I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3711 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make mandatory and 
permanent requirements relating to use of an electronic employment 
eligibility verification system, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 
Mr. SMITH of Texas (for himself, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. JODY 
B. HICE of Georgia, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, 
Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. PITTENGER, Mr. 
SESSIONS, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, Mr. FRANCIS ROONEY of Florida, 
Mr. CHABOT, Mr. MESSER, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. LABRADOR, Mr. HUN-
TER, Mr. GOWDY, Mr. MCCAUL, and Mr. WEBSTER of Florida) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Edu-
cation and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make 
mandatory and permanent requirements relating to use 
of an electronic employment eligibility verification sys-
tem, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Legal Workforce Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROC-
ESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 274A(b) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) 
EMPLOYMENT
ELIGIBILITY
VERIFICATION 
PROCESS.— 
‘‘(1) NEW HIRES, RECRUITMENT, AND REFER-
RAL.—The requirements referred to in paragraphs 
(1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a) are, in the case of 
a person or other entity hiring, recruiting, or refer-
ring an individual for employment in the United 
States, the following: 
‘‘(A) ATTESTATION
AFTER
EXAMINATION 
OF DOCUMENTATION.— 
‘‘(i) 
ATTESTATION.—During 
the 
verification period (as defined in subpara-
graph (E)), the person or entity shall at-
test, under penalty of perjury and on a 
form, including electronic and telephonic 
formats, designated or established by the 
Secretary by regulation not later than 6 
months after the date of the enactment of 
the Legal Workforce Act, that it has 
verified that the individual is not an unau-
thorized alien by— 
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‘‘(ii) DOCUMENTS
EVIDENCING
EM-
PLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION
AND
ESTAB-
LISHING
IDENTITY.—A 
document 
de-
scribed in this subparagraph is an individ-
ual’s— 
‘‘(I) unexpired United States 
passport or passport card; 
‘‘(II) unexpired permanent resi-
dent card that contains a photograph; 
‘‘(III) unexpired employment au-
thorization card that contains a pho-
tograph; 
‘‘(IV) in the case of a non-
immigrant alien authorized to work 
for a specific employer incident to sta-
tus, a foreign passport with Form I– 
94 or Form I–94A, or other docu-
mentation as designated by the Sec-
retary specifying the alien’s non-
immigrant status as long as the pe-
riod of status has not yet expired and 
the proposed employment is not in 
conflict with any restrictions or limita-
tions identified in the documentation; 
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‘‘(V) passport from the Fed-
erated States of Micronesia (FSM) or 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands 
(RMI) with Form I–94 or Form I– 
94A, or other documentation as des-
ignated by the Secretary, indicating 
nonimmigrant admission under the 
Compact of Free Association Between 
the United States and the FSM or 
RMI; or 
‘‘(VI) other document designated 
by the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity, if the document— 
‘‘(aa) contains a photograph 
of the individual and biometric 
identification data from the indi-
vidual and such other personal 
identifying information relating 
to the individual as the Secretary 
of Homeland Security finds, by 
regulation, sufficient for purposes 
of this clause; 
‘‘(bb) is evidence of author-
ization of employment in the 
United States; and 
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‘‘(cc) contains security fea-
tures to make it resistant to tam-
pering, counterfeiting, and fraud-
ulent use. 
‘‘(iii) DOCUMENTS
EVIDENCING
EM-
PLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION.—A document 
described in this subparagraph is an indi-
vidual’s social security account number 
card (other than such a card which speci-
fies on the face that the issuance of the 
card does not authorize employment in the 
United States). 
‘‘(iv) 
DOCUMENTS
ESTABLISHING 
IDENTITY
OF
INDIVIDUAL.—A document 
described in this subparagraph is— 
‘‘(I) an individual’s unexpired 
State issued driver’s license or identi-
fication card if it contains a photo-
graph and information such as name, 
date of birth, gender, height, eye 
color, and address; 
‘‘(II) an individual’s unexpired 
U.S. military identification card; 
‘‘(III) an individual’s unexpired 
Native American tribal identification 
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document issued by a tribal entity rec-
ognized by the Bureau of Indian Af-
fairs; or 
‘‘(IV) in the case of an individual 
under 18 years of age, a parent or 
legal guardian’s attestation under 
penalty of law as to the identity and 
age of the individual. 
‘‘(v) AUTHORITY TO PROHIBIT USE OF 
CERTAIN DOCUMENTS.—If the Secretary of 
Homeland Security finds, by regulation, 
that any document described in clause (i), 
(ii), or (iii) as establishing employment au-
thorization or identity does not reliably es-
tablish such authorization or identity or is 
being used fraudulently to an unacceptable 
degree, the Secretary may prohibit or place 
conditions on its use for purposes of this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(vi) SIGNATURE.—Such attestation 
may be manifested by either a handwritten 
or electronic signature. 
‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL
ATTESTATION
OF
EM-
PLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION.—During 
the 
verification period (as defined in subparagraph 
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(E)), the individual shall attest, under penalty 
of perjury on the form designated or established 
for purposes of subparagraph (A), that the indi-
vidual is a citizen or national of the United 
States, an alien lawfully admitted for perma-
nent residence, or an alien who is authorized 
under this Act or by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to be hired, recruited, or referred for 
such employment. Such attestation may be 
manifested by either a handwritten or electronic 
signature. The individual shall also provide that 
individual’s social security account number or 
United States passport number (if the indi-
vidual claims to have been issued such a num-
ber), and, if the individual does not attest to 
United States nationality under this subpara-
graph, such identification or authorization num-
ber established by the Department of Homeland 
Security for the alien as the Secretary may 
specify. 
‘‘(C) RETENTION OF VERIFICATION FORM 
AND VERIFICATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—After completion 
of such form in accordance with subpara-
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graphs (A) and (B), the person or entity 
shall— 
‘‘(I) retain a paper, microfiche, 
microfilm, or electronic version of the 
form and make it available for inspec-
tion by officers of the Department of 
Homeland Security, the Department 
of Justice, or the Department of 
Labor during a period beginning on 
the date of the recruiting or referral 
of the individual, or, in the case of the 
hiring of an individual, the date on 
which the verification is completed, 
and ending— 
‘‘(aa) in the case of the re-
cruiting or referral of an indi-
vidual, 3 years after the date of 
the recruiting or referral; and 
‘‘(bb) in the case of the hir-
ing of an individual, the later of 
3 years after the date the 
verification is completed or one 
year after the date the individ-
ual’s employment is terminated; 
and 
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‘‘(II) during the verification pe-
riod (as defined in subparagraph (E)), 
make an inquiry, as provided in sub-
section (d), using the verification sys-
tem to seek verification of the identity 
and employment eligibility of an indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(ii) CONFIRMATION.— 
‘‘(I) 
CONFIRMATION
RE-
CEIVED.—If the person or other entity 
receives an appropriate confirmation 
of an individual’s identity and work 
eligibility under the verification sys-
tem within the time period specified, 
the person or entity shall record on 
the form an appropriate code that is 
provided under the system and that 
indicates a final confirmation of such 
identity and work eligibility of the in-
dividual. 
‘‘(II) TENTATIVE NONCONFIRMA-
TION
RECEIVED.—If the person or 
other entity receives a tentative non-
confirmation of an individual’s iden-
tity or work eligibility under the 
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‘‘(IV) EXTENSION OF TIME.—If 
the person or other entity in good 
faith attempts to make an inquiry 
during the time period specified and 
the verification system has registered 
that not all inquiries were received 
during such time, the person or entity 
may make an inquiry in the first sub-
sequent working day in which the 
verification system registers that it 
has received all inquiries. If the 
verification system cannot receive in-
quiries at all times during a day, the 
person or entity merely has to assert 
that the entity attempted to make the 
inquiry on that day for the previous 
sentence to apply to such an inquiry, 
and does not have to provide any ad-
ditional proof concerning such inquiry. 
‘‘(V) CONSEQUENCES
OF
NON-
CONFIRMATION.— 
‘‘(aa) TERMINATION OR NO-
TIFICATION OF CONTINUED EM-
PLOYMENT.—If the person or 
other entity has received a final 
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nonconfirmation regarding an in-
dividual, the person or entity 
may terminate employment of the 
individual (or decline to recruit 
or refer the individual). If the 
person or entity does not termi-
nate employment of the indi-
vidual or proceeds to recruit or 
refer the individual, the person or 
entity shall notify the Secretary 
of Homeland Security of such 
fact through the verification sys-
tem or in such other manner as 
the Secretary may specify. 
‘‘(bb) 
FAILURE
TO
NO-
TIFY.—If the person or entity 
fails to provide notice with re-
spect to an individual as required 
under item (aa), the failure is 
deemed to constitute a violation 
of subsection (a)(1)(A) with re-
spect to that individual. 
‘‘(VI) CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT 
AFTER FINAL NONCONFIRMATION.—If 
the person or other entity continues to 
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employ (or to recruit or refer) an indi-
vidual after receiving final noncon-
firmation, a rebuttable presumption is 
created that the person or entity has 
violated subsection (a)(1)(A). 
‘‘(D) EFFECTIVE DATES OF NEW PROCE-
DURES.— 
‘‘(i) HIRING.—Except as provided in 
clause (iii), the provisions of this para-
graph shall apply to a person or other enti-
ty hiring an individual for employment in 
the United States as follows: 
‘‘(I) With respect to employers 
having 10,000 or more employees in 
the United States on the date of the 
enactment of the Legal Workforce 
Act, on the date that is 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of 
such Act. 
‘‘(II) With respect to employers 
having 500 or more employees in the 
United States, but less than 10,000 
employees in the United States, on 
the date of the enactment of the 
Legal Workforce Act, on the date that 
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is 12 months after the date of the en-
actment of such Act. 
‘‘(III) With respect to employers 
having 20 or more employees in the 
United States, but less than 500 em-
ployees in the United States, on the 
date of the enactment of the Legal 
Workforce Act, on the date that is 18 
months after the date of the enact-
ment of such Act. 
‘‘(IV) With respect to employers 
having 1 or more employees in the 
United States, but less than 20 em-
ployees in the United States, on the 
date of the enactment of the Legal 
Workforce Act, on the date that is 24 
months after the date of the enact-
ment of such Act. 
‘‘(ii) RECRUITING AND REFERRING.— 
Except as provided in clause (iii), the pro-
visions of this paragraph shall apply to a 
person or other entity recruiting or refer-
ring an individual for employment in the 
United States on the date that is 12 
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months after the date of the enactment of 
the Legal Workforce Act. 
‘‘(iii) AGRICULTURAL LABOR OR SERV-
ICES.—With respect to an employee per-
forming agricultural labor or services, this 
paragraph shall not apply with respect to 
the verification of the employee until the 
date that is 30 months after the date of 
the enactment of the Legal Workforce Act. 
For purposes of the preceding sentence, 
the term ‘agricultural labor or services’ has 
the meaning given such term by the Sec-
retary of Agriculture in regulations and in-
cludes agricultural labor as defined in sec-
tion 3121(g) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986, agriculture as defined in section 
3(f) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(f)), the handling, 
planting, drying, packing, packaging, proc-
essing, freezing, or grading prior to deliv-
ery for storage of any agricultural or horti-
cultural commodity in its unmanufactured 
state, all activities required for the prepa-
ration, processing or manufacturing of a 
product of agriculture (as such term is de-
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fined in such section 3(f)) for further dis-
tribution, and activities similar to all the 
foregoing as they relate to fish or shellfish 
facilities. An employee described in this 
clause shall not be counted for purposes of 
clause (i). 
‘‘(iv) EXTENSIONS.—Upon request by 
an employer having 50 or fewer employees, 
the Secretary shall allow a one-time 6- 
month extension of the effective date set 
out in this subparagraph applicable to such 
employer. Such request shall be made to 
the Secretary and shall be made prior to 
such effective date. 
‘‘(v) TRANSITION
RULE.—Subject to 
paragraph (4), the following shall apply to 
a person or other entity hiring, recruiting, 
or referring an individual for employment 
in the United States until the effective 
date or dates applicable under clauses (i) 
through (iii): 
‘‘(I) This subsection, as in effect 
before the enactment of the Legal 
Workforce Act. 
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‘‘(II) Subtitle A of title IV of the 
Illegal Immigration Reform and Im-
migrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 
U.S.C. 1324a note), as in effect be-
fore the effective date in section 7(c) 
of the Legal Workforce Act. 
‘‘(III) Any other provision of 
Federal law requiring the person or 
entity to participate in the E-Verify 
Program described in section 403(a) 
of the Illegal Immigration Reform and 
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 
(8 U.S.C. 1324a note), as in effect be-
fore the effective date in section 7(c) 
of the Legal Workforce Act, including 
Executive Order 13465 (8 U.S.C. 
1324a note; relating to Government 
procurement). 
‘‘(E) VERIFICATION PERIOD DEFINED.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—For purposes of 
this paragraph: 
‘‘(I) In the case of recruitment or 
referral, the term ‘verification period’ 
means the period ending on the date 
recruiting or referring commences. 
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‘‘(II) In the case of hiring, the 
term ‘verification period’ means the 
period beginning on the date on which 
an offer of employment is extended 
and ending on the date that is three 
business days after the date of hire, 
except as provided in clause (iii). The 
offer of employment may be condi-
tioned in accordance with clause (ii). 
‘‘(ii) JOB
OFFER
MAY
BE
CONDI-
TIONAL.—A person or other entity may 
offer a prospective employee an employ-
ment position that is conditioned on final 
verification of the identity and employment 
eligibility of the employee using the proce-
dures established under this paragraph. 
‘‘(iii) 
SPECIAL
RULE.—Notwith-
standing clause (i)(II), in the case of an 
alien who is authorized for employment 
and who provides evidence from the Social 
Security Administration that the alien has 
applied for a social security account num-
ber, the verification period ends three busi-
ness days after the alien receives the social 
security account number. 
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‘‘(2) REVERIFICATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH 
LIMITED WORK AUTHORIZATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), a person or entity shall 
make an inquiry, as provided in subsection (d), 
using 
the 
verification 
system 
to 
seek 
reverification of the identity and employment 
eligibility of all individuals with a limited period 
of work authorization employed by the person 
or entity during the three business days after 
the date on which the employee’s work author-
ization expires as follows: 
‘‘(i) With respect to employers having 
10,000 or more employees in the United 
States on the date of the enactment of the 
Legal Workforce Act, beginning on the 
date that is 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of such Act. 
‘‘(ii) With respect to employers having 
500 or more employees in the United 
States, but less than 10,000 employees in 
the United States, on the date of the en-
actment of the Legal Workforce Act, be-
ginning on the date that is 12 months 
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after the date of the enactment of such 
Act. 
‘‘(iii) With respect to employers hav-
ing 20 or more employees in the United 
States, but less than 500 employees in the 
United States, on the date of the enact-
ment of the Legal Workforce Act, begin-
ning on the date that is 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of such Act. 
‘‘(iv) With respect to employers hav-
ing 1 or more employees in the United 
States, but less than 20 employees in the 
United States, on the date of the enact-
ment of the Legal Workforce Act, begin-
ning on the date that is 24 months after 
the date of the enactment of such Act. 
‘‘(B) AGRICULTURAL
LABOR
OR
SERV-
ICES.—With respect to an employee performing 
agricultural labor or services, or an employee 
recruited or referred by a farm labor contractor 
(as defined in section 3 of the Migrant and Sea-
sonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 
U.S.C. 1801)), subparagraph (A) shall not 
apply with respect to the reverification of the 
employee until the date that is 30 months after 
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the date of the enactment of the Legal Work-
force Act. For purposes of the preceding sen-
tence, the term ‘agricultural labor or services’ 
has the meaning given such term by the Sec-
retary of Agriculture in regulations and in-
cludes agricultural labor as defined in section 
3121(g) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
agriculture as defined in section 3(f) of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
203(f)), the handling, planting, drying, packing, 
packaging, processing, freezing, or grading 
prior to delivery for storage of any agricultural 
or horticultural commodity in its unmanufac-
tured state, all activities required for the prepa-
ration, processing, or manufacturing of a prod-
uct of agriculture (as such term is defined in 
such section 3(f)) for further distribution, and 
activities similar to all the foregoing as they re-
late to fish or shellfish facilities. An employee 
described in this subparagraph shall not be 
counted for purposes of subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(C) 
REVERIFICATION.—Paragraph 
(1)(C)(ii) shall apply to reverifications pursuant 
to this paragraph on the same basis as it ap-
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plies to verifications pursuant to paragraph (1), 
except that employers shall— 
‘‘(i) use a form designated or estab-
lished by the Secretary by regulation for 
purposes of this paragraph; and 
‘‘(ii) retain a paper, microfiche, micro-
film, or electronic version of the form and 
make it available for inspection by officers 
of the Department of Homeland Security, 
the Department of Justice, or the Depart-
ment of Labor during the period beginning 
on the date the reverification commences 
and ending on the date that is the later of 
3 years after the date of such reverification 
or 1 year after the date the individual’s 
employment is terminated. 
‘‘(3) PREVIOUSLY HIRED INDIVIDUALS.— 
‘‘(A) ON A MANDATORY BASIS FOR CER-
TAIN EMPLOYEES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the 
date that is 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of the Legal Workforce Act, an 
employer shall make an inquiry, as pro-
vided 
in 
subsection 
(d), 
using 
the 
verification system to seek verification of 
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the identity and employment eligibility of 
any individual described in clause (ii) em-
ployed by the employer whose employment 
eligibility has not been verified under the 
E-Verify Program described in section 
403(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform 
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 
(8 U.S.C. 1324a note). 
‘‘(ii) INDIVIDUALS
DESCRIBED.—An 
individual described in this clause is any of 
the following: 
‘‘(I) An employee of any unit of 
a Federal, State, or local government. 
‘‘(II) An employee who requires a 
Federal security clearance working in 
a Federal, State or local government 
building, a military base, a nuclear 
energy site, a weapons site, or an air-
port or other facility that requires 
workers to carry a Transportation 
Worker 
Identification 
Credential 
(TWIC). 
‘‘(III) An employee assigned to 
perform work in the United States 
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under a Federal contract, except that 
this subclause— 
‘‘(aa) is not applicable to in-
dividuals who have a clearance 
under Homeland Security Presi-
dential Directive 12 (HSPD 12 
clearance), are administrative or 
overhead personnel, or are work-
ing solely on contracts that pro-
vide Commercial Off The Shelf 
goods or services as set forth by 
the Federal Acquisition Regu-
latory Council, unless they are 
subject to verification under sub-
clause (II); and 
‘‘(bb) only applies to con-
tracts over the simple acquisition 
threshold as defined in section 
2.101 of title 48, Code of Federal 
Regulations. 
‘‘(B) ON A MANDATORY BASIS FOR MUL-
TIPLE USERS OF SAME SOCIAL SECURITY AC-
COUNT NUMBER.—In the case of an employer 
who is required by this subsection to use the 
verification system described in subsection (d), 
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or has elected voluntarily to use such system, 
the employer shall make inquiries to the system 
in accordance with the following: 
‘‘(i) The Commissioner of Social Secu-
rity shall notify annually employees (at the 
employee address listed on the Wage and 
Tax Statement) who submit a social secu-
rity account number to which more than 
one employer reports income and for which 
there is a pattern of unusual multiple use. 
The notification letter shall identify the 
number of employers to which income is 
being reported as well as sufficient infor-
mation notifying the employee of the proc-
ess to contact the Social Security Adminis-
tration Fraud Hotline if the employee be-
lieves the employee’s identity may have 
been stolen. The notice shall not share in-
formation protected as private, in order to 
avoid any recipient of the notice from 
being in the position to further commit or 
begin committing identity theft. 
‘‘(ii) If the person to whom the social 
security account number was issued by the 
Social Security Administration has been 
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identified and confirmed by the Commis-
sioner, and indicates that the social secu-
rity account number was used without 
their knowledge, the Secretary and the 
Commissioner shall lock the social security 
account number for employment eligibility 
verification purposes and shall notify the 
employers of the individuals who wrong-
fully submitted the social security account 
number that the employee may not be 
work eligible. 
‘‘(iii) Each employer receiving such 
notification of an incorrect social security 
account number under clause (ii) shall use 
the verification system described in sub-
section (d) to check the work eligibility sta-
tus of the applicable employee within 10 
business days of receipt of the notification. 
‘‘(C) ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS.—Subject to 
paragraph (2), and subparagraphs (A) through 
(C) of this paragraph, beginning on the date 
that is 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of the Legal Workforce Act, an employer may 
make an inquiry, as provided in subsection (d), 
using the verification system to seek verification 
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of the identity and employment eligibility of any 
individual employed by the employer. If an em-
ployer chooses voluntarily to seek verification of 
any individual employed by the employer, the 
employer shall seek verification of all individ-
uals employed at the same geographic location 
or, at the option of the employer, all individuals 
employed within the same job category, as the 
employee with respect to whom the employer 
seeks voluntarily to use the verification system. 
An employer’s decision about whether or not 
voluntarily to seek verification of its current 
workforce under this subparagraph may not be 
considered by any government agency in any 
proceeding, investigation, or review provided for 
in this Act. 
‘‘(D) 
VERIFICATION.—Paragraph 
(1)(C)(ii) shall apply to verifications pursuant 
to this paragraph on the same basis as it ap-
plies to verifications pursuant to paragraph (1), 
except that employers shall— 
‘‘(i) use a form designated or estab-
lished by the Secretary by regulation for 
purposes of this paragraph; and 
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‘‘(ii) retain a paper, microfiche, micro-
film, or electronic version of the form and 
make it available for inspection by officers 
of the Department of Homeland Security, 
the Department of Justice, or the Depart-
ment of Labor during the period beginning 
on the date the verification commences and 
ending on the date that is the later of 3 
years after the date of such verification or 
1 year after the date the individual’s em-
ployment is terminated. 
‘‘(4) EARLY COMPLIANCE.— 
‘‘(A) FORMER E-VERIFY REQUIRED USERS, 
INCLUDING FEDERAL CONTRACTORS.—Notwith-
standing the deadlines in paragraphs (1) and 
(2), beginning on the date of the enactment of 
the Legal Workforce Act, the Secretary is au-
thorized to commence requiring employers re-
quired to participate in the E-Verify Program 
described in section 403(a) of the Illegal Immi-
gration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility 
Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a note), including 
employers required to participate in such pro-
gram by reason of Federal acquisition laws 
(and regulations promulgated under those laws, 
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including the Federal Acquisition Regulation), 
to commence compliance with the requirements 
of this subsection (and any additional require-
ments of such Federal acquisition laws and reg-
ulation) in lieu of any requirement to partici-
pate in the E-Verify Program. 
‘‘(B) 
FORMER
E-VERIFY
VOLUNTARY 
USERS AND OTHERS DESIRING EARLY COMPLI-
ANCE.—Notwithstanding the deadlines in para-
graphs (1) and (2), beginning on the date of 
the enactment of the Legal Workforce Act, the 
Secretary shall provide for the voluntary com-
pliance with the requirements of this subsection 
by employers voluntarily electing to participate 
in the E-Verify Program described in section 
403(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and 
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 
1324a note) before such date, as well as by 
other employers seeking voluntary early compli-
ance. 
‘‘(5) 
COPYING
OF
DOCUMENTATION
PER-
MITTED.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the person or entity may copy a document pre-
sented by an individual pursuant to this subsection 
and may retain the copy, but only (except as other-
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wise permitted under law) for the purpose of com-
plying with the requirements of this subsection. 
‘‘(6) LIMITATION ON USE OF FORMS.—A form 
designated or established by the Secretary of Home-
land Security under this subsection and any infor-
mation contained in or appended to such form, may 
not be used for purposes other than for enforcement 
of this Act and any other provision of Federal crimi-
nal law. 
‘‘(7) GOOD FAITH COMPLIANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 
provided in this subsection, a person or entity 
is considered to have complied with a require-
ment of this subsection notwithstanding a tech-
nical or procedural failure to meet such require-
ment if there was a good faith attempt to com-
ply with the requirement. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION IF FAILURE TO CORRECT 
AFTER
NOTICE.—Subparagraph (A) shall not 
apply if— 
‘‘(i) the failure is not de minimus; 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity has explained to the person or entity 
the basis for the failure and why it is not 
de minimus; 
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‘‘(iii) the person or entity has been 
provided a period of not less than 30 cal-
endar days (beginning after the date of the 
explanation) within which to correct the 
failure; and 
‘‘(iv) the person or entity has not cor-
rected the failure voluntarily within such 
period. 
‘‘(C) EXCEPTION FOR PATTERN OR PRAC-
TICE VIOLATORS.—Subparagraph (A) shall not 
apply to a person or entity that has or is engag-
ing in a pattern or practice of violations of sub-
section (a)(1)(A) or (a)(2). 
‘‘(8) SINGLE EXTENSION OF DEADLINES UPON 
CERTIFICATION.—In a case in which the Secretary 
of Homeland Security has certified to the Congress 
that the employment eligibility verification system 
required under subsection (d) will not be fully oper-
ational by the date that is 6 months after the date 
of the enactment of the Legal Workforce Act, each 
deadline established under this section for an em-
ployer to make an inquiry using such system shall 
be extended by 6 months. No other extension of such 
a deadline shall be made except as authorized under 
paragraph (1)(D)(iv).’’. 
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(b) DATE OF HIRE.—Section 274A(h) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(h)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) DEFINITION OF DATE OF HIRE.—As used 
in this section, the term ‘date of hire’ means the 
date of actual commencement of employment for 
wages or other remuneration, unless otherwise speci-
fied.’’. 
SEC. 3. EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM. 
Section 274A(d) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(d)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION SYS-
TEM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Patterned on the employ-
ment eligibility confirmation system established 
under section 404 of the Illegal Immigration Reform 
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 
1324a note), the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall establish and administer a verification system 
through which the Secretary (or a designee of the 
Secretary, which may be a nongovernmental enti-
ty)— 
‘‘(A) responds to inquiries made by per-
sons at any time through a toll-free telephone 
line and other toll-free electronic media con-
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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, 
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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-
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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). 
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‘‘(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) 
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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 
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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. 
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‘‘(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),’’. 
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(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-
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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 
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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 
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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-
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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-
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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 
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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.’’. 
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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)— 
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(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 
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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 
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civil penalty under paragraph (4)(A) with respect to 
a violation of subsection (a)(1)(A) or (a)(2) for hir-
ing or continuation of employment or recruitment or 
referral by person or entity and in the case of impo-
sition of a civil penalty under paragraph (5) for a 
violation of subsection (a)(1)(B) for hiring or re-
cruitment or referral by a person or entity, the pen-
alty otherwise imposed may be waived or reduced if 
the violator establishes that the violator acted in 
good faith. 
‘‘(11) MITIGATION ELEMENT.—For purposes of 
paragraph (4), the size of the business shall be 
taken into account when assessing the level of civil 
money penalty. 
‘‘(12) AUTHORITY TO DEBAR EMPLOYERS FOR 
CERTAIN VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a person or entity 
is determined by the Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity to be a repeat violator of paragraph 
(1)(A) or (2) of subsection (a), or is convicted 
of a crime under this section, such person or 
entity may be considered for debarment from 
the receipt of Federal contracts, grants, or co-
operative agreements in accordance with the de-
barment standards and pursuant to the debar-
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ment procedures set forth in the Federal Acqui-
sition Regulation. 
‘‘(B) DOES NOT HAVE CONTRACT, GRANT, 
AGREEMENT.—If the Secretary of Homeland 
Security or the Attorney General wishes to have 
a person or entity considered for debarment in 
accordance with this paragraph, and such an 
person or entity does not hold a Federal con-
tract, grant or cooperative agreement, the Sec-
retary or Attorney General shall refer the mat-
ter to the Administrator of General Services to 
determine whether to list the person or entity 
on the List of Parties Excluded from Federal 
Procurement, and if so, for what duration and 
under what scope. 
‘‘(C) HAS
CONTRACT, 
GRANT, 
AGREE-
MENT.—If the Secretary of Homeland Security 
or the Attorney General wishes to have a per-
son or entity considered for debarment in ac-
cordance with this paragraph, and such person 
or entity holds a Federal contract, grant or co-
operative agreement, the Secretary or Attorney 
General shall advise all agencies or departments 
holding a contract, grant, or cooperative agree-
ment with the person or entity of the Govern-
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