HARRISBURG -- Powerful opponents remain to two bills that would stop Pennsylvania construction firms from hiring undocumented, illegal immigrants, but the measures easily sailed through the state House Tuesday.

House Bill 1502, which bars contractors and subcontractors who hire illegal immigrants from bidding on state construction contracts, was approved 188 to 6. A few minutes later, House Bill 1503, which would take away state licenses and certifications from private contractors using such hiring practices, passed 188 to 7.

"These bills target contractors who cheat, who use a cheap, illegal work force for profit and push hard-working Pennsylvanians onto the unemployment rolls," said Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, the main sponsor.

The bills also afford protection to whistleblowers, employees who report construction sites where illegal workers are employed. Mr. Galloway added that 14 states have already enacted such laws.

House Democrats and Republicans don't often coalesce around an issue in such large numbers, but they did this time. One of the most vocal supporters was conser vative GOP Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry. In a very unusual move, he joined Monday with a major labor union leader, Frank Sirianni of the state Building and Construction Trades Council, to support the measures.

Illegal immigrants "take away the jobs of unemployed Pennsylvania construction workers" and use state-funded health care benefits, unemployment funds and public schools, which they pay no taxes to support, Mr. Metcalfe said.

Mr. Galloway's bills would require contractors to use a federal system for identification verification called E-Verify, which compiles online millions of Social Security numbers. Some companies now voluntarily use the system, he added.

If a worker has a 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 didn't have a legal Social Security number or didn't have papers to prove he was in the U.S. legally, he would be fired.

Supporters of the bills cite figures from a group called the Center for Immigration Studies, which last year estimated there were 18,000 to 35,000 illegal construction workers in Pennsylvania. That's a subset of the estimated 175,000 illegal immigrants in the state.

Some legislators questioned if the bills would be constitutional and enforceable, if they are agreed to by the Senate. Mr. Galloway said such laws in all the other states have withstood court challenges. He said that federal law prevents states from imposing monetary sanctions against construction firms that hire illegal immigrants, but the state does have authority to bar them from state projects and remove their licenses.

However, a strong coalition has formed to fight the bills in the Senate, including an unusual pairing of the liberal American Civil Liberties Union and some Chamber of Commerce groups, which are conservative, business-oriented organizations.

The ACLU contends that a study has shown that E-Verify isn't accurate, often clearing workers who don't have valid numbers.

Andy Hoover, legislative director for the ACLU's state chapter, said the E-Verify system has put 445 million Social Security records on the Internet, "available to any skillful hacker. This should send a chill down the spine of anyone with a Social Security number."

Since Republicans control the Senate and often side with business interests, the future of the two bills is uncertain.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.