Core Provisions:  H.R. 6633 extends by five years the federal government’s electronic employment verification pilot program, E-Verify, which was slated to expire in November 2008.  E-Verify is an Internet-based tool that allows employers - on a voluntary basis - to check the employment status of new hires and verify their Social Security number, protecting against undocumented labor and identification theft.

Under H.R. 6633, the Social Security Administration’s costs in administering the program are reimbursed by the Department of Homeland Security.  Participation in the program remains voluntary under the bill.

H.R. 6633 additionally authorizes two studies by the General Accountability Office: examining the program’s effect on small businesses and on erroneous “no-matches”.

Status: H.R. 6633 was introduced by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) on July 29, 2008. It passed the House by a vote of 407-2 on July 31 on a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill.