House Bill 1705, also known as Senate Bill 1922, amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish new 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 system to confirm 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 E-Verify inquiries 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 the definition of "local government action" to include failures to comply with the new verification requirements or other state laws related to immigration enforcement. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

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