Pennsylvania is the next state to mandate the use of E-Verify for certain public works contractors working with the state. The Public Works Employment Verification Act (Senate Bill 637) was approved this month by Governor Corbett. Effective January 1, 2013, a contractor or subcontractor that provides work under a contract involving a public work will need to enroll in E-Verify and use the program for all new hires.
Violations of the Public Works Employment Verification Act would start with a warning letter and escalate to debarment from public works contracts for 30 to 180 days or permanently.
Public Works are defined as, “construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration and/or repair work other than maintenance work, done under contract and paid for in whole or in part out of the funds of a public body where the estimated cost of the total project is in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), but shall not include work performed under a rehabilitation or manpower training program.”