Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON-  U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and U.S. Representative Joe Wilson today announced a $175 million housing project at Fort Jackson.  The Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) project will construct 693 new three and four-bedroom townhouse/duplex and single-family homes; renovate 291 homes; and construct a new community center with basketball and volleyball courts, playground, open-air pavilion, walking trails, and parks.

The RCI is a public/private joint venture between the U.S. Army and GMH/Centex Military Communities, LLC.

“The men and women who serve our nation in uniform deserve access to quality housing,” said Graham.  “This project will provide hundreds of new and renovated homes for the soldiers and the families stationed at Fort Jackson.  It will also provide an economic boost to the local economy.  I’m pleased the Army has decided to move forward on this important project.”

"Providing improved living conditions for our soldiers and their families increases their morale and quality of life,” said Wilson.  “The men and women sacrificing for our country deserve no less than the best.  I am pleased our military families at Fort Jackson will soon have the opportunity to reside in top-notch housing facilities."

According to estimates from the Army, approximately 65-70 percent of the total project cost will be spent locally for subcontractors, building material, and other goods.  Of the total project cost, the Army is investing up to $43.9 million, with the remainder coming from the private sector partner.

The project is expected to be completed in six years.  The new housing will consist of townhouse/duplex and single-family units complete with one to three car garages.  The new homes will feature regional architectural themes, modern interior layouts with abundant storage, and modern energy-saving appliances.

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Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

Three Key Points on Worksite Enforcement Provisions

1. To crack down on the hiring of illegal workers, the immigration reform bill sets up an Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) to help employers verify the status of the workers they hire.
2. Employers will be required to verify the work eligibility of all employees using EEVS and all workers will be required to present stronger and more readily verifiable identification documents.
3. The legislation imposes stiff new Criminal and Civil penalties on employers who hire illegal workers.

EEVS will Help Employers follow the law and hold Employers who hire Illegal Workers Accountable

• Under the legislation, a reliable Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) must be established and in use before any temporary worker or V-visas are issued.
• All employers will be required to use EEVS to verify their employee’s work eligibility.
• EEVS will be founded on unprecedented sharing of information across numerous electronic databases.  These include:

Social Security Administration records;

State Department passport and visa records (including photographs);

Birth and death records maintained by State Vital Statistics agencies; and

State driver’s license information.

• For the first time, EEVS will allow employers to verify the authenticity of documents by providing access to identification photographs in government databases.

EEVS Will Build Upon the Current Basic Pilot Model

• Under the Immigration Reform Bill ALL U.S. Employers will be required to use EEVS to verify their Employees' work eligibility.  Under the current system, only a small percentage of U.S. employers participate in Basic Pilot, the voluntary program established to help employers determine the legal status of new hires.  Under the bill, all U.S. employers will be required to check new hires using EEVS after an initial 18-month phase-in.  Within three years, employers must use EEVS to verify the work eligibility of all employees not previously verified through the system. 

• EEVS will require workers to present a limited range of secure Government-Issued or Government-Authorized IDs, which will be checked electronically against Federal and State Databases.  EEVS allows for only a limited range of stronger and more readily verifiable identification documents including: 

U.S. Passport issued by the State Department.

 Document issued by DHS or the State Department containing photo, biometrics, other such personal identifying info needed to ensure identity (for non-citizens).

 State-issued, REAL ID Act-compliant license presented along with a Social Security card.

 For a limited period before implementation of the REAL ID Act, a State-issued license with a photograph that can be verified by DHS, presented along with a birth certificate and Social Security card.

• EEVS will allow Employers to access identification photographs in government databases to verify the authenticity of workers' documents.  In addition to the checks against Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases now performed under Basic Pilot, EEVS will link to the U.S. Department of State and Departments of Motor Vehicles in individuals States to confirm issuance of identity documents and provide employers with the digital photograph associated with these documents. 

Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

Greenville News says 'Ignoring illegal immigration is not an option'
"Those on the far left in our country demand no punishment for those who ignored our laws by entering the United States illegally. Furthermore, they want no restrictions -- such as a requirement that this nation of immigrants recognize the English language as our common bond -- and they are offended by the notion that our immigration policy should be shaped to meet the economic needs of our nation instead of the welfare needs of other countries.

"Those on the far right refuse to acknowledge that while illegal immigrants broke our laws to get here, they did so with a wink and a nod from the federal government, major corporations and small businesses. And many of those illegal immigrants have contributed to our country by working hard and otherwise respecting our laws. Requiring all 12 million of these people -- or however many it really is -- to "just go back home" isn't an immigration reform plan, it's political posturing that doesn't advance this debate one single inch."

The State 'Compromise bill offers best hope on immigration'
".....this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Our border is too open — to illegal immigrants who often fall prey to traffickers, to smuggled drugs and to intruders with criminal or even terrorist intentions. But that is only half of our problem. The nation has a shadow society already in place, with millions living here outside the bounds of the law. They build our businesses, drive our roads and seek help in our hospitals. Our economy encourages them to come and profits from their labor. The idea that those who wish to stay will be sent packing by the millions is ludicrous. We need a system that offers a route — not a shortcut, but an opportunity to be earned — to enter the legitimate world, where they pay all taxes and obey our laws."

Anderson Independent-Mail 'Bipartisan plan: Graham stuck his neck out politically'
"There's no fully pleasing either side when it comes to immigration issues. The sides don't even agree within their own ranks on all facets of any immigration offering. For some, it's all or nothing. Everybody gets in or nobody gets in. The problem is that is impossible to accomplish. ... We see the path to legal residency and eventual citizenship, with limits on the number of people who can enter the country, as the only way to even partially begin to address illegal immigration. It will reward taking the legal route. And any plan must include requirements for employers to be strict in hiring and assuring that their employees are in this country legally. To deport 12 million people will be not only unbelievably costly but will impact prices of everything from fruits and vegetables to chicken to services."

Spartanburg Herald Journal 'Immigration Compromise'
"The immigration compromise worked out by a bipartisan coalition in Congress has flaws, but if it is left intact, it may be the only real solution the nation has toward improving the illegal immigration problem. ...But the problem is so vast that there doesn't appear to be a better solution. The United States simply cannot round up 12 million illegal immigrants and deport them. It isn't feasible, and even if it were, it wouldn't be healthy for the economy. The nation is forced to come up with a solution to assimilate the millions of illegal immigrants already here. The process outlined in the compromise is reasonable."

Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON-  U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made the following statement on the Iraq supplemental funding bill.  The bill was passed by the Congress last night, and President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law today.

Graham said:

“Our nation cannot afford to lose the war in Iraq.

“Like many Americans, I was embarrassed and disappointed it took Congress so long to provide our military with the funding they need.  American troops expect and deserve our full support.

“Last night, I voted in support of the supplemental funding request for our troops.  After weeks of delay, we finally got a bill that provides funding without instituting deadlines and timelines undercutting the war effort.  Timelines for withdrawal would have brought the political and economic reconciliation among Iraqis to a screeching halt.  It would have been a death sentence for moderate Iraqis trying to bring stability to their country.  As for our American troops, those who would have been left to serve while waiting for the withdrawal day, it would have been asking them to risk their lives without purpose.

“Unfortunately, there are spending items in the bill unrelated to the military effort.  Congress should not take legitimate needs like military spending and add unrelated items.

“As part of the War on Terror, Iraq is a test of wills – our will to succeed versus our enemy’s will to drive us out.  It’s in our national interest to stand by peaceful Iraqis and against the extremists who not only want to destroy Iraq, but our own way of life.”

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