cerning an individual’s identity and whether the 
individual is authorized to be employed; and 
‘‘(B) maintains records of the inquiries 
that were made, of verifications provided (or 
not provided), and of the codes provided to in-
quirers as evidence of their compliance with 
their obligations under this section. 
‘‘(2) INITIAL RESPONSE.—The verification sys-
tem shall provide confirmation or a tentative non-
confirmation of an individual’s identity and employ-
ment eligibility within 3 working days of the initial 
inquiry. If providing confirmation or tentative non-
confirmation, the verification system shall provide an 
appropriate code indicating such confirmation or 
such nonconfirmation. 
‘‘(3) SECONDARY CONFIRMATION PROCESS IN 
CASE OF TENTATIVE NONCONFIRMATION.—In cases 
of tentative nonconfirmation, the Secretary shall 
specify, in consultation with the Commissioner of 
Social Security, an available secondary verification 
process to confirm the validity of information pro-
vided and to provide a final confirmation or noncon-
firmation not later than 10 working days after the 
date on which the notice of the tentative noncon-
firmation is received by the employee. The Secretary, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
in consultation with the Commissioner, may extend 
this deadline once on a case-by-case basis for a pe-
riod of 10 working days, and if the time is extended, 
shall document such extension within the verification 
system. The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Commissioner, shall notify the employee and em-
ployer of such extension. The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Commissioner, shall create a standard 
process of such extension and notification and shall 
make a description of such process available to the 
public. When final confirmation or nonconfirmation 
is provided, the verification system shall provide an 
appropriate code indicating such confirmation or 
nonconfirmation. 
‘‘(4) DESIGN AND OPERATION OF SYSTEM.— 
The verification system shall be designed and oper-
ated— 
‘‘(A) to maximize its reliability and ease of 
use by persons and other entities consistent 
with insulating and protecting the privacy and 
security of the underlying information; 
‘‘(B) to respond to all inquiries made by 
such persons and entities on whether individ-
uals are authorized to be employed and to reg-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
ister all times when such inquiries are not re-
ceived; 
‘‘(C) with appropriate administrative, tech-
nical, and physical safeguards to prevent unau-
thorized disclosure of personal information; 
‘‘(D) to have reasonable safeguards against 
the system’s resulting in unlawful discrimina-
tory practices based on national origin or citi-
zenship status, including— 
‘‘(i) the selective or unauthorized use 
of the system to verify eligibility; or 
‘‘(ii) the exclusion of certain individ-
uals from consideration for employment as 
a result of a perceived likelihood that addi-
tional verification will be required, beyond 
what is required for most job applicants; 
‘‘(E) to maximize the prevention of iden-
tity theft use in the system; and 
‘‘(F) to limit the subjects of verification to 
the following individuals: 
‘‘(i) Individuals hired, referred, or re-
cruited, in accordance with paragraph (1) 
or (4) of subsection (b). 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(ii) Employees and prospective em-
ployees, in accordance with paragraph (1), 
(2), (3), or (4) of subsection (b). 
‘‘(iii) Individuals seeking to confirm 
their own employment eligibility on a vol-
untary basis. 
‘‘(5) RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMISSIONER OF 
SOCIAL SECURITY.—As part of the verification sys-
tem, the Commissioner of Social Security, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security 
(and any designee of the Secretary selected to estab-
lish and administer the verification system), shall es-
tablish a reliable, secure method, which, within the 
time periods specified under paragraphs (2) and (3), 
compares the name and social security account num-
ber provided in an inquiry against such information 
maintained by the Commissioner in order to validate 
(or not validate) the information provided regarding 
an individual whose identity and employment eligi-
bility must be confirmed, the correspondence of the 
name and number, and whether the individual has 
presented a social security account number that is 
not valid for employment. The Commissioner shall 
not disclose or release social security information 
(other than such confirmation or nonconfirmation) 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
under the verification system except as provided for 
in this section or section 205(c)(2)(I) of the Social 
Security Act. 
‘‘(6) RESPONSIBILITIES
OF
SECRETARY
OF 
HOMELAND SECURITY.—As part of the verification 
system, the Secretary of Homeland Security (in con-
sultation with any designee of the Secretary selected 
to establish and administer the verification system), 
shall establish a reliable, secure method, which, with-
in the time periods specified under paragraphs (2) 
and (3), compares the name and alien identification 
or authorization number (or any other information 
as determined relevant by the Secretary) which are 
provided in an inquiry against such information 
maintained or accessed by the Secretary in order to 
validate (or not validate) the information provided, 
the correspondence of the name and number, wheth-
er the alien is authorized to be employed in the 
United States, or to the extent that the Secretary 
determines to be feasible and appropriate, whether 
the records available to the Secretary verify the 
identity or status of a national of the United States. 
‘‘(7) UPDATING INFORMATION.—The Commis-
sioner of Social Security and the Secretary of Home-
land Security shall update their information in a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
manner that promotes the maximum accuracy and 
shall provide a process for the prompt correction of 
erroneous information, including instances in which 
it is brought to their attention in the secondary 
verification process described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(8) 
LIMITATION
ON
USE
OF
THE 
VERIFICATION
SYSTEM
AND
ANY
RELATED
SYS-
TEMS.— 
‘‘(A) 
NO
NATIONAL
IDENTIFICATION 
CARD.—Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued to authorize, directly or indirectly, the 
issuance or use of national identification cards 
or the establishment of a national identification 
card. 
‘‘(B) CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The 
Secretary may authorize or direct any person or 
entity responsible for granting access to, pro-
tecting, securing, operating, administering, or 
regulating part of the critical infrastructure (as 
defined in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infra-
structure Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 
5195c(e))) to use the verification system to the 
extent the Secretary determines that such use 
will assist in the protection of the critical infra-
structure. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00040
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(9) REMEDIES.—If an individual alleges that 
the individual would not have been dismissed from 
a job but for an error of the verification mechanism, 
the individual may seek compensation only through 
the mechanism of the Federal Tort Claims Act, and 
injunctive relief to correct such error. No class ac-
tion may be brought under this paragraph.’’. 
SEC. 4. RECRUITMENT, REFERRAL, AND CONTINUATION OF 
EMPLOYMENT. 
(a) ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO RULES FOR RECRUIT-
MENT, REFERRAL, AND CONTINUATION
OF EMPLOY-
MENT.—Section 274A(a) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘for a fee’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), by amending subpara-
graph (B) to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) to hire, continue to employ, or to re-
cruit or refer for employment in the United 
States an individual without complying with the 
requirements of subsection (b).’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘after hiring 
an alien for employment in accordance with para-
graph (1),’’ and inserting ‘‘after complying with 
paragraph (1),’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00041
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
(b) DEFINITION.—Section 274A(h) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(h)), as amended 
by section 2(b) of this Act, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) DEFINITION OF RECRUIT OR REFER.—As 
used in this section, the term ‘refer’ means the act 
of sending or directing a person who is in the United 
States or transmitting documentation or information 
to another, directly or indirectly, with the intent of 
obtaining employment in the United States for such 
person. Only persons or entities referring for remu-
neration (whether on a retainer or contingency 
basis) are included in the definition, except that 
union hiring halls that refer union members or non-
union individuals who pay union membership dues 
are included in the definition whether or not they re-
ceive remuneration, as are labor service entities or 
labor service agencies, whether public, private, for- 
profit, or nonprofit, that refer, dispatch, or other-
wise facilitate the hiring of laborers for any period 
of time by a third party. As used in this section, the 
term ‘recruit’ means the act of soliciting a person 
who is in the United States, directly or indirectly, 
and referring the person to another with the intent 
of obtaining employment for that person. Only per-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00042
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
sons or entities referring for remuneration (whether 
on a retainer or contingency basis) are included in 
the definition, except that union hiring halls that 
refer union members or nonunion individuals who 
pay union membership dues are included in this defi-
nition whether or not they receive remuneration, as 
are labor service entities or labor service agencies, 
whether public, private, for-profit, or nonprofit that 
recruit, dispatch, or otherwise facilitate the hiring of 
laborers for any period of time by a third party.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the date that is 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, except that 
the amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect 
6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act inso-
far as such amendments relate to continuation of employ-
ment. 
SEC. 5. GOOD FAITH DEFENSE. 
Section 274A(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(a)(3)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(3) GOOD FAITH DEFENSE.— 
‘‘(A) DEFENSE.—An employer (or person 
or entity that hires, employs, recruits, or refers 
(as defined in subsection (h)(5)), or is otherwise 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
obligated to comply with this section) who es-
tablishes that it has complied in good faith with 
the requirements of subsection (b)— 
‘‘(i) shall not be liable to a job appli-
cant, an employee, the Federal Govern-
ment, or a State or local government, 
under Federal, State, or local criminal or 
civil law for any employment-related action 
taken with respect to a job applicant or 
employee in good-faith reliance on informa-
tion provided through the system estab-
lished under subsection (d); and 
‘‘(ii) has established compliance with 
its obligations under subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) of paragraph (1) and subsection 
(b) absent a showing by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, by clear and con-
vincing evidence, that the employer had 
knowledge that an employee is an unau-
thorized alien. 
‘‘(B) MITIGATION
ELEMENT.—For pur-
poses of subparagraph (A)(i), if an employer 
proves by a preponderance of the evidence that 
the employer uses a reasonable, secure, and es-
tablished technology to authenticate the identity 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
of the new employee, that fact shall be taken 
into account for purposes of determining good 
faith use of the system established under sub-
section (d). 
‘‘(C) FAILURE
TO
SEEK
AND
OBTAIN 
VERIFICATION.—Subject to the effective dates 
and other deadlines applicable under subsection 
(b), in the case of a person or entity in the 
United States that hires, or continues to em-
ploy, an individual, or recruits or refers an indi-
vidual for employment, the following require-
ments apply: 
‘‘(i) 
FAILURE
TO
SEEK 
VERIFICATION.— 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—If the person 
or entity has not made an inquiry, 
under 
the 
mechanism 
established 
under subsection (d) and in accord-
ance with the timeframes established 
under 
subsection 
(b), 
seeking 
verification of the identity and work 
eligibility of the individual, the de-
fense under subparagraph (A) shall 
not be considered to apply with re-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
spect to any employment, except as 
provided in subclause (II). 
‘‘(II) SPECIAL RULE FOR FAIL-
URE OF VERIFICATION MECHANISM.— 
If such a person or entity in good 
faith attempts to make an inquiry in 
order to qualify for the defense under 
subparagraph (A) and the verification 
mechanism has registered that not all 
inquiries were responded to during the 
relevant time, the person or entity can 
make an inquiry until the end of the 
first subsequent working day in which 
the verification mechanism registers 
no nonresponses and qualify for such 
defense. 
‘‘(ii) 
FAILURE
TO
OBTAIN 
VERIFICATION.—If the person or entity 
has made the inquiry described in clause 
(i)(I) but has not received an appropriate 
verification of such identity and work eligi-
bility under such mechanism within the 
time period specified under subsection 
(d)(2) after the time the verification in-
quiry was received, the defense under sub-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
paragraph (A) shall not be considered to 
apply with respect to any employment after 
the end of such time period.’’. 
SEC. 6. PREEMPTION AND STATES’ RIGHTS. 
Section 274A(h)(2) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(h)(2)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(2) PREEMPTION.— 
‘‘(A) SINGLE, 
NATIONAL
POLICY.—The 
provisions of this section preempt any State or 
local law, ordinance, policy, or rule, including 
any criminal or civil fine or penalty structure, 
insofar as they may now or hereafter relate to 
the hiring, continued employment, or status 
verification for employment eligibility purposes, 
of unauthorized aliens. 
‘‘(B) STATE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL 
LAW.— 
‘‘(i) BUSINESS LICENSING.—A State, 
locality, municipality, or political subdivi-
sion may exercise its authority over busi-
ness licensing and similar laws as a pen-
alty for failure to use the verification sys-
tem described in subsection (d) to verify 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00047
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
employment eligibility when and as re-
quired under subsection (b). 
‘‘(ii) GENERAL RULES.—A State, at 
its own cost, may enforce the provisions of 
this section, but only insofar as such State 
follows the Federal regulations imple-
menting this section, applies the Federal 
penalty structure set out in this section, 
and complies with all Federal rules and 
guidance concerning implementation of this 
section. Such State may collect any fines 
assessed under this section. An employer 
may not be subject to enforcement, includ-
ing audit and investigation, by both a Fed-
eral agency and a State for the same viola-
tion under this section. Whichever entity, 
the Federal agency or the State, is first to 
initiate the enforcement action, has the 
right of first refusal to proceed with the 
enforcement action. The Secretary must 
provide copies of all guidance, training, 
and field instructions provided to Federal 
officials implementing the provisions of 
this section to each State.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
SEC. 7. REPEAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle A of title IV of the Illegal 
Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 
1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a note) is repealed. 
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any Federal 
law, Executive order, rule, regulation, or delegation of au-
thority, or any document of, or pertaining to, the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, or the 
Social Security Administration, to the employment eligi-
bility confirmation system established under section 404 
of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Respon-
sibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a note) is deemed to 
refer to the employment eligibility confirmation system es-
tablished under section 274A(d) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, as amended by section 3 of this Act. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 
on the date that is 30 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections, 
in section 1(d) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Im-
migrant Responsibility Act of 1996, is amended by strik-
ing the items relating to subtitle A of title IV. 
SEC. 8. PENALTIES. 
Section 274A of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1324a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (e)(1)— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
(A) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ each 
place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Sec-
retary of Homeland Security’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘Service’’ and inserting ‘‘Department of Home-
land Security’’; 
(2) in subsection (e)(4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter be-
fore clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, subject to para-
graph (10),’’ after ‘‘in an amount’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking 
‘‘not less than $250 and not more than 
$2,000’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than $2,500 
and not more than $5,000’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking 
‘‘not less than $2,000 and not more than 
$5,000’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than $5,000 
and not more than $10,000’’; 
(D) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking 
‘‘not less than $3,000 and not more than 
$10,000’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than $10,000 
and not more than $25,000’’; and 
(E) by moving the margin of the continu-
ation text following subparagraph (B) two ems 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00050
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
to the left and by amending subparagraph (B) 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) may require the person or entity to 
take such other remedial action as is appro-
priate.’’; 
(3) in subsection (e)(5)— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, strike ‘‘PA-
PERWORK’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, subject to paragraphs 
(10) through (12),’’ after ‘‘in an amount’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘$100’’ and inserting 
‘‘$1,000’’; 
(D) by striking ‘‘$1,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$25,000’’; and 
(E) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Failure by a person or entity to utilize the em-
ployment eligibility verification system as re-
quired by law, or providing information to the 
system that the person or entity knows or rea-
sonably believes to be false, shall be treated as 
a violation of subsection (a)(1)(A).’’; 
(4) by adding at the end of subsection (e) the 
following: 
‘‘(10) EXEMPTION FROM PENALTY FOR GOOD 
FAITH VIOLATION.—In the case of imposition of a 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Jan 16, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H250.IH
H250
pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS