DES MOINES — Iowa’s state and local governments, public and private schools and public universities would have to check two federal databases to ensure all new employees are authorized to work in the United States under a bill on its way to the governor. That part of the bill was drafted in response last September’s arrest of Des Moines superintendent, who has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.
The bill also makes it a crime to use someone else’s Social Security number to get a job and an Iowa employer that hires a person they know is using someone else’s Social Security number could be fined $10,000. Representative Brooke Boden, a Republican from Indianola, said those are important guardrails. “It verifies employment eligibility, protects legal workers and honest employees and ensures integrity in our voting process,” Boden said, “and protects our voice as lawful voters.”
The bill requires Iowa’s Secretary of State to check the federal government’s SAVE system to verify people who register to vote in Iowa are U.S. citizens. Representative Heather Matson, a Democrat from Ankeny, said the SAVE database is not error-proof and some eligible Iowa voters will be falsely flagged as non-citizens. “We have not seen an overwhelming number of criminal complaints to back up any kind of argument that massive voter fraud exists,” Matson said.…