Wisconsin's First District Congressman Paul Ryan today introduced a bill that would require all U.S. employers to electronically verify that all of their employees are not illegal immigrants.
Ryan said the New Employee Verification Act document would provide enforcement tools to ensure a legal workforce and end document fraud and identity theft.
While it is the employer's responsibility to hire employees who are in the country legally, the current employee document verification system, based primarily on paper documents, does not work, Ryan said. As a result, many undocumented workers have been hired through the fraudulent use of someone else's Social Security number and identity, he said.
The new law would replace the current paper-based system with a paperless Electronic Employment Verification System (EEVS). This system would require employers to enter EEVS data through an electronic portal.
Employers who ignore the law would face much stiffer penalties than they currently face, Ryan said.
The verification system would be administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The bill would preclude the need for a new national database or a National I.D. card, Ryan said.
Additionally, the legislation contains provisions to fight identity theft. The bill creates an alternate and voluntary Secure Electronic Employment Verification System (SEEVS) to verify an employee's identity and work eligibility and to give the employee the ability to "lock" their own identity, once verified.
SEEVS would establish a network of private sector government certified companies to substantiate identities by using existing background check and document screening tools, Ryan said.
"I firmly believe that ensuring a legal workforce and securing worker identities is essential to stemming the tide of illegal immigration," Ryan said. "The issue of a legal, secure, and immediate employment verification system is far too important to leave to the honor system. Paper documents have proven too easy to forge and the time is now for a new, easy-to-use, and protected verification process. The New Employee Verification Act raises the accountability of employers while providing a tested and effective way to immediately authenticate an employee's legal status."

Blackhawk Bancorp Inc., the Beloit-based parent company of Blackhawk State Bank, announced today it has managed to steer clear of the subprime mortgage crisis that has devastated the bottom lines of so many other banks.
The bank said its net income for the full year in 2007 increased to $2.29 million, or $1.03 per share, up from $2.26 million, or $1.00 per share, in 2006.
For the fourth quarter, Blackhawk's net income was $563,000, or 26 cents per share, which was down from $766,000, or 34 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.
Fourth quarter and annual net interest income rose, reflecting solid loan and deposit growth, the company reported. The growth in deposits was primarily in checking, savings and money market accounts.
"Blackhawk grew in a number of areas throughout 2007. In light of the soft economy we believe that performance is a very encouraging indication of our bank's and our markets' essential strength and stability," said R. Richard Bastian III, president and chief executive officer of the company.
"Blackhawk has no participation in the sub-prime mortgage loan market. Mortgage loans we originate are primarily conforming loans that are sold into the secondary market. However, an important part of Blackhawk's strategy is to retain the servicing to facilitate the cross-sale of additional banking products," Bastian said. "Although the economies in the markets we serve are experiencing the same issues as most areas, our communities never had the speculative real estate issues that caused the widest swings. Building and construction in our communities has been slow but stable. We deal extensively with builders and contractors. One of our bank's specialties is having a consultative relationship with customers, so we were able to help them anticipate economic changes and make adjustments. We believe this helped them to more effectively manage their business, and enabled us to avoid over- extending our commitments."

Modine Manufacturing Co., a Racine-based provider of thermal management technology and solutions, announced today it has landed $14 million in contracts to produce exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) coolers for diesel engines for Great Wall Motor in Baoding, Hebei Province, China.
The production will begin in 2009 and extend over the next five years. The EGR coolers will be manufactured beginning in 2009 at Modine's Changzhou manufacturing plant, located in Changzhou, JiangSu Province, China.
EGR coolers recirculate exhaust gas from the engine to control both particulates and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions in the exhaust, keeping the air cleaner and burning fuel more efficiently.
"Modine leveraged our superior technical strength in engine technology and our new local manufacturing facility in Changzhou," said Thomas Marry, Modine regional vice president in Asia. "This award continues to demonstrate Modine Asia's ability to utilize our global resources to supply our technology to the growing Euro-4 & Euro-5 diesel engine market in China."

The Milwaukee Brewers and U.S. Cellular announced Wednesday a multi-million dollar partnership, naming U.S. Cellular the exclusive wireless provider of the Milwaukee Brewers.
"As Milwaukee's hometown wireless company, we believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work, and we are excited to support the Brewers as they build on last year's winning season," said Jay Ellison, executive vice president and chief operating officer of U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular's partnership with the Brewers is the latest in a series of local sponsorships for the company, including the U.S. Cellular Arena, the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage at Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair presented by U.S. Cellular and Festa Italiana presented by U.S. Cellular.
U.S. Cellular's presence will be featured in signage in and around Miller Park. In addition, the "U.S. Cellular Experience" kiosk for fans will be located field level concourse.
"Like U.S. Cellular, the Milwaukee Brewers place great importance on a partnership with hometown organizations, and we thank U.S. Cellular for its continued commitment to Milwaukee," said Rick Schlesinger, executive vice president of business operations for the Brewers.

The Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line today announced that in the first two months of 2008 it has fielded a record-breaking 20,000 calls from Wisconsinites looking for help to quit smoking.
By comparison, during a typical year, the quit line provides services to about 9,000 state residents.
"This unprecedented success in assisting Wisconsin smokers through 1-800-QUIT-NOW breaks all previous state records," said Dr. Michael Fiore, director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, which manages the quit line. "National peers who provide quit services in other states report they have never before seen such a successful state effort to help smokers quit."
Fiore said three factors led to the increase in quit attempts by Wisconsin smokers: a $1 increase in the state's tobacco excise tax; New Year's resolutions; and free coaching and medication provided through the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line.
Among those who requested a two-week starter kit of nicotine medicines, 65 percent chose to receive stop-smoking patches. The remaining 35 percent chose either nicotine gum or lozenges.
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services contracts with the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention to provide services through the Quit Line.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has won a key patent battle for one of its stem cell patents, after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upheld the foundation's claim to the patent. The decision affirms WARF's contention that an initial UW-Madison human embryonic stem cell discovery is a patentable invention. Read more in SBT's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com.

Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy made some news at the Milwaukee Press Club's Newsmaker Luncheon Wednesday, when he predicted quarterback Brett Favre would announce later this week that he will return for another season. Murphy answered questions from a panel of Milwaukee journalists at Joey Buona's in downtown Milwaukee. View a photographic slideshow of the event in the latest edition of SBT Around Town.

A few well-intentioned people are offering advice to help southeastern Wisconsin small businesses create wellness programs for their employees. Read more in today's Milwaukee Biz Blog.

The BizTimes Stock Index fell .19 points to close at 157.07 Wednesday, and the stock market sank again today, with the Dow Jones Industrials Average falling by triple digits on the news of disappointing gross domestic product numbers. The largest local decliners this morning were Manpower Inc. (down $2.55 to $57.92) and Kohl's Corp. (down $1.48 to $45.41). The largest local advancers this morning were Johnson Outdoors Inc. (up $1.71 to $19.73) and Orion Energy Systems Inc. (up 35 cents to $8.49). The BizTimes Stock Index was created by Small Business Times and is monitored by North Shore Bank. The index, which measures the stock values of publicly held companies based in southeastern Wisconsin, is updated daily and can be viewed at www.biztimes.com.