a) Instate Tuition: Yes, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB239, introduced by Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln, in April 2006.

• Student must have lived with a parent, guardian, or conservator while attending a public or private high school in Nebraska, and
• Student must graduate from a Nebraska public or private high school or receive the equivalent of a high school diploma in Nebraska, and
• Student must have resided in Nebraska for at least 3 years before the date they graduate from the high school or receive the equivalent of a high school diploma, and
• Student must be registered as an entering student in a state post secondary educational institution not earlier than the 2006 fall semester, and
• Student must provide to the state post secondary educational institution an affidavit stating that he or she will file an application to become a permanent resident at the earliest opportunity he or she is eligible to do so, or
• If the parent, guardian, or conservator with whom the student resides ceases to reside in Nebraska student can retain resident status if the student has a bona fide intention to make this state his or her permanent residence, supported by documentary proof

32 students are registered under the law with 28 at the University of Nebraska alone.

More on the tuition issue here and here.

b) Drivers License: No, please visit the Nebraska Dept. of Motor Vehicles website for more information.

Several bills have arisen over the years which would allow for this, however, most have been vetoed by the Governor.

c) Scholarship/Funding: Undocumented students are able to apply for private scholarships. See this page for a list of scholarships that do not require proof of citizenship, legal residency, or a social security number.

d) Pending Legislation: Please visit the Nebraska State Legislature website to search for individual bills/legislation.

Worker’s Compensation ruling

e) Politicians

Gov. Dave Heineman (R) Fax: 402-471-6031
State Legislature Links
Sen. Mike Johanns (R) Fax: 202-224-5213
Sen. Ben Nelson (D) Fax: 202-228-0012
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-1) Fax: 202-225-5686
Rep. Lee Terry (R-2) Fax: 202-226-5452
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-3) Fax: 202-225-0207

h) Studies / Reports

• Immigrants, both legal and illegal, add $1.6 billion annually in spending to the state’s economy, raise production by $13.5 billion and fill a critical role in the work force, according to a recent study by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. You can access the study here.
• 2007 American Community Survey data – In 2007, immigrants represented 5.6 percent of the state’s total population.
• “Second-Generation Latinos in Nebraska: A First Look” by the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank, states that Latinos are the youngest and fastest growing of second-generation immigrant communities in the state. The researchers said these U.S. citizens face greater challenges to achieving educational success, among them the illegal status of some parents. The success of U.S.-born Latino children in Nebraska will depend largely upon how communities receive their immigrant parents, the report says.
  “It is no exaggeration to say that the state’s future depends on the U.S.born children of Mexican immigrants,” said the report by Lourdes Gouveia and Mary Ann Powell of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

i) Organizations

Appleseed
Immigrant Rights Network

Allies – University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken, NU Regent Chuck Hassebrook and State College Chancellor Stan Carpenter who all testified against state bill LB 963 because a provision would have repealed the in-state tuition rule.