Proposal to Require Employment Eligibility Verification and to Sanction Hiring of Unauthorized Aliens

A bill (S1449) introduced in the state Senate on February 18 proposes to require every employer, after hiring an employee, to verify the employment eligibility of the employee through the E-Verify program. E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly-hired employees. If passed, the bill would prohibit the employment of unauthorized aliens and impose penalties on employers that knowingly or intentionally employ unauthorized aliens, up to and including the permanent revocation of any and all of an employer’s business licenses issued by the state or any political subdivisions of the state.