Prohibit employing aliens not lawfully authorized to accept employment

Added a new affirmative defense allowing defendants to avoid penalties if they obtained verified work authorization using E-Verify.

Reduced the statutory penalty for a negligent violation from $500 to $200 per day per unauthorized alien.

Expanded the definition of 'License' to include additional authorizations like charters and memberships, and added a specific definition for 'E-Verify'.

Renumbered the bill from HB 536.1 to HB 536.2 and reorganized the text structure.

The statutory penalty for a negligent violation was increased from $200 to $500 per day for each unauthorized worker employed.

Added a specific right for individuals harmed by violations to sue for injunctive relief and damages, with the option to recover actual damages or statutory fines.

Added a requirement that licensing authorities must revoke or suspend licenses immediately upon notice without conducting a separate review or hearing.

Added a provision stating that fees paid for a license cannot be refunded if the license is revoked or suspended due to hiring unauthorized workers.

Reorganized the definitions section to clearly define 'License', 'Licensing authority', 'Peace officer', and 'Person' using existing state statutes.

Removed the specific definition of 'E-verify' and replaced it with a general reference to the electronic verification system, simplifying the text.

Added a specific definition for 'E-verify' as the electronic verification system operated by USCIS, clarifying its role in the law.

Added a new provision stating that an employer can avoid penalties if they can prove they used E-verify to verify the worker's authorization.

Reorganized the penalty structure to explicitly state that hiring one unauthorized alien counts as a single violation for the purpose of calculating fines.

Updated the bill header to reflect the new legislative session year (2025) and changed the drafter's name.

Reordered the definitions section to list 'E-verify' first, followed by 'License', 'Licensing authority', 'Peace officer', and 'Person'.

Bill identifier changed from LC 1604 to HB 536.1.

Sponsor list was updated to reflect the current bill authors.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the header and page footers.