WASHINGTON - The U.S Department of Labor moved today to help workers and employers replace and obtain personal identification records necessary for employment. The department's Employment and Training Administration is working directly with federal, state and local offices of the nation's workforce investment system by providing Web services and toll-free telephone assistance.

"Our country has a nationwide network of 3,500 publicly funded One-Stop Employment centers which are eager to help hurricane survivors who lost the forms of identification normally required on employment forms," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "We are providing Internet, toll-free telephone and in-person assistance in reestablishing identification records as displaced Gulf Coast residents seek to rebuild their lives."

One-Stop Career Centers possess lists of Internet and toll-free resources that Hurricane Katrina-affected individuals can tap. "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the workforce investment system needs to be the key point connecting employers, job seekers and career opportunities together," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "We're pleased that workforce professionals will be part of the solution addressing the challenges of new employment and the replacement of personal identification."

Individuals rendered jobless by Katrina may be hired without having to immediately furnish personal identification documents, such as a passport or a U.S. military card. On September 6, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will not sanction employers for hiring individuals who cannot provide original identification documentation needed to take a job. Because people have been evacuated from their homes and due to ongoing displacement as well as the loss of documents, DHS will refrain from sanctions and enforcement for 45 days for civil violations.

Employers will still need to have I-9 forms completed to the greatest extent possible, but should make Hurricane Katrina notations where documents cannot be provided upon employment. Employers hiring Katrina-affected persons may present a receipt for the applications to replace documents within three days and the actual documents within 90 days.

Note: For a list of online and toll-free personal document resources, click here.

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