Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law a bill sponsored by state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, to require employers in the construction business to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure workers hired in Ohio are legally authorized to work in this country.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security operates the E-Verify website, which permits businesses to determine the eligibility of workers. It’s intended to stop companies from hiring those who violate immigration laws and / or enter the country illegally. All federal contractors must use E-Verify.

The law, signed Friday by DeWine, a Republican, would require all public works construction contractors, subcontractors and labor brokers for state agencies and local governments to use E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility as well as private-sector contractors.

The exceptions are for those building one-, two- and three-family residential houses and for agricultural purposes. That was a compromise, Fischer said, to move the bill forward.

“It’s a great step in the right direction,” Fischer said. “Our neighboring states have it. Ohio has become a magnet for illegal workers. A lot of the labor brokers who smuggle people in from across the southern border bring them to Ohio. It’s illegal labor and I’d argue it’s a form of human trafficking.”

Fischer and state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, introduced the bill April 29.

The House approved it 92-0 on June 11 with the Senate also unanimously supporting it, 33-0, on Nov. 19.

“This will help and protect Ohio workers,” Fischer said. “This will stop the undercutting of wages. We see it particularly in Columbus. It’s egregious.”

The bill passed the House in 2024 right before Fischer took office, but not in the Senate.

The bill empowers the state attorney general to investigate suspected violations, issue notices of violations and pursue enforcement through the courts if necessary.

Penalties include fines, disqualification from state contracts for up to two years and license suspension or revocation.

The fines range from $250 to $10,000 for each violation.

That was done, Fischer said, to punish violators based on how bad the offense is and to target those who repeatedly break the law.

If a contractor uses 10 illegal immigrants, that business could be fined up to $10,000 per person.

More than half the states in the country currently require E-Verify for certain public and private employers.

The law goes into effect March 19.