Speech #1040206024

Mr. President. I rise to discuss briefly an amendment I. had of-. fered to S. 1664. the Immigration and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996 but have subsequently withdrawn in the interest of completing action on the underlying bill without unnecessary delay at this time. This amendment was designed to ensure the consideration of innovative authentication technology as we develop a new verification system for alien employment and public assistance eligibility. There is a large and important debate before us. Should we implement a national verification system in the United States? Well. we already have one. but its failing America. It allows illegal immigrants to skirt the systemto take jobs away from Americans and immigrants who have played by the rules. Moreover. the current system also allows for abuse of our pubic assistance programs that were established to provide a safety net for those who have contributed to our society and deserve help in a time of need. We need to update the current verification systemand 53 Senate colleagues agree as evidenced by their votes to reject the Abraham amendment to strike the verification system from the bill. The system in place now requires employers to check two forms of identification from a list of 29 acceptable documents. We know that these documents are far from being tamperresistant and we know that employers are unfairly held accountable for hiring illegal aliens. The bill before us sets out the goals and objectives for a new verification system and also provides for pilot projects to determine the costs. technology. and effectiveness of a new program. Contrary to what many believe. the bills provisions address the concerns that have been expressed regarding privacy. the potential for discrimination. and cost.