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Committee hears first testimony on E-Verify requirement for public-works contractors
Summary
Representatives Swearingen and Fisher testified that Sub. H.B. 246 would require contractors on state and local public-works and nonresidential construction to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm employment eligibility; sponsors stressed narrow scope and broad House support, and the committee took no vote.
Representatives Swearingen and Fisher presented sponsor testimony on Sub. H.B. 246, the E-Verify Workforce Integrity Act, at the Sept. 30 Senate Workforce Development Committee hearing.
Rep. Swearingen described E-Verify as a free, internet-based federal system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that confirms I-9 information with DHS and the Social Security Administration. "Employers will submit completed I-9 form and receive employment eligibility confirmation in 3 to 5 seconds," he said, and sponsors emphasized that the bill applies narrowly to contractors engaged in state or local public-works construction and nonresidential contractors.
Rep. Fisher noted the bill’s strong House record, saying it passed unanimously in the House earlier this year and that the prior version had secured 85 votes. Sponsors described changes from earlier drafts — removing a broad employer-size threshold (employers over 75 employees) and narrowing penalties after stakeholder input — but said the bill retains enforcement teeth.
Proponents argued the requirement would protect authorized workers, reduce exploitation from labor brokers, and reassure investors and contractors that public projects use a legal workforce. The committee asked no substantive questions and took no vote; Chair Kaler closed the first hearing.
