Driving in the Fast Lane on the Digital I-9 Superhighway
Well it’s about time. Although it took 17 years, Congress finally heeded the cry of employers and enacted legislation that authorizes the use of electronic signatures and the electronic retention of the ubiquitous “Employment Eligibility Verification” known as the Form I-9.
One month shy of the 17-year anniversary of IRCA (The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986), our national legislature enacted and President Bush signed Public Law 108-390.1 While the new law was never officially trumpeted as environmental legislation, tree-huggers around the country (and beleaguered Human Resources professionals as well) are reportedly celebrating the paper-saving features of this new law. The new legislation is clearly a welcome development, but the transition to digital signatures and storage, as the present article will show, cannot occur until many unanswered questions are first resolved. (more…)
