Contractors get another reprieve from E-Verify rule

The Obama administration has again delayed implementing a rule requiring federal contractors to verify their employees are legally able to work in the country, according to a notice in Friday's Federal Register.

Under the rule that was first proposed under the Bush administration, contractors would have to verify the legal status of their workers using the E-Verify system, an Internet tool that checks Social Security and immigration databases.

The rule originally was to go into effect in February, but the Obama administration delayed it until May 21, and now until June 30.

According to the notice, the most recent delay is needed "in order to permit the new administration an adequate opportunity to review the rule." But House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said the move "slights American workers."

In a statement, Smith said: "Delaying implementation of this rule again insults citizen and legal immigrant workers. The purpose of the rule is to ensure that individuals working for or contracting with the federal government employ legal U.S. workers, not illegal foreign workers."