Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, local governments, local education agencies (LEAs) and other agencies of the state may no longer use a third-party vendor in place of the federal E-Verify program for employment verification.
Public Chapter 772, which took effect July 1, 2026, requires these employers to use E-Verify, an electronic verification system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The law allowed employers already using a third-party vendor for I-9 verification to continue using that vendor through Dec. 31, 2026. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, those employers must use E-Verify.
The law also requires employers to maintain employee work authorization documentation throughout the employee’s entire employment.
Noncompliance
The law provides that the attorney general may investigate reports of noncompliance. If the attorney general finds that a local government has failed to comply with the law, the attorney general may enforce compliance by withholding all state funds provided by grant, contract or statute, including state-shared taxes.
If a local education agency fails to comply with the law, the attorney general will take the same action against the local government that approves the LEA’s budget.
E-Verify Enrollment Process
Local governments and local education agencies that have not yet enrolled in E-Verify may visit the E-Verify website for step-by-step enrollment instructions. The site also provides an enrollment checklist, information on system requirements, enrollment webinars and other employer resources.
For additional information about E-Verify compliance, please contact your CTAS County Government Consultant.
For additional background on Public Chapter 772 and the E-Verify requirements that took effect July 1, 2026, see CTAS’ original June 2026 article, “New Law Requires All Local Governments to Use E-Verify”.