Just in case you missed it, Alabama’s E-Verify mandate for private businesses is now in effect. Thanks to Section 15 of the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act (HB 56), effective April 1, 2012, every business entity or employer in the state shall enroll in E-Verify and thereafter, according to the federal statutes and regulations governing E-Verify, shall verify the employment eligibility of the employee through E-Verify. A business entity or employer not complying with the law can have their business license or permit suspended, be placed on probation and made to file quarterly reports, and ordered to terminate all unauthorized workers.
In a related area, I have seen public employers who are based in Alabama send out notices to their contractors requiring that they enroll in E-Verify since there is also a mandate in Alabama that public employers enroll in E-Verify. By “public employers” I mean business entities who work with the state. Takeaway here is if you are located in Alabama you should be enrolled in, or enrolling in, the E-Verify program. If you are outside of the state and work with a business entity located in Alabama, keep an eye out for correspondence in which they require that you enroll in E-Verify pursuant to the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. Hopefully by now you haven’t thrown your arms up in the air while proclaiming, there’s no rest for the weary!