Prohibiting the employment of unauthorized employees; requiring hotel and lodging industry employers to verify the Social Security numbers of employees; imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.
HB905 would create the Hotel and Lodging Industry Employee Verification Act, a new state law focused on hotels and other lodging businesses with at least 150 guest rooms. The bill would prohibit employers in that industry from knowingly employing unauthorized workers and would require them to verify each new hire’s work authorization through the federal E-Verify system. Employers would also have to keep verification records, and staffing agencies supplying workers to the lodging industry would be covered for those placements.
The bill establishes a complaint-driven enforcement process administered by the Department of Labor and Industry. The department would be required to investigate qualifying complaints, inspect records, and verify work authorization with the federal government. If a violation is found, the first offense generally results in a warning letter, while later violations are referred to the Attorney General for court action. Courts could order termination of unauthorized employees, probationary reporting requirements, and suspension or revocation of business licenses held by the employer, with stronger penalties for repeat violations. The bill also adds retaliation protections for employees who report violations and requires employers to give new hires notice about child labor limits and federal rules on hiring unauthorized workers.
HB905 would add a new layer of state-level immigration and employment verification enforcement targeted specifically at the hotel and lodging industry. It would expand the Department of Labor and Industry’s responsibilities, create a formal complaint and investigation process, and authorize coordination with the federal government to determine work authorization status. The bill would also affect licensing agencies by requiring suspension of business licenses in certain cases, and it would impose new compliance, recordkeeping, and notice obligations on covered employers and staffing agencies. In practice, the measure would primarily affect large hotels, motels, inns, guesthouses, hostels, and similar lodging businesses operating in Pennsylvania.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or roll-call sentiment in the available materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to reflect a strong enforcement-oriented approach toward unauthorized employment in the lodging sector, with significant penalties and administrative oversight. The inclusion of good-faith E-Verify defenses and retaliation protections suggests an attempt to balance enforcement with employer compliance and worker reporting rights.
The main points of contention are likely to be the bill’s immigration-enforcement focus, the use of E-Verify as a mandatory hiring tool, and the potential for license suspension or revocation as a penalty. Employers in the hotel and lodging industry may object to the administrative burden, the risk of penalties based on complaints, and the broad consequences for business licenses. Labor and worker advocates may focus on the complaint process, protections against retaliation, and the bill’s prohibition on investigations based solely on race, color, or national origin. The bill also raises possible concerns about federal preemption, due process in determining work authorization, and the impact on staffing agencies and subcontractors.