A federal program that verifies the identity and legal status of persons seeking employment inside the United States would be reauthorized under S. 3245, which was passed unanimously in the Senate and by 412-3 vote in the House. The E-Verify program is set to expire September 30, 2012, but this bill extends the program through September 30, 2015 as well as prohibiting the government from testing or developing a national identification card.
Approximately 400,000 employers have signed up to use the program and 98.3 percent of employees are automatically confirmed as authorized to work in the United States, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. E-Verify is mostly a voluntary program; however, 19 states have mandated E-Verify. In addition, many states require federal contractors and state agencies to use E-Verify, while other states mandate E-Verify for some private businesses. The bill still has to be signed by President Obama.
