Bill
HB 1974
Arkansas HB1974 requires state and covered public employers to use the E-Verify system to confirm new hires’ work eligibility, with records kept and enforcement starting in 2026.
Note on source materials and scope
- The documents you provided contain inconsistent and conflated information: a detailed bill text titled the "E‑Verify Requirement Act" (appearing to be from the Arkansas 95th General Assembly) is included, but the bill metadata at the top lists a different title — "Suffrage; restore to Tracey Rushing of Hinds County" — and the legislative action log mixes entries from multiple jurisdictions (including an Illinois appropriation bill also numbered HB1974). Because no text for the “Suffrage; restore to Tracey Rushing” measure is included, the summary below covers the enacted text present in the packet: the E‑Verify Requirement Act (the Arkansas HB1974 language). If you intended the suffrage restoration bill, please provide that bill text or confirm the jurisdiction so I can summarize it specifically.
Summary — E‑Verify Requirement Act (as provided)
- Purpose and intent
- Require Arkansas state entities and other covered public employers to verify the employment eligibility of new hires using the federal E‑Verify system; prohibit employing unauthorized aliens in covered state employment; and implement administrative procedures for verification and enforcement.
- Key provisions
- New subchapter added to Arkansas Code, Title 21, Chapter 3 (Subchapter 9: “E‑Verify Requirement Act”).
- Definitions: “Employee,” “Employer” (state government department, board, bureau, political subdivision, or statutorily/licensed agency), “E‑Verify” (USCIS system), and “Unauthorized alien” (per 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(h)(3) as of 1/1/2025).
- E‑Verify enrollment and use:
- Employers must register and create an E‑Verify account.
- After hiring, employers must provisionally employ a worker until E‑Verify confirms authorization.
- Employers must submit new hires to E‑Verify even if employment ends within three business days.
- Employers must retain verification records for the length of employment or three years, whichever is longer.
- Hiring restrictions:
- Employers may not employ, continue to employ, or reemploy a person whose work authorization is not verified by E‑Verify.
- Employers are not required to reverify current employees hired before the act’s effective date, nor to verify contrary to federal law.
- Enforcement:
- Department of Labor and Licensing (DLL) may request documentation used for verification; employers must provide copies.
- DLL must rely on the U.S. Government’s verification results and may not independently declare someone an unauthorized alien.
- Beginning July 1, 2026, DLL will notify employers of noncompliance and provide a 30‑day cure period before taking further action.
- Federal law: the act does not replace or limit existing federal employment verification obligations (I‑9, etc.).
- Effective date (as drafted): January 1, 2026.
- Who is affected
- State government departments, boards, bureaus, political subdivisions, and licensed agencies that employ workers in Arkansas (new hires after the effective date). Current employees hired before the effective date are exempt from initial verification requirements.
- Department of Labor and Licensing (enforcement and compliance role).
- Procedural/timeline notes
- The text sets January 1, 2026 as the statute’s effective date; enforcement measures (notice/cure) are to start July 1, 2026.
- The materials you provided list mixed legislative actions (including readings, amendments, and a “Died In Committee” status). These are inconsistent; please confirm the jurisdiction and official legislative tracking source for final status.
Potential impacts (high level)
- Administrative: state employers will incur time and administrative costs to register for and use E‑Verify and to retain records.
- Hiring: possible delays in onboarding during provisional employment periods; some applicants may be ineligible if E‑Verify cannot confirm authorization.
- Legal: aligns state hiring policy with federal verification tools; interacts with federal employment verification duties and anti‑discrimination considerations tied to E‑Verify use.
Next steps
- If you want a summary specifically for the “Suffrage; restore to Tracey Rushing of Hinds County” bill, please provide that bill’s text or confirm the state (likely Mississippi) so I can prepare an accurate summary. If you want confirmation of the final status for the E‑Verify bill, tell me which state’s legislative website you’d like me to check and I can provide updated status.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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