BILL WOULD REQUIRE E-VERIFY FOR ALL EMPLOYERS
(AUSTIN) — All employers, public and private, would be required to participate in the E-Verify system and ensure that all hires are legally permitted to work in Texas under a bill approved by the Senate Wednesday. Federal law forbids hiring individuals who are not present legally and state law already requires that state agencies, universities, and sexually oriented businesses use the free federal database. SB 324, by Brenham Senator Lois Kolkhorst, would extend this requirement to nearly all employers in Texas. “E-Verify is the most functional and cost-effective method of immigration reform the state of Texas can implement to ensure that US citizens and those able to work in the state of Texas get those jobs,” said Kolkhorst. “E-Verify also ensures that migrants are not victims of labor trafficking.”
Virtually all employers in Texas would be required to use E-Verify, a federal database that ensures workers are eligible to legally work in the US, under a bill authored by Brenham Senator Lois Kolkhorst.
Established in 1997, the E-Verify database allows for comparison between an employee’s I-9 form – which contains information demonstrating that a person is permitted to work in the US legally – to government immigration records. The Department of Homeland Security mandated participation for federal agencies and contractors in 2007, and nine other states, including Arizona, Georgia, and Florida, require that all public and private employers use the system. Even more require that public agencies use it.
Kolkhorst said requiring participation for all businesses will help ensure fair working conditions for legally-present workers. “In committee, we heard testimony from labor unions about employers who intentionally cut corners by sidestepping legal hiring practices,” she said. “These employers undermine fair wages of Texans who are eligible to work in this state.” Millions of employers already use the database, she said, and nearly 99 percent of workers are found to be eligible. Enforcement of the law would come through administrative penalties, with relevant state agencies requiring employment verification as a condition for licensing. It also gives the comptroller the authority to ban contractors who are not in compliance from working for the state for up to one year.
Also Wednesday, the Senate approved a measure that would authorize research into a promising new treatment for opioid addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injuries: ibogaine. “Traditional treatments often fail,” said Flower Mound Senator and bill author Tan Parker. “Ibogaine, a natural compound with unique neurobiological effects show strong potential to interrupt substance abuse disorders and treat PTSD, TBI, and depression.” Early studies, said Parker, show ibogaine treatment engages a number of important neural systems in the brain and promotes the brain’s natural healing capacity. “Clinical observations and case studies have shown ibogaine’s ability to interrupt substance use disorders, to reduce withdrawal symptoms, and to create deep psychological resets after a single application,” said Parker when presenting the bill before the Health and Human Services Committee last week. Ibogaine treatment is intensive and in-patient and can only be done under the supervision of a doctor in a medical facility.
Despite the intensity of the treatment, Parker says patients who have failed to find a successful intervention for their issues are seeking ibogaine treatments in other countries where medical standards lag behind the US. “Texas can offer safer, regulated access here at home,” he said. The bill would create a public-private grant program, administered by the state health department, to begin FDA approved research into this therapy. Money would come only from private donations and trials would be strictly controlled. “SB 2308 ensures safety, accountability, and fiscal responsibility, offering hope - grounded in science - for veterans and all Texans who have exhausted all other options.”
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