S. 1123 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 25, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires colleges to verify workers are authorized
This bill would tie federal money for colleges to employment verification. Colleges that receive federal student aid funds would have to use the E-Verify system, which checks whether job applicants are legally authorized to work in the U.S. Colleges also couldn't knowingly hire or keep employees who aren't authorized to work, or they'd lose access to federal student aid funding. The Department of Homeland Security would monitor colleges every six months to make sure they're following these rules.
How it affects you
If you work at a college that participates in federal student aid programs, you might go through E-Verify screening as part of hiring. If you're a student at a college receiving federal funds, your school would need to follow these employment rules to keep that funding. For colleges themselves, this means new compliance requirements and monitoring by federal agencies.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 25, 2025)
College Employment Accountability Act
This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving certain federal funds or participating in federal student aid programs if the IHE does not take certain actions to prohibit the employment at the IHE of non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who do not have work authorization.
Specifically, the bill prohibits an IHE from receiving federal funds for student assistance or institutional aid if the IHE employs unauthorized individuals in violation of a specified section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). (The section prohibits an employer from knowingly hiring, recruiting or referring for a fee, or continuing to employ a non-U.S. national who lacks work authorization.)
Additionally, the bill requires an IHE that participates in federal student aid programs to participate in the E-Verify system. (This system allows employers and recruiters to verify an individual's eligibility for employment. The system is largely voluntary; however, federal employers, including federal contractors, must use E-Verify. Some IHEs currently participate in the system.)
The bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to, every six months, monitor whether an IHE is participating in the E-Verify system. Further, DHS must notify the Department of Education within 10 days of finding that an IHE (1) employs unauthorized individuals in violation of the INA, or (2) is not participating in the E-Verify system.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1123
A BILL
College Employment Accountability Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) · Introduced Mar 25, 2025 · Education · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 25, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”