Governor Nathan Deal says he wants to do more research on a program employers can use to verify if their workers are legal. Conservative lawmakers have to weigh whether forcing employers to check work status hurts the state’s economy.

The system is called e-verify and is managed by the Department of Homeland Security. Some republican lawmakers want to require all employers in the state to use it to ensure they hire a legal workforce. But critics say e-verify is an extra burden on businesses and Georgia wants to be known as a place friendly to business. Governor Nathan Deal isn’t yet sold on requiring e-verify.

“I'm just hearing concerns expressed lately about the complexity of the use of the system by those who apparently have tried to use it feel like it is not what it has been proposed to be,” Deal says. “I think it deserves to have those concerns investigated and I have not done that up to this point.”

Some Georgia farmers oppose the implementation. They fear the loss of a much needed workforce and that, they say could devastate Georgia Agriculture.

Tags: Georgia, lawmakers, Atlanta, Department of Homeland Security, employment, illegal immigrant workers, Governor Nathan Deal, E-verify