Nixon vetoes change to E-Verify requirement in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri businesses still will have to use a federal E-verify system to determine whether a potential employee is authorized to work in the U.S. after Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed legislation that would have allowed for exceptions to the state mandate.

Current state law requires businesses with government contracts, tax breaks or grants to use the E-Verify program. The proposal Nixon is trying to block would allow businesses to opt out if doing so would be costly or challenging. The Legislature still could enact it into law if two-thirds of lawmakers vote to override Nixon.

Nixon disputed the requirement is costly and said it's easy to use the federal program.

"At a time when many believe that not enough is being done to address illegal immigration, the General Assembly is attempting to take Missouri backwards by undoing an important and widely used method of verifying a worker's legal status," Nixon said in a statement. "Government contracts and taxpayer subsidies must not be awarded to businesses that employ illegal workers, and the General Assembly's effort to weaken these safeguards will not receive my approval."

Bill sponsor Rep. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican and House speaker pro tem, said employees already must fill out tax documents and provide needed identification.

Hoskins' said Nixon's veto of his bill and another for tax breaks for employee-owned businesses "shows his lack of commitment to small businesses in the state of Missouri."

Hoskins said he plans to ask his colleagues to try to override Nixon and pass the bill into law despite his objection.

The bill, known by legislators as the Big Government Get Off My Back Act, would limit state and local fees, business license taxes and new rules on businesses.

It also would re-enact some tax breaks that expired. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees would be able to claim a $10,000 tax deduction for each job they create that pays above their county's average wage. Businesses could claim a $20,000 deduction if they also provide health insurance.

Big Government Get Off My Back Act is HB 1870.

Online:

House: http://www.house.mo.gov

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