Immigrant vote sidetracked

LINCOLN — State lawmakers Friday headed off an emotional, election-year debate on whether to continue allowing in-state college tuition rates for illegal immigrants.

But Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, who supports repeal of the law, said he'll be looking for another opportunity later in the 2010 session.

On a 27-13 vote, legislators effectively killed an unrelated bill involving the Nebraska Schools Activities Association.

By killing that bill, it headed off a debate on another amendment pending on that bill -- to repeal the in-state tuition law.

Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery, the sponsor of the NSAA bill, said that he felt that some senators voted to kill that bill so they wouldn't have to take a vote on the more-controversial immigration-related issue.

"There are people who just don't want to talk about that," said Avery, who noted that it was an election year.

It was an odd debate Friday morning -- the words "in-state tuition" didn't come up once as senators spent about 45 minutes discussing whether to kill the NSAA bill.

"It was the elephant in the room," said Lautenbaugh, of the tuition issue.

Avery had sought changes in the NSAA because he said the private agency, which governs high school sports in Nebraska, make important decisions involving public school children, yet didn't have the transparency of public agencies.

The NSAA , in response to the introduction of Avery's bill, recently passed resolutions to comply with the state public meeting and records laws, which was the purpose of the bill.

Avery, though, said that a state law was needed because the NSAA's compliance would be only voluntary and dependent on rulings by its executive director.

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