E-Verify by state employers. E-Verify is the voluntary federal employment verification system that has been recently mandated by legislative action in Arizona and by Executive Order in Minnesota. The Arizona law is currently undergoing a legal challenge.
    • HR Initiative Calls for Delay of Minnesota E-Verify Order
      01/08/2008
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to rescind enforcement of an executive order directing state government, state contractors and recipients of state business incentives to utilize the federal employment verification system known as “Basic Pilot” (also known as “E-Verify”).
    • HR Initiative Urges Continued Challenge to Arizona Employment Verification Law
      12/10/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged continued pursuit of a legal challenge to a new Arizona law requiring all employers to use the federal employment verification system known as “Basic Pilot” (also known as “E-Verify”). The case was dismissed on Friday by the U.S District Court for Arizona on procedural grounds.
    • HR Initiative Applauds Hill Conferees for Dropping “Basic Pilot” Rider
      11/15/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today applauded House and Senate conferees for dropping a mandate that all private vendors holding contracts with the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development participate in the “Basic Pilot” employment verification system.
    • Senate Applauded for Effort to Keep “Basic Pilot” Voluntary for Federal Contractors
      10/25/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today applauded the Senate for not including a proposed mandate that all private vendors holding contracts with the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education participate in the “Basic Pilot” employment verification system.
    • Human Resource Professionals Urge Congress to Keep “Basic Pilot” Voluntary for Federal Contractors
      10/16/2007
      Washington, D.C. – In a letter delivered today to all U.S. Senators, twelve leading trade, professional and educational associations representing human resource experts and employers from across all sectors of the U.S. economy called on Congress to improve the federal employment verification system – known as Basic Pilot – before it expires next year, rather than require all federal contractors to participate in the system now.
    • HR Initiative Files Brief Supporting Employers in Arizona Lawsuit
      09/14/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today joined a legal effort to overturn a new Arizona law requiring all employers that are located in Arizona, that transact business in Arizona, or that employ one or more persons in Arizona to use the federal employment verification system known as “Basic Pilot” (also known as “E-Verify”).
    • New DHS “No-Match” Rule Must Provide Clarity for Employers
      08/13/2007
      Washington, D.C. – Commenting on the new “no-match” employment verification rules issued Friday by the Department of Homeland Security, the HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce and its members pledged to monitor the program closely to ensure that the new regulations produce the guidance and clarity U.S. employers have needed. No-match letters are issued by the Social Security Administration when an employee’s name does not match his or her social security number.
    • International Biometric Industry Association Calls for Stronger Employment Verification System with Biometrics
      06/29/2007
      With the failure of the comprehensive immigration reform bill to pass the Senate, the International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) called for Congress, the Administration and certain key industries to continue to work on ways to strengthen our nation's current employment verification system and to use technologies like biometrics that help verify people's work authorization status.
    • HR Initiative to Continue Effort to Secure a Stronger Employment Verification System
      06/28/2007
      Washington, D.C. – Despite today’s Senate cloture vote that apparently derailed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, S. 1639, the HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce will continue its efforts to strengthen the employment verification system for U.S. employers.
    • Leading HR Group to Support Key Amendment to Senate Immigration Bill
      Society for Human Resource Management  06/26/2007
      Washington, D.C. -- The following statement by Susan R. Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) was issued today.
    • SHRM Recommends Stronger Employment Verification System
      The Fratelli Group  06/07/2007
      Washington, D.C. -- In testimony today before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, Susan R. Meisinger, President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) urged Congress to strengthen and improve employment verification measures in the comprehensive immigration reform legislation now under consideration. SHRM is a founding member of the Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce (HR Initiative).
    • HR Expert Group Calls for Stronger Employment Verification Provisions in Senate Immigration Bill
      The Fratelli Group  05/17/2007
      Washington, D.C. -- Following an initial review of the draft Senate immigration reform proposal announced today, the Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce (HR Initiative) called on the Senate to improve the employment verification measures included in Title III of the bill.
    • HR Expert Group Calls for Stronger Employment Verification Provisions
      The Fratelli Group  04/26/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce (HR Initiative) today called on Congress to include enhanced employment verification measures as part of the comprehensive immigration reform legislation now under consideration.
    • Greater Security in Employment Verification the Goal of HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce
      The Fratelli Group  03/07/2007
      Washington, D.C. – The nation’s leading human resource organizations, representing hundreds of thousands of HR professionals, as well as thousands of U.S. employers from every sector of the economy, today launched an initiative to help stem the tide of illegal immigration by bringing greater security and reliability to the nation’s employment verification system.