A Colorado state Senate committee has killed a bill that would have required all non-governmental employers to verify the immigration status of job applicants.

The measure died on a party-line vote in the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee Feb. 9.

The bill would have required companies to check a federal registry and reject applicants who could not verify their immigration status.

Republican state Sen. Dave Schultheis of Colorado Springs says the tight economy makes it imperative to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Opponents say the federal registry is incomplete and the state shouldn't require employers to use it until the federal government certifies that it works.