One of the bills the Missouri Legislature passed this year would give the Attorney General the authority to prosecute and sue businesses that knowingly hire people in the country illegally. House Bill 2366 was sponsored by State Rep. Jeff Vernetti, R- Camdenton.
“If a contractor is knowingly hiring illegal workers and a complaint is filed to the Attorney General’s office, they have no real ability to fine the business, you know, potentially stop the practice from happening,” he told Missourinet.
Vernetti says right now, enforcement power lies with local governments.
“(The Attorney General’s office) barely can even investigate the situation,” he said. “They only are empowered to work with local municipalities to try to revoke business licenses and the like.”
He added that while some municipalities are willing to do that, others don’t have the manpower to actually be able to do it.
“So, by the time they actually get through the investigative process, oftentimes the construction job is already done,” Vernetti said.
The proposal received early pushback from some business groups, including the St. Louis Homebuilders Association and the Associated General Contractors of Missouri, but they’ve since dropped their opposition and are now officially neutral. Associated General Contractors provided the following statement to Missourinet:
“We had concerns with HB 2366 as originally filed, but we appreciate the sponsor and other stakeholders working with us to strengthen protections for contractors acting in good faith while still addressing the concerns that led to the legislation being introduced. For example, the final language includes the use of a federal work authorization program, such as E-Verify, as an affirmative defense. We believe this change, among others, created a more balanced and workable approach for responsible employers.”
If signed into law, the bill would take effect August 28.
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