Missouri Legislation E-Verify

E-Verify Legislation

On July 7, 2008, Governor Matt Blunt signed legislation (HB 1549) aimed at curbing illegal immigration in Missouri. Under the new law, employers that knowingly hire or continue to employ unauthorized aliens to perform work in Missouri could face civil liability in state courts and lose their business licenses. (Note: This provision of the new law goes into effect on January 1, 2009). Although this conduct has long been prohibited under federal law, the new state law will allow investigation and enforcement by the Missouri Attorney General and the filing of a civil lawsuit in Missouri state court. The law also requires the following entities to participate in a federal work authorization program (currently known as “E-Verify”):

Any business entity that applies for a contract or grant in excess of $5,000 with the state of Missouri or one of its political subdivisions or applies for a tax credit, tax abatement, or loan from the state of Missouri; and
All public employers.

Although private employers are not required to participate in E-Verify, the law encourages them to do so. Any employer that is enrolled in E-Verify will be afforded an “affirmative defense” to a charge that it has knowingly hired an unauthorized alien.

What is E-Verify?

DHS requires all employers to record new employee data on Form I-9. That involves getting official documents from the employee that prove two things: 1) Their identity...that they are who they say they are, and 2) Their employment eligibility...that they have the right to work in this country. Form I-9 became a requirement when the Immigration Reform and Control Act was passed in 1986. E-Verify is a system that allows employers to know right away that employee Social Security numbers and employment eligibility documents are authentic.

It’s the law: you must verify the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees through proper and timely Form I-9 completion. As illegal immigrant workplace issues heat up, you can bet that the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are aggressively checking that businesses are fully compliant.

The responsibility is on you. If you fail to properly complete, retain, or make I-9 Forms available for inspection, fines range from $275 to $11,000 per employee.

How we can help.

Our federally approved system combines paperless Form I-9 completion, storage, and verification using E-verify into one cost-effective solution. The system includes:

Current Employees

Full audit of existing I-9’s
Corrections to ensure legal compliance
Input of existing I-9’s to paperless solution – no more forms to store!
Automatic destruction in accordance to regulations
Tracking and management of document expirations
Secure online access to information and reports

New Hires

Electronic I-9 completion eliminates form errors
Instructions and signatures in English and Spanish ensures compliance
Automatic E-Verify submission upon form I-9 completion
People Wise handles all tentative and no-match notifications
We handle the entire process with you and your employee ensuring that every step is handled in compliance with the law!

Additional Features

Training for up to three administrators
Accessed via Internet – No software required!
No Monthly or Annual Fees!


Request a FREE Demo Today at http://www.pwhrm.com/