Under ongoing proposed legislation in Texas, most private employers in that state would be required to participate in the E-Verify program when hiring new employees. SB 1621/HB 3846 would direct state agencies to enforce the E-Verify mandate by making participation “a condition of a license, certificate, registration, permit, or other authorization issued by the agency that is required for a person to practice or engage in a particular business, occupation, or profession in this state.”
Current Texas law only requires certain entities to participate in E-Verify, including state agencies, sexually oriented businesses and higher education institutions. State contractors and subcontractors must enroll in E-verify to qualify for certain public contracts.
The new requirement, if passed, would include regulated industries, such as oil and gas, manufacturing, utilities, to small businesses with alcoholic beverage licenses or sales tax permits. It also regulates, among many others, the building trades, licensed and registered professionals, health care providers, political subdivisions, restaurants, hair salons and barber shops, convenience stores, auto repair shops, automobile dealers, beer and liquor wholesalers, trucking companies, airlines, farms and ranches, antique sellers, entertainment venues, professional sports teams, stadiums and arenas, and lobbyists.
The bill would ensure that all employees in Texas are legally authorized to work in the state by requiring all employers, public and private, to use the federal E-verify system. Stay tuned for more updates!
NCS can help you comply with the law with our easy-to-use system that guides and stores new hire Form I-9s online and returns E-Verify results instantly. With paperless E-Verify from National Crime Search, the employment verification process has been made simpler, more efficient and more reliable.