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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Some Utah businesses would have to confirm the immigration status of employees under a bill passed by the state Legislature.
An original version had criminal penalties for failing to verify status but those were removed by the bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. Chris Buttars of West Jordan.
Lawmakers voted 46-24 to pass Senate Bill 251 on Thursday, sending it to Gov. Gary Herbert's office.
Critics say the bill created a law without any real consequences for breaking it.
A private employer with 15 or more workers would be barred from hiring new employees after July 1 without verifying their immigration status.
Several states require businesses to use the federal E-Verify program.
The Web-based system checks a worker's information against federal databases to determine U.S. employment eligibility.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
