Trust, but E-Verify in Pa.

Pennsylvania lawmakers will meet Thursday for a progress report on a law requiring public works contractors to check the employment eligibility of their crew members.

Since last year, the law has required contractors and subcontractors to use the federal E-Verify system to check their employees’ immigration status and identity information.

A fiscal analysis at the time found enforcing the law would cost the state $1.3 million a year.

The proposal was narrowly tailored when it passed the Legislature with bipartisan support.

Reviewing how the law has been implemented for the past year should be fairly harmonious, said state Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia.

Sponsoring state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County, said he’d like to expand the E-Verify requirement “to every employer in the state.”

An expansion would ensure that “Americans are doing American jobs,” he said.