Legislative bills seeking to curb illegal immigration brought an overflow crowd to the state Capitol today.

The legislature's Judiciary Committee heard testimony on two bills.

The first, LB34, sponsored by Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, would require employers to verify their employees are legal citizens.

The other, LB403, carried by Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, would require local agencies to verify the legal status of anyone trying to get public benefits like food stamps, unemployment and retirement.

A measure some supporters say is of increased significance given the current economy.

"In this recessive economy, don't believe it's fair for illegals to compete with citizens for social and medical services," said Doug Kagan, with Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom.

But others see the bill as "anti-Latino" says the bill boils down to

"I would like to believe that in 2009, that this state and this nation had matured to the point that we no longer have to condone these acts and it should be time to cease and desists," said Sam Franco, who is a first generation United States citizen, born to immigrant parents.

Karpisek assured fellow senators and others at the hearing that the bill wouldn't keep children of illegal immigrants from paying in-state tuition rates.

It's a change from a similar bill from Gov. Dave Heineman that dies last year.

"This isn't a got ya, or check for deportation. It's a way to save money on benefits for illegal persons," said Karpisek.

Under the proposed law, immigrants wouldn't have to verify citizenship for emergency healthcare, immunizations for diseases, or for services at soup kitchens and shelters.

Whether the bill will die is unknown but the heat surrounding immigration legislation is sure to live on.

Karpisek says immigrants applying for public benefits would fill out a form claiming whether they are a legal citizen or not. The information would then be verified by the Department of Homeland Security.

If someone claims to be a citizen, the information is valid until proven otherwise.

Also, state agencies providing benefits would have to complete an annual report detailing the number of applications each year, and of those, how many were rejected based on citizenship.