Hot on the heels of Alabama's passage of the Beason-Hammon Alabama Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, part of which requires state employers to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm the work status of newly hired employees, North Carolina looks to be following suit.

Passed on June 18, the law—HB 36—requires private employers with more than 25 employees, as well as all counties and cities, to use the E-Verify program in order to verify the work authorization of new hires. The bill currently rests on Governor Bev Purdue's desk awaiting her imprimatur.

If signed into law, the bill would mandate that all counties and cities register for and participate in the Internet-based system by Oct. 1, 2011. The compliance dates are spread out for other employers, as private sector employers with 500 or more employees must participate by Oct. 1, 2012, employers with 100 or more employees by Jan. 1, 2013, and employers with 25 or more employees by July 1, 2013.