Immigration (Work Authorization)

HB 571, titled "Immigrant Amendments," primarily targets immigration enforcement within Utah's state systems. It prohibits Utah financial institutions from accepting certain forms of identification and requires money transmitters to verify senders' immigration status before international transfers. The bill also mandates employers to verify work eligibility, imposes penalties for hiring undocumented workers (including personal liability for medical costs), and restricts undocumented immigrants from qualifying for first-time homebuyer assistance. Additionally, it requires county jails to share prisoner immigration status with federal agencies upon request and prevents local governments from blocking cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

HB 386 ends several existing Utah immigration programs, including the Guest Worker Program and the Utah Pilot Sponsored Resident Immigrant Program. It also removes a planned restriction on employer verification systems and eliminates a related identity theft victim account. These changes apply to employers and workers who would have been affected by the repealed programs. The bill makes no new funding commitments and focuses solely on repealing specific provisions without creating new policies.

HB 294 requires private employers with 50 or more employees to verify new hires' federal work authorization using a designated system (like E-Verify) starting July 1, 2027. It directly affects larger private employers by mandating this verification process for all new hires, with an exception for H-2A and H-2B visa holders. The bill also specifies criminal penalties for using fraudulent or stolen identification to obtain employment, referencing Utah’s fraud and identity theft laws. This amendment updates an existing law (Utah Code 13-47-201) to lower the employee threshold from 150 to 50 and adjusts the effective date. The bill does not appropriate new funds or create new administrative requirements beyond the verification mandate.