(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has voted to require that every Iowa business use the federal government’s E-Verify system to check whether employees and job applicants are U-S citizens or legal residents of the United States. Senator Julian Garrett, a Republican from Indianola, has tried to get this kind of a requirement passed for more than a decade.

“People are concerned about what’s going on around here at the border. That’s probably the number one issue. We hear about that all the time,” Garrett says. “…There’s not a lot we can do here in Iowa at the state level, but this is something we can do and I think it’ll make a difference.”

Business groups oppose the bill. They say the E-Verify system is flawed and sometimes isn’t even accessible. Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, is among the 16 senators who voted against the bill. “It’s not your day today business…This is the day that we make our strong, anti-immigrant statement,” Bisignano said. “…We’re looking for you and we’re going to penalize you and Caseys, we may run you out of the state of Iowa.”

Iowa employers could lose their business licenses and be shut down if they’re found to have knowingly employed someone who’s not eligible to work in the United States. The bill now goes to the House, where similar legislation has stalled in the past.

Nebraska and Missouri require businesses as well as government agencies to do an E-Verify system check for prospective employees. Minnesota requires it for some government contractors.