Nashville Business Journal
by Brian Reisinger, Staff Reporter
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 2:48pm CST

The state of Tennessee has released guidelines related to immigration reform that was a hot topic for the business community last year.

The Tennessee Lawful Employment Act is now in effect, requiring employers to follow new guidelines with all employees they hire after Jan. 1 of this year. Debate over immigration reform — which initially would have gone much further — was a major issue for businesses concerned about hurting economic development and conservative Republicans looking to curb illegal immigration.

Excerpts from the state’s announcement:

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis today announced new requirements of all employers in Tennessee to demonstrate that they are hiring and maintaining a legal workforce.

“This online verification process is designed to be convenient for employers and only takes a few minutes to complete. The department can provide assistance to employers who don’t have Internet access,” said Commissioner Davis.

Signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam on June 7, 2011, the Tennessee Lawful Employment Act requires verifying the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees through the online E-Verify program, or requesting all newly hired employees to provide one of the following identity and employment authorization documents as required:

A valid Tennessee driver’s license or photo identification

A valid driver’s license or photo identification from another state where the license requirements are at least as strict as those in Tennessee

A birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory

A U.S. government issued certified birth certificate

A valid, unexpired U.S. passport

A U.S. certificate of birth abroad

A report of birth abroad or a citizen of the U.S.

A certificate of citizenship

A certificate of naturalization

A U.S. citizen identification card

A lawful permanent resident card

The law also requires employers to obtain and maintain a copy of one of the above listed identity/employment authorization documents for all non-employees as well. A “non-employee” is defined as any individual, other than an employee, paid directly by the employer in exchange for the individual’s labor or services.

Brian Reisinger covers government, banking/finance, civic affairs, professional services and nonprofits.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville...gislation.html