Employees, Employers - As introduced, beginning July 1, 2026, requires all state and local governmental employers to verify the work authorization status of each prospective employee through the federal E-Verify program prior to employment; authorizes the attorney general and reporter to enforce compliance with the requirement against local governments and subjects a noncompliant local government to the withholding of all funds of this state allocated to the local government via grant, contract, or statute, including, but not limited to, state-shared taxes. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12 and Title 50.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Richard Briggs

Tennessee law requiring all state and local government employers to use E-Verify for hiring, with state funding withholding penalties for noncompliance starting July 2026.

Companion House Bill substituted

#employees #employers

Legislative bill overview

SB 1922 mandates that all Tennessee state and local government employers verify work authorization status of prospective employees through the federal E-Verify program before hiring, effective July 1, 2026. The bill empowers the attorney general to enforce compliance and allows the state to withhold all state funds—including grants, contracts, and state-shared taxes—from noncompliant local governments.

Why is this important

This represents a significant expansion of immigration enforcement responsibility onto local employers and creates a potential financial penalty mechanism that could substantially impact municipal budgets and services. The bill affects hiring practices across thousands of public sector positions and establishes enforcement mechanisms that could create conflicts between local government autonomy and state mandates.

Potential points of contention

Local government autonomy: Withholding all state funds (including tax-sharing revenue) from noncompliant localities is an aggressive enforcement tool that could severely strain essential services in smaller municipalities with limited budgets

Implementation costs and complexity: Local governments must establish E-Verify compliance systems, train personnel, and manage verification processes, with costs potentially falling on already-stretched public sector budgets

E-Verify accuracy and disputes: The system has documented error rates; employees flagged as ineligible may face employment delays or termination while disputing false matches, potentially exposing governments to legal liability

Scope of affected entities: The bill applies broadly across all governmental employers and covers amendments to six different Tennessee Code Annotated titles, suggesting wide-ranging administrative impacts beyond typical hiring