EDITORIAL: Identification law just creates headaches
An Iowa House proposal would require everyone who works in Iowa to obtain either an Iowa's driver's license or a state-issued identification card. The legislation's proponents claim it will curb the employment of undocumented workers. In reality, it will cause a bureaucratic headache that doesn't help with the already-lax enforcement of such laws, and it will be a hassle to plenty of law-abiding, taxpaying workers.
The law requires employers obtain the state-issued ID from employees within 10 days of hiring them. Employers who knowingly submit false information or fail to comply with the law could face felony criminal perjury charges, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $7,500.
So this shouldn't be a problem for most of the state's workers - you have an ID, you're set.
But what if you live across the border and just work in Iowa?
What if you don't have a car and have no reason to have an ID?
What if you're too young to drive, but interested in getting your work permit?
Sure, it's only a small hassle, but it's more bureaucracy for the state nonetheless. Where do they plan on getting the money to hire all these extra people to go through this extra documentation? And who's going to be there to verify that there's no ID black market popping up, shuffling off these extra IDs to those under 18 or 21, or to those who need the ID to work? This bill sets up a system that's just not realistic.
Still, it's not the small parts about this proposal that are the problem. Workers can deal with headaches, if they'll be effective - but this bill doesn't take on the bigger issue.
Immigration issues need to be addressed, and ticky-tacky legislation that punishes immigrants that are already here isn't going to solve anything. Employers that hire illegal workers are already know they're breaking the law - it's not that much of a jump for them to continue to do so.
This legislation has bipartisan support, so it seems as though it has a good chance to be enacted. All the same, that shouldn't stop us from taking a hard look at it and asking what problems it fixes.
The law requires employers obtain the state-issued ID from employees within 10 days of hiring them. Employers who knowingly submit false information or fail to comply with the law could face felony criminal perjury charges, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $7,500.
So this shouldn't be a problem for most of the state's workers - you have an ID, you're set.
But what if you live across the border and just work in Iowa?
What if you don't have a car and have no reason to have an ID?
What if you're too young to drive, but interested in getting your work permit?
Sure, it's only a small hassle, but it's more bureaucracy for the state nonetheless. Where do they plan on getting the money to hire all these extra people to go through this extra documentation? And who's going to be there to verify that there's no ID black market popping up, shuffling off these extra IDs to those under 18 or 21, or to those who need the ID to work? This bill sets up a system that's just not realistic.
Still, it's not the small parts about this proposal that are the problem. Workers can deal with headaches, if they'll be effective - but this bill doesn't take on the bigger issue.
Immigration issues need to be addressed, and ticky-tacky legislation that punishes immigrants that are already here isn't going to solve anything. Employers that hire illegal workers are already know they're breaking the law - it's not that much of a jump for them to continue to do so.
This legislation has bipartisan support, so it seems as though it has a good chance to be enacted. All the same, that shouldn't stop us from taking a hard look at it and asking what problems it fixes.
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