[JURIST] The Iowa House [General Assembly website] voted 84-16 Wednesday to pass a bill [HF 2686 text] that would require Iowa employers to verify within 10 business days of hiring a new employee that they are a legal US resident. Employers would have to sign a statement under penalty of perjury that they checked the employee's driver's licenses or state-issued identification card [JURIST news archive] and "facially validated" them. The measure also authorizes misdemeanor criminal penalties against employers who circumvent restrictions against hiring illegal aliens by improperly designating them as "independent contractors." The bill now moves to the Iowa Senate.

The bill would also require law enforcement agencies to notify the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [official website] when they arrest an illegal alien. The Sioux City Journal has more.