Immigration bills moves on

The House Economic Affairs Committee passed an immigration measure Thursday sending it to the House floor. House Bill 7089 requires employers to use the federal E-Verify system to verify the status of new employees and allows law enforcement to ask criminal suspects to prove they are legally in the country.

In the Senate, SB 2040 allows employers to check a valid driver's license as an option to using the E-Verify system for employees hired on or after July 1, 2012. That bill is on the agenda of the Budget Committee, which meets at 1:30 p.m. April 15.