Earlier this week, we reported that the Supreme Court upheld an Arizona law that, among other things, would make E-Verify a requirement. Some experts predicted that other states would pass similar, but not identical immigration laws, making legal compliance even more difficult for multi-state employers.

It looks as though that prediction may be becoming true. The Alabama Legislature has passed its own immigration legislation that would require businesses to run employees through E-Verify, according to an Associated Press (AP) report in USA Today.  It would also allow police offers to detain individuals during traffic stops if they have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is an illegal immigrant. And businesses that are cited twice for employing illegal immigrants could lose their business licenses.  The bill must be signed into law by the state's governor, but that is pretty much a given considering Gov. Robert Bentley has advocated immigration legislation.

Last month, AP reported that Georgia passed similar legislation which would phase in E-Verify until July 2013 when all employers with more than 10 employees would be required to participate. 

Even if you don't have any contractors in these states, the take-away is that more and more states are requiring E-Verify. It's important that you do know which states require it and make sure that the contractors you are employing are being run through the system, if required.

Debbie Fledderjohann is the President of Top Echelon Contracting, Inc.