(AP) -- COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Lawmakers are considering a bill requiring South Carolina's unemployment agency to verify if laid off workers are in the country legally.

The measure is up for debate Tuesday in a House labor subcommittee. State law already bars illegal workers from drawing unemployment checks. A spokeswoman for the Department of Employment and Workforce says the agency has no information on that being a problem.

The bill would require the agency to screen applicants using the federal program known as E-Verify.

The state already requires businesses to check their employees' status either with E-Verify or by hiring only workers with a valid driver's license.

Freshman Republican Rep. Tom Corbin of Travelers Rest says the driver's license provision allows a loophole.

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