Question : Did you hear the good news concerning Georgia’s new illegal immigration policy?

http://www.fayettedailynews.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1027

Monday, July 02, 2007 – 04:27 PM
On the heels of another defeat for national reform of illegal immigration policies, Georgia’s own response went into effect Sunday.
Senate Bill 529, adopted with much debate and fanfare a year ago, is slated to slowly start adding new requirements for verifying workers’ citizenship status and cracking down on those who prey on illegal immigrants.
Although Georgia received national attention for being the first state to move ahead on its own while Congress remained deadlocked on illegal immigration, SB 529 actually makes few sweeping changes initially.
Beginning Monday, large companies wanting to do business with local or state government agencies had to show they have registered to use the federal Employment Eligibility Verification Program, an online database run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Also known as the Basic Pilot Program, the check is free for employers who will be required to check the status of any new workers hired after last Sunday and see if their Social Security numbers are valid.
During this first year SB 529 is in effect, only companies with 500 employees or more will be made to participate if they want to bid on government contracts in Georgia.
As it gets phased in, all contractors and subcontractors working with the state or local governments will be required to enroll after July of 2009.
The Georgia Department of Labor recently released how it will implement the verification rules, but Commissioner Michael Thurmond said there has been little response from the contracting and building communities which have been preparing for the new law.
“Many have already participated voluntarily, especially the larger employers, which will be this first group,” Thurmond said.
More than 500 Georgia companies already are participating in the verification system, based on a recent check.
Thurmond said some questions still remain about the new law’s verification requirements, including whether major companies based outside the state will have to comply if they have fewer than 500 workers in Georgia now. Thurmond said he would not be surprised if legislators revisit it to add more measures on the enforcement end of the law.
“The legislation didn’t speak to that particular aspect of it,” he said. “We proposed a system of random audits, but that was not funded. Hopefully, in the future, that will be.”
database security audit

Best answer:

Answer by old lady
Yes. I read newspapers too. Was that your question?