Lawmaker seeks contractor employee verification

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), a staunch backer of legislation to thwart illegal immigration, has introduced a bill that would require federal contractors to use a Social Security Administration program to verify that their employees have a legal right to work in the United States.

The bill, H.R. 2508, would compel federal contractors to verify their employees have a legal right to work in the United States by using the Basic Pilot Program. The program is an SSA verification system that enables employers to confirm the eligibility of new hires by checking the personal information they provide against federal databases.

Gallegly contends that federal agencies are already required to use the Basic Pilot Program, but no similar requirements exist for federal contractors. "As a result, illegal immigrants have been caught working for contractors at military bases around the country. My contractors' bill would hold federal contractors to the same standard as federal agencies," he said in a statement announcing the bill.

Illegal immigrants also have been caught working on the border fence designed to keep illegal immigrants out of the United States and on federal jobs rebuilding New Orleans, the statement said.