Bill > S1847

This bill, the "New Jersey Jobs Protection Act," mandates that all employers in New Jersey must use the federal "E-verify" system to confirm the employment eligibility of every new hire within ninety days of their start date. E-verify is an online tool managed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration that checks if a new employee is legally authorized to work in the U.S. The bill establishes a tiered penalty system for employers who knowingly hire unauthorized aliens, meaning individuals who do not have the legal right to work in the United States. For a first offense, employers face a $10,000 fine per unauthorized alien and three years of probation, during which they must submit quarterly reports to the county prosecutor detailing E-verify confirmations for new hires at the location where the unauthorized alien worked. A second offense results in a $20,000 fine per unauthorized alien and an additional five years of probation with similar reporting requirements. A third offense carries a $30,000 fine per unauthorized alien. Importantly, if an employer can prove they used E-verify to confirm an employee's eligibility, it creates a strong presumption that the employer did not intentionally or knowingly hire an unauthorized alien, potentially shielding them from penalties. The bill aims to protect jobs for legal residents by deterring employers from hiring undocumented workers, thereby addressing concerns about economic recession, unemployment, and the depletion of the state's unemployment compensation fund.

Labor and Employment

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S1847