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It may be summer and time for vacations, but at Long Island WINS, we are busy working on practical immigration solutions for Long Island. After a barrage of legislation aimed at the business and immigrant communities in the Suffolk County Legislature these last six months, the leg has adjourned for vacation. Here is a quick recap of the last sessions’ immigration bills:
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IR1105: Introduced by Legislator Brian Beedenbender, 1105 requires all contractors in Suffolk County to certify that their employees are here legally. The bill was passed.
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IR1479: Introduced by Legislator Jon Cooper, 1479 authorized a pilot program to mandate contractors with a county contracts to use the federal e-verify system to check new hires legal status. The bill was passed.
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IR1538: Introduced by Legislator Jon Cooper, 1538 would have expanded on IR1479 to mandate a pilot program for all contractors in Suffolk County. After researching the flaws of the e-verify system, Legislator Cooper rescinded the bill.
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County Executive Steve Levy’s two bills: Steve Levy had introduced two bills that would have required employers to use the archaic federal SSNVS system to verify new hires and current employees. The bills were rescinded shortly after Mr. Levy was questioned on the fact that the Department of Social Security clearly says on their website that SSNVS is not to be used as an immigration tool.
Thank you to all of you who came out to oppose these impractical bills. Long Island WINS continues to encourage our elected officials to move in a positive practical direction with legislation and you can too!
You can help by continuing to urge your legislators and the media to reflect on how they are dealing with immigration issues in Long Island. Let your legislator or newspaper know how you fell about their latest vote or article about immigration issues by writing to them. If you need any information or assistance finding your local legislator or constructing a letter to the editor the WINS team is here to help you. Contact us at longislandwins@gmail.com.
Check out the latest blog entries:
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If you are in need of a refresher course in immigration 101, there is an index and summary of the extremely helpful “Immigration 101” series: http://www.longislandwins.com/policy_watch/federal_immigration_policy/post_3.php
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Wonder where the American dream has gone, so do we: http://www.longislandwins.com/blog/where_has_the_american_dream_g.php
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Also catch a great interactive series that South Coast Today, a newspaper in Massachusetts ran on immigration: http://www.longislandwins.com/blog/in_the_news/follow_two_immigrants_journeys.php
And remember the blog is an interactive forum, please feel free to engage in the discussion by commenting on entries or submit a post!
Keeping you informed,
The Long Island Wins Team
Filed under: immigration, Long Island Politics, US Politics
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