House Bill 1705 amends Tennessee law to establish requirements for employers regarding the verification of work authorization for prospective employees. The bill defines key terms such as "employee," "employer," and "E-Verify program," and mandates that employers must use the E-Verify program to verify the work authorization status of any new hires starting from July 1, 2026. Additionally, employers are prohibited from adopting any policies that contradict these requirements and must maintain documentation of the E-Verify inquiry results for each verified employee throughout their employment.

The bill also empowers the attorney general to investigate complaints regarding violations of this section by local governments or local education agencies (LEAs). If a violation is found, the attorney general can enforce compliance by withholding state funds allocated to the offending local government. Furthermore, the bill modifies existing legal language to clarify what constitutes "local government action," including failures to comply with the new verification requirements. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 4-1-429(f)(2), 4-1-429