HR Initiative Calls for Delay of Minnesota E-Verify Order

Washington, D.C. – The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce today urged Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to rescind enforcement of an executive order directing state government, state contractors and recipients of state business incentives to utilize the federal employment verification system known as “Basic Pilot” (also known as “E-Verify”).

The Governor’s executive order adds Minnesota to a growing list of states with employment verification requirements that are not always consistent and sometimes conflicting.

“The danger in a piecemeal state-by-state approach to employment verification is the creation of a network of uncoordinated state regulations and penalties, which will impact the ability of U.S. employers to maintain consistent hiring policies,” said HR Initiative spokesman Mike Aitken, Director of Governmental Affairs, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).   “This is especially true for multi-state employers where uniform procedures are a critical feature in ensuring the ability to serve employee needs in a lawful and efficient manner.”

The HR Initiative represents the nation’s leading human resource organizations, including hundreds of thousands of HR professionals and thousands of U.S. employers from every sector of the economy.  The HR experts have cautioned against mandated use of Basic Pilot/E-Verify because of the program’s reliance on error-prone government databases – which will result in the erroneous rejection of significant numbers of U.S. citizens and permanent residents – resulting in potential job denial or loss for many.

The new Minnesota mandate will require the Minnesota Department of Employee Relations, Department of Administration, and Department of Employment and Economic Development to use Basic Pilot.  The electronic verification requirement will apply to all new state employees and contractors doing business with the state, and recipients of state business incentives.

The HR Initiative for a Legal Workforce includes:

•    American Council on International Personnel
•    College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
•    Food Marketing Institute
•    HR Policy Association
•    International Public Management Association for Human Resources
•    National Association of Manufacturers
•    Society for Human Resource Management

# # #

The Human Resource Initiative for a Legal Workforce (www.legal-workforce.org) represents human resource professionals in thousands of small and large U.S. employers representing every sector of the American economy.  The HR Initiative and its members are seeking to improve the current process of employment verification by creating a secure, efficient and reliable system that will ensure a legal workforce and help prevent unauthorized employment, a root cause of illegal immigration.