Support E-Verify in Ohio

Are you out of work? Do you see Mexicans working and wonder if they are legal? Do you wonder why you can't get hired but they can? Are you angry that Ohio has 10.2% unemployment but no laws from keeping illegal border jumpers from taking our jobs? Pissed that as you sit home 16 undocumented border jumpers were found working in Garfield Hts and nothing was done about it?

Instead of watching Jerry Springer and Dr. Phil while you rue the fact you are out of work - put your time to doing something useful...

From the Grass Roots Rally Team --

Dear Ohio friends,

On May 19, State Rep. Courtney Combs (R) introduced legislation (HB 184) that would require private employers, as well as local governments and their contractors, to use the E-Verify system to check the eligibility of new hires to work in the U.S. The bill also would require jails to verify the citizenship status of anyone arrested and prohibit cities from passing ordinances that restrict law enforcement or public agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
“Ohioans are fed up with the lack of effort by the federal government in dealing with the growing concerns of foreign lawbreakers,” Combs said. “E-Verify is a fast and free program that will aid employers in hiring legal Ohioans. This legislation is intended to preserve jobs for Americans and those who are here legally.”

HB 184 will receive a hearing on June 3 in the House Judiciary Committee, but will not be put to a vote that day. If you are a constituent of one of the committee members noted below, please email and call (during normal business hours only) to ask him/her to ensure the bill gets an up-or-down vote in committee, and to vote YES on the bill.

Kevin Bacon (R) - (614) 644-6030 district21@ohr.state.oh.us
Louis W. Blessing, Jr. (R) - (614) 466-9091 district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Barbara Boyd (D) - (614) 644-5079 district09@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp (R; bill co-sponsor) - (614) 644-6034 district88@ohr.state.oh.us
Ted Celeste (D) - (614) 644-6005 district24@ohr.state.oh.us
William P. Coley, II (R) - (614) 466-8550 district55@ ohr.state.oh.us
Matthew J. Dolan (R; Ranking Minority Member) - (614) 644-5088 district98@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Stabile Harwood (D; Committee Chair) - (614) 466-3488 district65@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark D. Okey (D) - (614) 466-1464 district61@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark A. Schneider (D) - (614) 644-6074 district63@ohr.state.oh.us
Michael Skindell (D) - (614) 466-5921 district13@ohr.state.oh.us

If your representative does not serve on the Judiciary Committee, please ask him/her via email to work to ensure the bill gets an up-or-down vote in committee, and to vote YES on HB 184 when it reaches the House floor.

If your representative is one of the bill’s other co-sponsors – i.e., Minority Leader William Batchelder, John Adams, Tim Derickson, Dave Hall, Kris Jordan, Ron Maag, Jarrod Martin, Joe Uecker or Lynn Wachtmann -- please be sure to offer your support and thanks.

All Ohio NumbersUSA members also are asked to contact Speaker Armond Budish via email and phone (during normal business hours only) to ask him to use the full power of his office to ensure HB 184 gets an up-or-down vote in committee and is passed by the House. 614-466-5441 district08@ohr.state.oh.us

Talking Points for Judiciary Committee Members

• Please ensure that HB 184 -- Rep. Combs’ mandatory E-Verify bill – gets a fair up-or-down vote in the Judiciary Committee and vote YES on the bill. It took over 20 years to create today's illegal immigration crisis, and it may take another ten to substantially reduce our current illegal population, but enacting HB 184 this session will start Ohio down that road. This will protect legal workers from unfair foreign labor competition, free up illegal-alien jobs for unemployed Americans, reduce illegal-alien crime, and lessen the burden on taxpayers during this recession. Your constituents are counting on you -- please don't let us down!

• No state or country can hope to discourage illegal immigration without removing the jobs magnet that draws illegal workers to our communities. That is why it is critical for public and private employers to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. By the same token, it is counterproductive to keep recycling illegal-alien criminals through our justice system. Those eligible for deportation should be identified in jails and moved into federal custody for removal. Finally, we need to end sanctuary policies which create safe havens that make it easier for illegal aliens, including criminal aliens, to live undetected in the United States.

• Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently told a congressional panel that E-Verify is an essential tool for employers to maintain a legal workforce and a cornerstone of workplace enforcement across the country. She recognizes that we cannot stop illegal immigration without removing the jobs magnet that draws illegal workers to our communities. That is why it is critical for Ohio to enact mandatory employment eligibility verification legislation for all private and public employers.

• There are no longer any valid excuses for allowing businesses to continue to hire illegal workers, not when there are so many citizens and legal residents struggling to find work. Over 122,000 employers representing 468,000 hiring locations throughout the country use E-Verify, and around 1,000 new businesses sign up for the program every week. Over 14 percent of all non-agricultural new hires are now run through E-Verify. Beginning next month, all federal contractors will be required to use it as well.

• 99.6 percent of legal workers with no problems in their Social Security Administration (SSA) records are accurately authorized under E-Verify. Those who have inaccuracies are given instructions on how to clear up their records with SSA and time to do so. The bottom line is that nobody is automatically ruled out for work authorization and those eligible to work in the U.S. will not lose their job. If a person is not work authorized, it's not discrimination if you don't continue to employ them. That's complying with the law.

• Although sanctuary policies are illegal under Federal law, a number of cities in Ohio maintain policies that forbid police from asking about a person's immigration status or informing Federal immigration authorities about the presence of illegal aliens. These outrageous policies encourage illegal-alien presence and activity, protect criminals, and displace benefits for needy Americans.

• It is dangerous, expensive and counterproductive to keep recycling illegal-alien criminals through our justice system. How many crimes have been committed, and lives lost, because local governments are not checking the immigration status of arrestees? Those eligible for deportation should be identified in jails and moved into federal custody for removal.

Talking Points of Other State Representatives: Since representatives who do not serve on the Judiciary Committee will not have a chance to vote on HB 184 unless if passes committee, please use the talking points above but emphasize that you want him/her to work to ensure the bill gets a fair up-or-down vote in committee and to vote YES when it reaches the House floor.

Talking Points of Speaker Budish: As Speaker of the Ohio House, Rep. Budish has great power to influence a bill’s progress and how his fellow Democrats view it. Please use the talking points above but emphasize that Speaker Budish must use the full power of his office to ensure HB 184 gets an fair up-or-down vote in committee and is passed by the full House.