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Bill > HB1705
TN HB1705
TN HB1705AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8; Title 12 and Title 50, relative to employment.
summary
Introduced
01/15/2026
01/15/2026
In Committee
03/11/2026
03/11/2026
Crossed Over
03/17/2026
03/17/2026
Passed
04/21/2026
04/21/2026
Dead
Signed/Enacted/Adopted
04/27/2026
04/27/2026
Introduced Session
114th General Assembly
Bill Summary
As enacted, generally requires, beginning July 1, 2026, 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 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.
AI Summary
This bill mandates that starting July 1, 2026, all state and local government employers in Tennessee must use the federal E-Verify program to confirm the work authorization status of any new hires. The E-Verify program is an online system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that checks employment eligibility. Employers will be required to keep records of these verifications for each employee. The bill also grants the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter the authority to investigate any local government or local education agency (LEA) that fails to comply with this new requirement. If a local government is found to be non-compliant, the Attorney General can take action to withhold all state funds allocated to that local government, including state-shared taxes, which are funds distributed by the state to local entities. For LEAs, the Attorney General can take action against the local government that approves the LEA's budget. Employers currently using a third-party vendor for Form I-9 verification (an employment eligibility verification form) can continue to do so until January 1, 2027, after which they must also transition to using E-Verify.
Committee Categories
Business and Industry
Sponsors (66)
Tim Rudd (R)*,
Becky Jo Alexander (R),
Fred Atchley (R),
Jody Barrett (R),
Clark Boyd (R),
Rush Bricken (R),
Gino Bulso (R),
Ed Butler (R),
Kip Capley (R),
Michele Carringer (R),
Mark Cochran (R),
John Crawford (R),
Tandy Darby (R),
Elaine Davis (R),
Clay Doggett (R),
Rick Eldridge (R),
Jeremy Faison (R),
Andrew Farmer (R),
Monty Fritts (R),
Ron Gant (R),
Johnny Garrett (R),
Rusty Grills (R),
Michael Hale (R),
Kirk Haston (R),
David Hawk (R),
Esther Helton (R),
Gary Hicks (R),
Tim Hicks (R),
Timothy Hill (R),
Dan Howell (R),
Renea Jones (R),
Kelly Keisling (R),
Doc Kumar (R),
Justin Lafferty (R),
William Lamberth (R),
Michael Lankford (R),
Tom Leatherwood (R),
Mary Littleton (R),
Aron Maberry (R),
Pat Marsh (R),
Brock Martin (R),
Greg Martin (R),
Jake McCalmon (R),
Debra Moody (R),
Jerome Moon (R),
Dennis Powers (R),
Kevin Raper (R),
Jay Reedy (R),
Lee Reeves (R),
Michele Reneau (R),
Iris Rudder (R),
Lowell Russell (R),
Richard Scarbrough (R),
Cameron Sexton (R),
Paul Sherrell (R),
William Slater (R),
Robert Stevens (R),
Tom Stinnett (R),
Bryan Terry (R),
Chris Todd (R),
Kevin Vaughan (R),
Todd Warner (R),
Mark White (R),
Ryan Williams (R),
Dave Wright (R),
Jason Zachary (R),
Last Action
Effective date(s) 07/01/2026 (on 04/27/2026)
Taxonomy
Government Operations
- ‐ Intergovernmental Relations
Immigration
- ‐ Immigration Regulation and Control
Labor and Employment
- ‐ General Labor and Employment
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location | Created |
|---|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1705&ga=114 | 01/15/2026 |
| BillText | https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/114/pub/pc0772.pdf | 04/27/2026 |
| Fiscal Memo for SA0749 (15864) | https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/FM3098.pdf | 03/30/2026 |
| Amendment 1-0 to SB1922 | https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/SA0749.pdf | 03/18/2026 |
| Fiscal Note - HB1705 | https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Fiscal/HB1705.pdf | 02/11/2026 |
| BillText | https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB1705.pdf | 01/15/2026 |
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