Wisconsin Senate Considers Bill to Penalize Employers for Employing Unauthorized Workers

Wisconsin employers that hire employees not legally authorized to work in the United States may risk tough new penalties should Senate Bill 137 become law. The bill, in its current form, does not distinguish between employment of an unauthorized person that is intentional or unintentional. Another bill under consideration, Senate Bill 151, on the other hand, would allow employers to pay their employees for making a customer or client referral. Currently, an employee who receives such payment may be prosecuted under Wisconsin’s gambling statute for a Class B misdemeanor. We discuss the bills below.