In regional news, state and public college employees in Texas now have a new gauntlet to pass through during the hiring process, reports The Texas Tribune. As of September 1st, state hires will have their information run through a verification system managed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The new program is designed to keep taxpayer dollars from going to workers who aren’t authorized to be in the country. The law is intended to keep taxpayer dollars from going to workers who aren’t authorized to be in the United States.
The legislation was supported by Gov. Greg Abbott, and it sailed through both chambers of the state legislature. The verification system, known as E-Verify, compares information applicants submit on their I-9 to Social Security and Homeland Security records. Texas is one of 22 states with that uses some version of the E-Verify system.