Griffey’s E-Verify Bill To Go To Subcommittee On Wednesday

Image Credit: e-verify.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –

A bill that would make it harder, if not impossible, for illegal immigrants to get work in Tennessee has been placed on the calendar of the Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for February 23rd, 2022.

House Bill 1636 (HB1636) sponsored by Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris-District 75) and companion Senate Bill 2297 (SB2297) sponsored by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-District 17) would require employers to utilize an e-verification program in hiring; remove immunity for an employer’s reliance on other forms of verification; and make other related changes. – Amends TCA Title 50, Chapter 1.

An E-Verify program refers to the federal electronic employment verification service provided by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

This bill expands employers subject to the requirements of the Tennessee Lawful Employment Act to include public contractors and public subcontractors with at least six employees, but does not include farmers.

The bill would require all employers to use the E-Verify program to verify the work eligibility of an employee prior to the employee providing labor or services and maintain documentation of any results generated by E-Verify. Presently, only private employers with 50 or more employers are required to enroll in E-Verify.

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In addition, the bill revises the present law with respect to penalties for violations. The penalty under this bill will be $500 for a first violation plus $500 for each additional illegal alien employed and each employee or non-employee that is misclassified or not verified. For a second violation, the penalty goes up to $1,000 plus $1,000 for each additional illegal alien, and each person misclassified or unverified and then $2,5000 for third violations.

Under this bill, governmental entities, public contractors, and public subcontractors would be prohibited from entering into contracts with one another unless each party used the E-Verify program.

In an interview with Brandon Lewis, founder of The Tennessee Conservative, Griffey urged all of his colleagues to support the E-verify bill. “It’s the most effective tool we have right now to deter illegal immigration.”

Griffey said that some think that E-verify creates an additional burden on businesses but he said this is false. “E-verify collects the same information that employers are required to collect now.”

*** HB1636 has been placed on the Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee for February 23rd, 2022. 

** If you support this bill, contact the Republican members of the Subcommittee in advance of their meeting.**

Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee – Republican Members:

Dennis Powers (Chair) – rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3335

Clark Boyd – rep.clark.boyd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7086

Rush Bricken – rep.rush.bricken@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7448

Jeremy Faison – rep.jeremy.faison@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6871

Kirk Haston – rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0750

Susan Lynn – rep.susan.lynn@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7462

Kevin Vaughan – rep.kevin.vaughan@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1866

About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.