It was touch-and-go until the very end, but a strong lobbying effort from the ACLU and other civil rights groups persuaded the Senate not to enact a House-passed bill requiring all employers in the state to participate in the federal government’s faulty “E-Verify” program. The federal government has acknowledged that the program, designed to determine an applicant’s authorization to work, contains millions of errors. Its routine misuse by employers has also been found to increase workplace discrimination on the basis of national origin. Thus far, only Arizona and Mississippi have passed such a far-reaching law. Although civil rights groups mostly testified against the bill on the House side, the Senate committee hearing was populated with other opponents. They included the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Society for Human Resources Management. Despite pressure from the House, Senate leaders kept the bill in committee, citing legal concerns about the proposal. In the meantime, all other immigrant-related legislation, both good and bad, also died in committee.

Session

2008