OVERNIGHT TECH: Lamar Smith calls for Obama to include E-Verify in jobs bill

THE LEDE: House Judiciary chairman Lamar Smith called for President Obama to include a requirement that all employers use the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to check the eligibility of new hires as part of his recently unveiled jobs plan on Monday. Smith has long been an advocate of E-Verify, which runs an individual's social security number through a government database to ensure they are legally allowed to work in the U.S.

Other groups, most prominently the ACLU, strongly oppose the system because they claim it creates a de facto blacklist for workers whose names are erroneously not included in the database. DHS has worked to reduce the error rate significantly in recent years. All federal contractors are currently required to use E-Verify.

Durbin praises California-Amazon online tax deal: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Monday praised the deal online retailer Amazon struck with the California legislature over an Internet sales tax, but he said his national bill is still necessary, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. 

“It’s needed because I don’t think any company including Amazon should have to fight this war on 50 fronts,” Durbin said, according to the newspaper. “Beyond each state, they [Internet retailers] have to worry about local sales taxes that may be imposed as well.”

California adopted an online sales tax earlier this year, but under the compromise legislators made with Amazon on Friday, the Internet giant will not have to collect sales taxes until at least September 2012.

Durbin made the remarks at an event in Nashville, Tenn., with Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) to promote his Main Street Fairness Act, which would allow states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes. Supporters of the measure argue it would level the playing field between online retailers and traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

Net neutrality clears hurdle: Net neutrality regulations cleared a procedural hurdle with the Office of Management and Budget on Friday. The rules now go to the Federal Register. Publication with the Federal Register usually takes one to three weeks, a spokesman for the Federal Communications Commission said. The rules will become effective 60 days after they are published.    

CTIA-The Wireless Association likes Obama's Jobs plan: President Steve Largent issued the following statement late on Monday:

“While we are reviewing the proposed legislation with our members, CTIA appreciates the Administration’s continued support for spectrum auctions. Bringing additional spectrum to auction expeditiously is critical to efforts to address wireless consumers’ demand for mobile broadband service, just as it is key to spurring additional investment, innovation and job creation across the wireless ecosystem. We urge Congress to act swiftly to authorize incentive auctions and to repurpose a significant portion of the sub-3 gigahertz bands currently occupied by federal users.”

Accenture settles False Claims Act allegations: Accenture agreed to pay the federal government almost $64 million on Monday to resolve allegations the firm received kickbacks on hardware and software recommendations to the government, inflated prices and rigged bids for federal IT contracts. The qui tam lawsuit is one of a number filed by Normal Rille and Neal Roberts in the Eastern District of Arkansas against a host of federal IT contractors; several other firms have reached similar settlements with the Justice Department.

On Tap Tuesday:

The Internet Innovation Alliance will hold a symposium on wireless broadband deployment at the Newseum featuring former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

IBM will host an event at the National Press Club at 9:30 a.m. to demonstrate how Watson, its Jeopardy-playing supercomputer, can be used to improve healthcare.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and how to inspire the next generation to take up those fields. 

ICYMI:

Democrats blasted Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) for not pursuing allegations that News Corp. may have hacked phones belonging to family members of victims killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Chicago Tribune endorsed the AT&T/T-Mobile merger.

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) asked the FCC to hold off on completing its review of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger until a federal court rules on the Justice Department's suit to block the deal.

Boosting college graduation rates for racial minority groups would help to reduce disparities in STEM fields, according to a study released Monday by the Commerce Department. The study found that while blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in STEM fields, one in four Asians with a college degree works in STEM. 

Comcast announced Monday it has hired Sitfel Nicolaus managing director Rebecca Arbogast to serve as vice president for global public policy effective next week.

The chief of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration told officials at the Transportation and Defense Departments on Friday to prepare new tests of wireless startup LightSquared.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, on Monday praised the inclusion of a public safety broadband network in President Obama's jobs bill.