"As our state and nation continue to face challenges related to illegal immigration, I am pleased to implement this system to verify that prospective state employees are legal citizens of the United States," Blunt said. "This is a good continuation of our past efforts to use technology to make government more efficient and to ensure that we are being responsible stewards of Missouri tax dollars."
Currently, when the state hires a new employee the employee completes an I-9 form and provides related documents to confirm the employee's identity and citizenship. The state is not obligated to verify the authenticity of information provided by employees. However, a program administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) under the Department of Homeland Security will allow state agencies to enter information collected with the I-9 form into an automated system and verify the information employees provide.
Blunt directed agencies under his control to implement new hiring procedures that take advantage of the federal tool by October 6th. The governor's charge will protect taxpayer interests by verifying Missouri's employees are legally eligible to work for the state. There is no cost to participate in the program or additional information for employees to provide. Most information can be verified within 3-5 seconds, making this a valuable and easy-to-use tool for state agencies.
For more information about the verification program access the USCIS' website at: http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/services/SAVE.htm#two.
