Bill > A156

Introduced Session

This bill, the "New Jersey Jobs Protection Act," requires that all employers use the federal "E-verify" system to check the employment eligibility of each new hire, within ninety days of the date of hire. The bill establishes a graduated penalty system against any employer who knowingly employs unauthorized aliens. The penalty for the first offense will be a $10,000 fine for each unauthorized alien and three years of monitored probation. During the probationary period the employer is required to file quarterly reports with the county prosecutor. The reports must include, but shall not be limited to, documentation of the E-verify confirmation of each new employee who is hired by the employer at the location where the unauthorized alien performed work. The penalty for a second offense will be a $20,000 fine for each unauthorized alien and an additional five years of monitored probation. The penalty for a third offense will be a $30,000 fine for each unauthorized alien. Under the bill, proof that the employee's eligibility to work was confirmed through the E-verify program creates a rebuttable presumption that the employer did not intentionally or knowingly employ an unauthorized alien. E-verify is an Internet-based system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. It provides an automated link to federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. It is currently available to employers without charge.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Dawn Fantasia (R)*,  Michael Inganamort (R)*,  Greg McGuckin (R), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Labor Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document