DENVER -- Skipping the traditional opening speeches, Colorado lawmakers plunged directly into proposals for cracking down on illegal immigration Thursday as they opened a special session.

Nearly 50 bills have been introduced for a session expected to last only a week, making some lawmakers worry about rushing. "I'm a little bit concerned about the scholarship, doing this in such a short time," said Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock.

The session opened amid a heated election-year debate over what should be done about illegal immigration and who should do it. GOP Gov. Bill Owens called lawmakers back after the state Supreme Court disqualified a proposed ballot issue that would have cut off most state services to illegal immigrants.

Legislative leaders started work almost immediately on proposals to restrict public benefits for illegal immigrants and deny them business permits and to make involuntary servitude a felony.

Lawmakers said almost everything will be on the table, including proposals to restrict school bus service and school lunches for illegal immigrants, to impose a statewide identification program and to protect health and safety services such as garbage collection and jail for felons.

House Democrats asked a federal Homeland Security official to testify on attempts to set up a national database to track illegal immigrants. Lawmakers want to know whether the state should set up its own.

Owens also wants them to pass legislation setting a deadline for the Supreme Court to rule after reviewing ballot initiatives. Owens accused justices of deliberately delaying their decision on the immigration proposal until it was too late for backers to start over.

Court administrators released statistics Thursday showing that since 2004, the high court has taken between eight and 60 days to rule on ballot proposals after all briefs were filed, depending on whether written opinions were required and whether dissenting justices issued their own opinions.

The court took 60 days to issue majority and dissenting opinions on the immigration ballot proposal. The court ruled on June 12 that the proposal could not be on the November ballot because it addressed two subjects and the state constitution allows only one.

One bill on the table, House Bill 1, passed by the committee Thursday 6-1. The bill would require each state agency to verify lawful presence of each person 18 and older in the United States who applies for public benefits.

Senate Bill 1 would require all of the people applying for public benefits to swear they are in the U.S. legally. Some worry this law will target the wrong people.

"There are people who are permanent residents who are going to execute this affidavit. They have to say, 'I am a qualified alien,' and they have no clue if they are a qualified alien," said immigration lawyer Donna Lipinisky.

Lipinisky said lawful residents could end up making mistakes on their affidavit and could get deported.

Democrats said they hope to get two things from the session. They want a way to enforce federal laws and illegal immigration and a way to hold employers accountable for hiring illegal immigrants.

There is no deadline for the special session. The committee plans to work through the weekend and may end up working through next week.

Also on the table is a proposal to raise the minimum age for common-law marriage after a state court ruled that girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14 can marry.