Tennessee

Effective January 1, 2008, HB 729 mandates that businesses must not knowingly or recklessly hire an undocumented worker. If the employer requested and documented an I-9 form in which the verification process proved to be invalid, this law states that the employer may be "recklessly" employing an illegal alien. An employer found in violation of "knowingly" employing an illegal immigrant is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000. A violation of "recklessly" employing an illegal immigrant is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500.

Safe harbor under this law is available to companies that use E-Verify (formerly Basic Pilot) to verify the work status of new hires.