Congressman Jason Chaffetz reaffirmed his support for the Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 2885) Wednesday. This legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Chaffetz, is intended to protect American jobs and reduce the job magnets that promote illegal immigration. Led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (TX-21), H.R. 2885 currently has 37 co-sponsors and enjoys support from a broad coalition of business and immigration organizations.
“The Legal Workforce Act will stop illegal immigrants from taking American jobs, while opening up jobs for citizens and legal immigrants,” said Chaffetz. “America’s unemployment rate is too high. This legislation not only reduces the incentives that drive illegal immigration, but it also benefits both the employer and employee. This bill helps fix legal immigration.”
The Legal Workforce Act would improve current E-Verify laws and make the system mandatory for all American employers. While nearly 300,000 American employers already voluntarily use the E-Verify system, there is still a need for a federal standard in order to prevent businesses in states from hiring illegal workers, accidental or intentional.
Numbers USA, a non-partisan organization whose aim is to “bring federal immigration policy back to a logical place”, recently compared Utah’s current level of immigration enforcement to the levels that would be put in place if H.R. 2885 were to become law. Among other things, the comparison revealed that H.R. 2885 would increase positive enforcement against illegal immigration in Utah while also moving current illegal workers out of jobs. Read more about what immigration enforcement would look like if H.R. 2885 were enacted.
Group supporting the Legal Workforce Act include:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
American Council on International Personnel
American Hotel and Lodging Association
American Meat Institute
American Staffing Association
Associated General Contractors of America
Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado
Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.
Federation of Employers and Workers of America
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Immigration Works USA
International Franchise Association
National Association of Home Builders
National Council of Chain Restaurants
National Restaurant Association
NumbersUSA
Tree Care Industry Association
Society for Human Resource Management
The markup of H.R. 2885 took place Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 10:15 AM EST in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.