At a meeting of the Senate Workforce Development Committee, members voted to favorably report House Bill 246, a measure that would require the use of E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility for new workers in the construction industry.

Griffin Weasel, vice president of government affairs and communications for Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, testified as an interested party in favor of requiring verification but urged the committee to apply the requirement uniformly across all industries. "If House Bill 246 is a sound policy for the construction industry, it should be applied uniformly across all industries," Weasel said. He also told the committee the measure "can significantly benefit our state by ensuring that jobs in Ohio are reserved for American citizens and legal residents in compliance with federal and state laws."

Weasel referenced a recent national incident involving the arrest of Ian Andre Roberts, the former superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa, saying the case "might have been identified earlier through proper employment verification processes." He said no witness testimony in either chamber has suggested Ohio's construction industry has a higher prevalence of undocumented workers than other sectors and recommended amending the bill to cover all employers.

After testimony, Vice Chair Reynolds moved to favorably report House Bill 246 to the committee on rules and reference. The clerk called the roll; the transcript records three affirmative votes, and the chair announced the bill was favorably reported. The chair also said the roll would remain open at the chair's discretion to allow members not present to register their votes.

The committee took no further recorded action on amendments, implementation plans, or funding in the hearing. The committee record shows the bill will proceed to the committee on rules and reference for further consideration.

The testimony and vote took place during the committee's scheduled hearing on House Bill 246. No committee members asked questions of the witness on the record, and the transcript contains no other formal debate or amendments reported during this session.