HB486 Summary

• Applies only to Limestone County and requires all employers in the county and its municipalities to verify employment eligibility of new employees through the federal E-Verify system or any other method that reasonably determines legal status.

• Makes it unlawful for business entities to knowingly hire or recruit unauthorized aliens; public employers and their contractors must also utilize E-Verify.

• Requires employers to retain E-Verify documentation verifying employment authorization for at least three years after employee termination and provide it to county or municipal departments upon request.

• First violation results in suspension of all business licenses for a minimum of one day and maximum of 30 days; second or subsequent violations result in permanent license suspension.

• Enforcement conducted by district attorneys or city attorneys; immigration status determinations must rely solely on federal government verification under Title 8, U.S.C. §1373(c); businesses complying in good faith with E-Verify receive a rebuttable presumption they did not knowingly employ unauthorized aliens.