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Florida Governor Signs E-Verify Measure

Clint Thompson Florida

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Governor Ron DeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed legislation that will require all government employers and some private businesses to use a federal electronic system known as E-Verify to check the immigration status of new workers. He signed the worker-verification bill into law in Tallahassee, joined by the measure’s GOP sponsors, Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Cord Byrd.

According to the News Service of Florida, the bill went into effect Wednesday and was a major priority for DeSantis during the 2020 legislative session.

The bill will require all public employers, like local school districts, public universities and state agencies, as well as their private contractors to use E-Verify, a system run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Private employers are not mandated to use the system unless they have a contract with a public employer or they apply for taxpayer-funded incentives through the state Department of Economic Opportunity.

Private businesses that do not use E-Verify will be required to keep a three-year record of the documents employees use to complete “I-9” forms, which the federal government uses to verify workers’ identities and legal eligibility to work in the U.S.