LINCOLN – The chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee now says he will not try to revive Gov. Dave Heineman’s bill targeting illegal immigration – unless the governor agrees to retain a law that allows undocumented immigrants to attend college at resident tuition rates.
“I am not going to waste the committee’s time,” State Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha said Friday.
“It’s not the kind of policy I can support. We provide educational opportunity to these children through high school, and they’re paying tuition (to the colleges).
“If they can find a way to stay in the state, they could be productive citizens of Nebraska. It’s worth the investment.”
The resident tuition bill was passed over Heineman’s veto in 2005.
Heineman spokeswoman Jen Rae Hein said the governor will not drop the in-state tuition repeal that is part of Legislative Bill 963.
During a press conference Friday with Attorney General Jon Bruning, Heineman angrily denounced the Judiciary Committee for its 5-1 vote Thursday to kill LB 963.
“This battle is not over yet,” Heineman said. “Nebraskans are going to be very upset and very angry when they learn what the committee did. Nebraskans do not want their hard-earned tax dollars to pay for benefits for illegal immigrants.”

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