SHRM Statement on the "Legal Workforce Act of 2011"

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) issued this statement today in support of "The Legal Workforce Act of 2011" and thanking Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith for introducing it:

"On behalf of approximately 260,000 members of the Society for Human Resource Management, we thank you for introducing The Legal Workforce Act, which creates a fully integrated, federal, electronic employment verification system," said Henry "Hank" Jackson, interim president and CEO.

Mr. Jackson added, "HR professionals are on the front lines of employment verification and are fully committed to only hiring work-authorized individuals. We also recognize, however, that the current employment verification system is in need of real reform. The patchworks of state and local verification laws are unworkable and creating a confusing set of legal requirements for American employers and employees. We, therefore, applaud you, Mr. Chairman, for including federal preemption provisions in your legislation to address the disparate network of state laws and provide for a uniform national system."

"There is also ample evidence that the employment verification system is prone to fraud, forgeries and identity theft, making it difficult, if not impossible, for an employer to differentiate between the legal and illegal worker. SHRM believes inclusion of a biometric pilot program in The Legal Workforce Act will give employers the tools they need to keep illegal workers off their payrolls and to hire legal workers quickly, fairly, and with confidence."

We thank you again for introducing The Legal Workforce Act, and we look forward to working with you on this important legislation as it works its way through Congress."  

About the Society for Human Resource Management
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India. Visit SHRM Online at www.shrm.org or follow SHRM @SHRMPress.

SOURCE Society for Human Resource Management