Alabama DHS must run an E-Verify employer agent service for small employers, and covered employers must prove E-Verify enrollment before getting certain state benefits.
(a)(1) The Alabama Department of Homeland Security shall establish and maintain an E-Verify employer agent service for any business entity or employer in this state with 25 or fewer employees to use the E-Verify program to verify an employee’s employment eligibility on behalf of the business entity or employer. The Alabama Department of Homeland Security shall establish an E-Verify employer agent account with the United States Department of Homeland Security, shall enroll a participating business entity or employer in the E-Verify program on its behalf, and shall conform to all federal statutes and regulations governing E-Verify employer agents. The Alabama Department of Homeland Security shall not charge a fee to a participating business entity or employer for this service. (2) The Alabama Department of Homeland Security E-Verify employer agent service shall be in place by November 30, 2011. The service shall accommodate a business entity or employer who wishes to communicate with the Alabama Department of Homeland Security by Internet, by electronic mail, by facsimile machine, by telephone, or in person, provided that such communication is consistent with federal statutes and regulations governing E-Verify employer agents. (b) On or after January 1, 2012, before receiving any contract, grant, or incentive by the state, any political subdivision thereof, or any state-funded entity, a business entity or employer shall provide proof to the state, political subdivision thereof, or state-funded entity that the business entity or employer is enrolled and is participating in the E-Verify program, either independently or through the Alabama Department of Homeland Security E-Verify employer agent service. (c) Every three months, the Alabama Department of Homeland Security shall request from the United States Department of Homeland Security a list of every business entity or employer in this state that is enrolled in the E-Verify program. On receipt of the list, the Alabama Department of Homeland Security shall make the list available on its website. (d) A business entity or employer that is enrolled in the E-Verify program and that verifies the employment eligibility of an employee in good faith pursuant to this section, and acts in conformity with all applicable federal statutes and regulations is immune from liability under Alabama law for any action by an employee for wrongful discharge or retaliation based on a notification from the E-Verify program that the employee is an unauthorized alien.