Action Alert! Senate Committee To Vote On E-Verify Expansion (Update 3/16/22)

***Update 3/16/22: On March 15th, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee deferred any action on SB1780 until their next meeting on March 22nd. The article has been updated to reflect this change.***

Image Credit: e-verify.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee will vote on a bill March 22nd that seeks to lower the threshold for employers having to verify work authorization status of new hires through E-Verify from those with 50 or more employees to those with 25 or more employees.

The bill, if passed, would also require the office of employment verification assistance to offer, at no charge, E-Verify sign ups and work authorization status checks for employers with less than 50 employees.

In addition, the bill offers protections for employers acting upon false results generated by E-Verify.  It prohibits certain wrongful or retaliatory discharge or discrimination actions and prohibits certain rehires.

The House version of the bill (HB1853), sponsored by Representative Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon-District 46) passed the House of February 28th with a 79-11 vote with only Democrats voting against.

The Senate version of the bill (SB1780), sponsored by Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol-District 4), is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on, March 22nd.

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Contact the Republican members of the committee now if you support the bill.

Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Members

Paul Bailey (Chair) – sen.paul.bailey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3978

Art Swann (1st Vice-Chair) – sen.art.swann@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0981

Frank Niceley (2nd Vice-Chair) – sen.frank.niceley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2061

Jack Johnson – sen.jack.johnson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2495

Shane Reeves – sen.shane.reeves@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1066

Steve Southerland – sen.steve.southerland@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3851

Bo Watson – sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3227

Ken Yager – sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1449

This legislation will do much the same as Griffey’s E-verify bill that was moved to a summer study by the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on February 23rd.

HB1853’s sponsor, Rep Clark Boyd, said at the time regarding his bill versus Griffey’s “ “I think it’s got some legs and it’s well on its way to becoming law.  I think that one is going to get us where we need to go.  I think we probably don’t need to pass anything that undoes what you and I are working on with that other piece of legislation.  I think we need to give it some space and see where it goes.”

Griffey’s bill has the most “teeth” of the two bills in that it sought to lower the threshold for businesses to be required to use E-verify to six or more employees and also prescribed disciplinary action and fines for businesses/individuals that were found to be in violation.  However, Boyd’s bill is a step in the right direction.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com