Draft Immigration Proposal Calls for Biometric Employment Verification, Increased Penalties Against Labor Law Violators

A 26-page outline of a new proposed immigration overhaul bill would require all employers to use a newly-created Biometric Enrollment, Locally-stored Information, and Electronic Verification of Employment (BELIEVE) System as a means of verifying employee work authorization. Within 18 months of the proposed bill’s enactment, the Social Security Administration would be required to issue biometric social security cards, which within five years would serve as the only acceptable document employers could use for employment verification purposes. The proposal also calls for a 300 percent increase in monetary fines against employers that knowingly hire illegal workers, and enhanced civil and criminal penalties against employers that engage in egregious labor violations involving unauthorized workers. To learn more about the proposal and the potential implications for employers, please continue reading at Littler's D.C. Employment Law Update blog.

Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.