Business Groups Say Immigration Reform “Not Going Away”
Following the collapse of a reform bill on Capitol Hill, advocates are now pushing for incremental changes.
From: Inc.com By: Angus Loten
While expressing disappointment with the collapse of a sweeping immigration reform bill in the Senate, small-business groups are hoping many of its key provisions will resurface on a more incremental basis.The bill, which supporters said would have balanced tougher border security with a temporary worker program, was blocked on Thursday mostly by Senate Republicans opposed to the creation of a path to legal status for the nation’s 12 million undocumented workers. Despite strong support from the White House, it fell 14 votes short of the 60 required to end debate and proceed to a final vote. It was the second time in as many weeks the bill failed to clear a procedural hurdle.”This vote ignores the very real economic needs of farmers and small-business owners,” Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said following Thursday’s vote. “The current system is broken, but there were not enough senators willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work to fix it.”
Earlier this month, a coalition of national small-business advocacy and trade groups had pressed lawmakers to hammer out the many issues outlined in the legislation in an open debate — even as they disagreed with many of the provisions.
“American citizens and American businesses need to have confidence that there is a clear practical plan in place to address the need for border security and the need for additional workers,” Bruce Josten, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s executive vice president of government affairs, said in a statement issued after the vote. “This issue is not going away.”
for the entire article go to Inc.com
Corra has been hearing a lot about this issue. With the new laws passed in Arizona, it is a matter of time before other states adopt similar statutes. What it means for you and your business is a probable end to the hiring of undocumented workers with impunity. Whether this is a a good thing or a bad thing, is a topic we will leave to others. The fact is if you hire undocumented workers you will be subjected to fines and possible closure of your business.
This is not the time to put your business in jeopardy of becoming the poster child for new state regulations or federal crackdowns. Run background checks on all your employees. In addition to the Social Security Trace, which should tell you if someone is documented or not, run a criminal check. You would only make matters worse by not only hiring an undocumented worker but one with a criminal record.
Be smart. Check them out before you hire.
