I really liked this column by Assemblyman-to-be Jeff Miller from the FlashReport earlier this week.

Anybody who has done their own gardening understands hard work.  Anyone who has fought illegal immigration understands that while landscape contractors make their living working extremely hard, they probably aren't people you would turn to for policy advice.

 

So when I saw that the groups supporting the Democrat Assembly majority's move last week to gut electronic verification of potential employees' social security numbers and immigration status include the ACLU and the California Landscape Contractors Association, I had a feeling that AB 2076 (Fuentes D-Sylmar) may have been driven by liberals and those that mow their lawns.

 

Citing complaints from landscapers, the Democrat Assembly majority boldly voted against every Republican to bar governments in California from using or requiring the use of one of the best tools in the fight against identity theft and illegal immigration.

 

The 12 year old federal e-Verify system, authored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R- Corona), is used by over 200,000 public and private employers to check the validity of social security numbers and employment status BEFORE hiring.

 

E-verify is an ideal government program that allows employers to discretely and appropriately perform a quick check to make sure that a job applicant isn't involving their business in an immigration or identity theft linked crime.  Since its voluntary, there is no mandate in California that it be used except where agencies like the City of Corona require it to be used by city contractors.

 

And when there is a false finding, you can go back and check again.

 

So its voluntary, corrects its own errors, its easily used, and saves companies, agencies, and the public millions and if expanded could save billions.  You can almost hear legislators mumble to themselves, "Kill it with a stick before somebody models the DMV on it".

 

The State of California lists identity theft just behind terrorism and crimes against kids in threats to citizens.  So while identity theft creates victims from all walks of life, and the State of California is committing more and more resources to fight this crime, Sacramento is hacking away at the most effective tool to stop this crime and remove the economic magnet that helps drive illegal immigration.

 

The bill is currently up for hearing this week in the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee so while it has several more steps in the process, this is definitely a bill that the Governor and legislators can use to make a strong statement that 12 years of experience by 200,000 employers count for more than the costly political correctness blown about by Sacramento liberals.