Speech #980219586

The implications for a national identification card which this study carried were of great concern to me and to many of my constituents. I share their relief that these provisions were stricken. We have added an amendment that mandates the establishment of a system whereby employers can check Social Security numbers by telephone to determine if the individual is a U.S. citizen or a legal or illegal alien. I think this program will do much to reduce the intrusiveness that would have surrounded a paper employee verification program. In addition. a telephone verification system will provide a workable. easy method of employee verification. so that employers will not be able to use fear of counterfeit documents as an excuse for discriminating against Hispanic American workers. I want to make it clear. however. that I retain serious doubts about the workability of the employer sanctions program. A study prepared by the General Accounting Office indicated that the 20 countries that have tried employer sanctions to control undocumented immigration found them to be ineffective. Eleven States in the United States have enacted some form of employer sanctions. including Callfornia. Florida. and my home State of Kansas.