Michigan Senate Bill SB0444

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/25/25
• Refer: 6/25/25

Caption

Public employees and officers: state; state contractors; require to verify legal residency of employees. Creates new act.

Summary

Senate Bill 444 creates the “Public Contract and Employment Eligibility Verification Act” and requires state and local public employers, as well as contractors and subcontractors doing public work in Michigan, to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm that new employees are authorized to work in the United States. Public employers would have to register with E-Verify for their own new hires, and they could not award or continue certain public contracts unless the contractor and any relevant subcontractors also participate in E-Verify for their new hires. The bill also establishes a parallel verification process using Form I-9 and, for independent contractors, sworn affidavits stating that the worker is a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien lawfully present in the country. Those documents are treated as presumptive proof of lawful presence until E-Verify confirmation is completed. The bill adds penalties for false statements, including perjury charges, and creates civil fines for repeated violations. It further authorizes sanctions against noncompliant contractors, including a one-year prohibition on contracting with public bodies and mandatory termination of certain subcontracts involving unauthorized workers.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would impose new compliance duties on state agencies, local governments, and private firms seeking or performing public contracts in Michigan. It would effectively condition eligibility for many public service contracts on participation in E-Verify and would require rulemaking by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to implement the program. The bill would also create new enforcement mechanisms, including civil infractions, perjury exposure for false verification statements, and contract termination or debarment consequences for violations.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate or formal support/opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to reflect a policy preference for stricter employment eligibility verification in public contracting, which is typically associated with support from lawmakers focused on immigration enforcement and public-contract compliance. The absence of discussion records means the overall sentiment cannot be measured from committee testimony or floor debate.

Contention

The main points of contention likely center on whether requiring E-Verify for public employers and contractors is an effective and appropriate way to police work authorization, and whether the added administrative burden on governments and businesses is justified. Potential concerns also include the use of affidavits and I-9 forms as interim proof, the risk of erroneous verification or wrongful exclusion of workers, and the severity of sanctions such as contract termination and a one-year contracting ban. Supporters would likely emphasize compliance, deterrence, and protection of public contracting integrity, while opponents would likely focus on costs, implementation complexity, and possible impacts on lawful workers and contractors.