From The New York Times, on E-Verify:
The Obama administration will require businesses that win federal contracts to use a government electronic database system to verify that their employees have legal immigration status to work in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Wednesday.
After a six-month review, Homeland Security officials decided to go ahead with a worker-verification plan based on the electronic system, called E-Verify. The system, which the Bush administration sought to put into effect in its final months, is meant to prevent federal contractors from hiring illegal immigrants.
At the same time, Homeland Security officials said they would drop another Bush administration proposal that would have forced employers to fire any workers whose Social Security information did not match the records of the Social Security Administration. That measure, called the no-match rule, had been challenged in federal court by immigrant advocates and businesses, who said the Social Security database contained errors that could have cost thousands of legal workers their jobs.
Administration officials said the court battle over the no-match rule, which never went into effect, would now end.
From the Associated Press, on the H1N1 Summit:
The Obama administration put the states on notice Thursday: Swine flu promises to create a mess this fall. Are you ready?
Swine flu may have faded from the headlines but it's still sickening people here and abroad and is certain to worsen when influenza-friendly fall temperatures arrive.
The federal government called together health and education officials from every state to check their preparations for the likely prospect of vaccinations and determine how they'll handle flu-riddled schools.
"I want to be clear: This summit is not about raising alarms or stoking fears. It is about being prepared," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebeliussaid. "We must avoid complacency."
The government estimates that 1 million Americans so far have been infected with the never-before-seen virus known formally by its scientific family name,
H1N1.No longer do many public health experts warn of the new virus' "return" in the fall. Summer's heat and humidity usually chase away influenza, but the swine flu has never left. Children are spreading it in summer camps, and U.S. deaths have reached 170.
Leadership Events
9:05 AM EDT
Secretary Napolitano will deliver remarks about DHS H1N1 Influenza preparedness efforts
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Conference Room A
Natcher Conference Center
Bethesda, Md.
9:25 AM EDT
Secretary Napolitano will participate in a roundtable discussion with Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Duncan
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Conference Room A
National Institutes of Health
Natcher Conference Center
Bethesda, Md.
10:15 AM EDT
Secretary Napolitano will participate in a media availability with Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Duncan and Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Conference Room A
Natcher Conference Center
Bethesda, Md.
Public Events
10 AM EDT
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations Deputy Director Kumar Kibble and DHS Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs Alan Bersin will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about Southwest border security
2154 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
10 AM EDT
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Kevin Cook will testify before the Technology and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation about Merchant Mariner licensing and documentation
2167 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
