Jefferson City, MO (CompNewsNetwork) - Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Todd Smith expressed his support of Gov. Matt Blunt's proposals to enhance job security in Missouri.

"I applaud the governor's tremendous success at creating new jobs and economic growth in Missouri and share his continuous desire to make state government more efficient, effective and responsive to our citizens," Smith said. "The governor's budget proposals for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations help us deliver on that promise," Smith added.

In his State of the State address last night, Gov. Blunt kept his promise to help make Missouri an even better place to live, work and raise a family through several plans that will help even more Missourians realize the American dream.

Gov. Blunt already has implemented a new hiring procedure in state government to verify employees' worker eligibility to ensure that tax dollars do not support illegal labor. The governor also has called for new laws to enact stronger employment verification and punish those who knowingly hire illegal workers.

The governor is calling for legislation to allow the state to withhold 25 percent of compensation owed to any contractor found to be using illegal labor. The new law will further penalize employers from unlawfully exploiting illegal labor and will be enforced by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations' Division of Labor Standards.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has answered the governor's call for a more efficient state government while increasing customer service. The Department continues to make significant improvements in state services and is committed to identifying workers' compensation fraud and referring those cases for prosecution. In calendar year 2007, nearly 200 workers' compensation cases were referred to the Attorney General's Office for prosecution. Identifying workers' compensation fraud protects the funding reserved for Missouri's injured workers.

Under Gov. Blunt's administration, change is working. The governor has helped Missourians create nearly 90,000 new jobs since taking office in January 2005. The governor's priorities have resulted in improved state services for all Missourians. As a result of these initiatives, the state of our state grows stronger every day

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