NEWS

Statement from Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant regarding the Governor’s signing of Senate Bill 2988

3.18.08 - “I appreciate the Governor’s signing Senate Bill 2988, considered to be the most comprehensive illegal immigration reform in Mississippi’s history. The hard work of many people, including freshmen Senator and principal author Michael Watson, is to be commended in this long fought effort.

We believe E-Verify, the system mandated in the law, is a valuable tool to protect law abiding employers and the American worker. In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security now refers to the E-Verify system as, ‘…the best means available for employers to verify electronically the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees.’ In addition, the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Emilio Gonzalez, stated last month that, ‘This program is proving to be a key component in promoting the integrity of the employment verification process of our workers’ (USCIS 2/08). However, I am sensitive to the Governor’s concerns regarding the need for clarifying language in this bill and have agreed to work in future sessions to address his recommendations.

Once again I thank Governor Barbour for his courageous and consistent leadership in signing the Mississippi Employment Protection Act of 2008.”

About Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant

Phil Bryant was sworn-in as Mississippi’s Lieutenant Governor on January 10, 2008 after capturing 59% of the vote in the November election. He started his career in public service as a Hinds County Deputy Sheriff and was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives from District 59 in Rankin County in 1992 and re-elected in 1995. Bryant was appointed State Auditor by the late Governor Kirk Fordice and re-elected overwhelmingly in 1999 and without opposition in 2003.

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