THE BILL ITSELF
SB 1278
Employment Eligibility
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.
10
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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.