A Georgia state senator who helped draft a law that cracks down on illegal immigrants has some advice for his Colorado colleagues: Temper political rhetoric with facts.

"Everyone is riding the coattails of talk radio, and that makes it hard to have a moderate and balanced view of things," said Sam Zamarripa, an Atlanta Democrat. "What I would tell them is that what's missing is an informed middle ground."

The statute enacted by the Georgia legislature and propped up as a model for Colorado lawmakers to follow in next week's special session is more symbolic than substantial, Zamarripa said.

He advised Colorado lawmakers to hold comprehensive hearings and to hammer out the exact costs and contributions associated with illegal immigrants before passing legislation.

Although Zamarripa helped refine Georgia's illegal-immigrant law, he didn't vote for the final measure that, among other things, requires employers to verify the legal status of workers. It also imposes a 6 percent tax on workers without valid Social Security or taxpayer identification numbers and requires the state to check the status of adults receiving benefits.

Zamarripa said he believes immigration should be handled by the federal government.

Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, said Zamarripa had "very good advice" that he hopes lawmakers will follow.

"If we're going to be serious policymakers, we need to understand the consequences and costs of each proposal," Romanoff said. "We've been asking the administration what benefits the state is providing to (illegal immigrants), but they said they need to do some additional research."

Because of the lack of information, Romanoff characterized the governor's timetable for a three- to five-day special session as "challenging."

This year, state legislatures across the county have introduced nearly 500 immigration- related bills, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. So far, 44 have become law.

"The hot topics this year are (human) trafficking and those bills related to employment," said Ann Morse, program director of the conference's Immigrant Policy Project.

The Colorado legislature earlier this year passed several immigration reform bills, including one that prohibits state agencies from entering into agreements with contractors who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

Idaho, Kansas, Washington, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma have also passed laws addressing various employment issues.

The reasons for the spike in attention given illegal immigration by states run the gamut.

Many elected officials, for instance, point to the federal government's failure to come up with a comprehensive immigration plan. Faced with constituents demanding action, state officials are often left searching for answers, symbolic or real.

That's made even more difficult as Republicans try to appear tough on illegal immigration and Democrats try not to appear soft on the issue.

"People are using the issue for excessive political gain," Zamarripa said. "We need real reform."

Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.