Government Digest: June 10

Supreme Court upholds E-Verify
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Arizona law requiring businesses to use the federal E-verify system, a federal employment verification database. The court upheld provisions of the Arizona law that had been challenged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and opposed by President Barack Obama's administration, which argued that states could not impose the stricter standards than the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act. In a 6-2 opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Arizona's law fell under the states' rights to impose sanctions through licensing and similar laws to regulate unauthorized aliens. The Florida House failed to pass a bill approved by the Senate requiring the use of the E-verify system for checking the immigration status of people seeking a job through the state's workforce centers, and allowing law enforcement to check the status of those detained for a crime. A tougher House measure, which would have required the use of E-verify for all employers, also died at the end of the session.

Gov. Scott signs planning bill
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott signed the Community Planning Act June 2, a broad growth management reform measure that shifts a large share of responsibility for city and county planning from the state to the local level.

The 349-page bill, HB 7207, allows developers to apply to extend permits set to expire between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2013 for two years. Previous permit extensions authorized by earlier legislation may also be extended up to a maximum of four years for those meeting qualifications.