2026 - HB 700 - Misdemeanor for Employing Unauthorized Workers (E-Verify)

This is one of four E-Verify bills introduced in the 2026 legislative session. Other E-Verify bills include HB 704, HB 584, and SB 1247.

HB 700 would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly employ, recruit, or refer unauthorized workers. The bill applies to employers, their agents, recruiters who charge fees, and labor organization representatives.

Critically, this bill does NOT require all Idaho employers to enroll in E-Verify. If an employer uses E-Verify in good faith before hiring and receives employment authorization confirmation, they cannot be prosecuted under this law for that specific employee. The bill contains no business license penalties, no civil enforcement mechanism, and no citizen petition process. Prosecution would follow normal criminal procedures, requiring proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

The E-Verify system is heavily flawed and deemed unsuitable for verifying work authorization. This system creates a whole new level of intrusive government oversight of daily life—a bureaucratic “prove yourself to work” system that hurts ordinary people.