HARRISBURG -- Unusual political coalitions have formed on both sides of legislation aimed at stopping Pennsylvania construction firms from hiring illegal, undocumented immigrants.

The measures, introduced by Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, would penalize construction companies that hire foreign workers who enter the U.S. illegally and work for lower pay and no benefits. The bills apply to both state-funded and privately funded projects.

In an unusual pairing, conservative Republican Daryl Metcalfe stood side-by-side with Frank Sirianni of the state Building and Construction Trades Council as part of the group supporting House Bills 1502 and 1503.

"These bills are important because they are about protecting Pennsylvania jobs," Mr. Galloway said at a news conference.

Such undocumented workers who come here from other countries, Mr. Metcalfe said, "take away the jobs of unemployed Pennsylvania construction workers," as well as often using state-funded health care benefits, unemployment benefits and public schools, which they pay no taxes to support.

But opposing the bills are groups that also are usually at odds, such as the liberal American Civil Liberties Union and some Chamber of Commerce groups, which are conservative, business-oriented organizations.

Mr. Galloway said his bills should come up for a vote in the House this week. He hopes they will be approved by a Democratic-Republican coalition and then go to the Senate.

He said a group called the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that in April 2009, there were 18,000 to 35,000 illegal construction workers in Pennsylvania. Mr. Metcalfe said there are estimated to be more than 100,000 illegal aliens in the state, using taxpayer-funded benefits.

Mr. Galloway's bills would require employers to use a federal, online identification verification system that is based on Social Security numbers, called E-Verify. He said 14 states now have such a law, which has withstood legal challenges. Some companies now voluntarily use the system, he added.

If a worker has a legal Social Security number that had been properly and legally issued, the employer would check the online database and the person could stay on the construction job. But if the worker couldn't prove he had entered the U.S. legally, or didn't have a legal Social Security number, he would not be allowed to work.

Failure to comply would mean a company couldn't enter into new state-funded or private construction contracts.

But critics, including the ACLU, said a study has shown that E-Verify isn't too accurate.

"It wrongly clears illegal workers about 54 percent of the time, according to Westat, a research company that evaluated the system for the Homeland Security Department," according to a Fox News report handed out by Andy Hoover, ACLU legislative director for Pennsylvania. Mr. Galloway disputed the study, saying E-Verify if much more accurate that critics claim and is getting better daily.

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