On Monday, April 17, Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act which targets illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them. The new law will have a significant impact on the employment verification process for Georgia’s utility contractors.
Read the complete article by Philip Siegel.
ABC has compiled two new guides to assist its members in navigating the new rules for responding to a “no-match” letter, which is a notice from the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that an employee’s name does not match the Social Security number provided. The new rules are intended to help employers ensure that their employees are legal U.S. citizens and to assist the government in identifying and punishing employers who knowingly hire illegal workers.
The first guide provides a safe-harbor procedures checklist for employers who receive either an “Employer Correction Request” (no-match letter) from SSA or a “Notice of Suspect Documents” letter from DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The safe-harbor procedures are broken down into three discrete time frames and actions based on the date the letter is initially received: within 30, 90 and 93 days of the receipt of the letter.
Additionally, ABC has compiled a “DHS Safe-Harbor Procedures Questions and Answers Fact Sheet” that explains a contractor’s rights and obligations under the new “no-match” rules. The guide provides a range of information on safe-harbor procedures, including what actions a company should take after receiving a “no-match” letter, the potential penalties for not taking action and where to go for additional information.
Click here for a copy of ABC's "Safe-Harbor Procedures Checklist, "Safe-Harbor Procedures Questions and Answerw Fact Sheet or to view DHS's "No-Match" final rule.
For more information, contact Bob Hirsch at ABC, hirsch (at) abc.org.
by David R. Hendrick, Esq.
Hendrick, Phillis, Salzman & Flatt, P.C.
Construction Counsel to ABC of Georgia
May 30, 2007
In the first half of the current legislative session, the General Assembly enacted several Bills of interest to the construction industry. Indeed some of the Bills will effect significant changes sweeping through virtually all aspects of the construction industry, while others will have a narrower focus and application.
Noteworthy bills signed into law include SB 115, which extends the GC Licensing deadline, and the NPDES erosion control certfication requirement.
SB 115 has been signed and immediately goes into effect. Under this legislation, the new effective date for requiring GC Licensing (and residential licensing) has been extended from January, 2008, to July 1, 2008.
The second noteworthy bill was signed by the governor and immediately became effective on May 14, 2007. Among other things, this bill clarifies the NPDES certification requirements and in effect reduces the level of education required for subcontractors (to a 2-hour awareness seminar, with no exam requirement), as long as there is a duly certified person employed by the prime contractor in charge of the site.
Read the complete article highlighting Georgia's 2007 legislative year.