Employment Eligibility

Labor

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Martin
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Commerce and Tourism
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does not provide details on annual certification requirements or consequences of non-compliance.

Employment Eligibility Verification

This bill requires all private employers to use the E-Verify system to check new employees' work eligibility starting from July 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

Requires all private employers to use E-Verify for checking new hires’ employment eligibility beginning on July 1, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

All private employers in Florida
New employees hired by these employers

Terms To Know

E-Verify system: A federal program that helps employers check if a new hire is eligible to work in the United States.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass all stages of review and died in the Commerce and Tourism committee.
It does not specify what happens if an employer fails to comply with this requirement.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Commerce and Tourism
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2026-01-12 Senate
• Referred to Commerce and Tourism; Appropriations; Rules
2026-01-06 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Employment Eligibility; Requiring that all private employers, rather than only those employing more than a specified number of employees, use the E-Verify system to verify a new employee’s employment eligibility beginning on a specified date, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1278

By
Senator Martin

33-00741-26 20261278__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to employment eligibility; amending s.
3 448.095, F.S.; requiring that all private employers,
4 rather than only those employing more than a specified
5 number of employees, use the E-Verify system to verify
6 a new employee’s employment eligibility beginning on a
7 specified date; conforming provisions to changes made
8 by the act; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
13 448.095, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 448.095 Employment eligibility.—
15 (2) EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION.—
16 (b)1. A public agency shall use the E-Verify system to
17 verify a new employee’s employment eligibility as required under
18 paragraph (a).
19 2. Beginning on July 1,
2026

2023
, a private employer
with

20
25 or more employees
shall use the E-Verify system to verify a
21 new employee’s employment eligibility as required under
22 paragraph (a).
23 3. Each employer
required to use the E-Verify system under

24
this paragraph
must certify on its first return each calendar
25 year to the tax service provider that it is in compliance with
26 this section when making contributions to or reimbursing the
27 state’s unemployment compensation or reemployment assistance
28 system.
An employer that voluntarily uses the E-Verify system

29
may also make such a certification on its first return each

30
calendar year in order to document such use.

31 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.