Mandatory E-Verify for Companies over 25 Employees Passes Florida Legislature

On Tuesday, the Florida Legislature passed a broad immigration bill heralded by Governor Ron DeSantis. The Florida House gave the bill final approval along a party-line vote, as it already passed the Florida Senate – the bill is now on its way to the governor’s desk, where he will sign it into law.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made illegal immigration a top concern of his state administration, pushing for and enacting policies that help protect his state and its workers from some of the adverse effects of the Biden Border Crisis.

The bill provides $12 million in state funds to bolster Gov. DeSantis’s illegal alien relocation initiative, prohibits local governments from giving money to organizations that issue identification cards to people illegally in the country, invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses held by undocumented immigrants, and requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a question on intake forms to determine if the patient is an illegal alien.

Most importantly, the measure also expands requirements for businesses with over 25 employees to use E-Verify. This free and easy-to-use online federal system almost immediately determines a potential employee’s eligibility to work in the United States.

The Associated Press reports,

DeSantis framed the legislative package as a counter to Democratic President Joe Biden’s border policy, previously saying, “we won’t turn a blind eye to the dangers of Biden’s Border Crisis. We will continue to take steps to protect Floridians from reckless federal open-border policies.”

“We can’t solve the problem in Washington. But we can send a message that says in Florida, we’ve had enough,” said Florida Rep. Randy Fine.

You can read the full story here.