http://www.fox16.com/news/state/story.

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - When Gov. Mike Beebe came out against a measure to limit state services for illegal immigrants, saying it largely duplicates laws already on the books, he was only partly correct. State and federal law, the practice of Arkansas agencies and Beebe's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution sometimes differ.

-Arkansas' two largest colleges offer in-state tuition rates regardless of a student's immigration status; that would disappear under the proposed constitutional amendment.

-While hospitals are generally required to provide emergency care to all, the Arkansas Department of Health offers additional services beyond critical care without checking a patient's papers; that, too, would disappear.

-And all recipients of state benefits programs are not checked against a federal immigration database before taking government aid; that, too, would change if voters pass a ballot measure put forth by a group called Secure Arkansas.

Secure Arkansas plans to use only volunteer signature gatherers to collect 61,974 valid signatures needed by July 7. The group began collecting signatures in earnest Tuesday as voters went to the polls for the state's primary election. Beebe's office released the governor's statement the previous afternoon. "If some of the principles of this ballot title make sense to you, it may be because they are already the law of the land," Beebe said in the statement. But the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway both offer students in-state tuition if they have official transcripts from a state high school. Officials at both schools said applications had spots for potential students to write down their Social Security number, but that officials processed the paperwork if the space remained blank. "We don't check to see if they've got documentation," said Steve Voorhies, a spokesman for the University of Arkansas. Need-based financial aid requires potential students to fill out a federal form known as the FASFA - the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Voorhies said that form required a proper Social Security number or other identification.

The same rules apply at UCA, said university spokesman Warwick Sabin. "The UCA financial aid form is a simple, one-page form that does not require a Social Security number," Sabin said. "However, in order to process anything involving federal financial aid, UCA would eventually require a Social Security number." State scholarships like the Arkansas Academic Challenge and governor's scholarships require students to be legal U.S. residents. However, different rules can apply to other academic scholarships offered by colleges - meaning illegal immigrants could receive them. "My position on it is we give the scholarship to the most highly qualified student," said Bryan Hembree, director of scholarships at the University of Arkansas. "Undocumented is not something we're looking for." Matt DeCample, a spokesman for the governor, said Wednesday he was unaware the two colleges accepted applications that did not include Social Security numbers. He noted Beebe issued an opinion as state attorney general in 2005 saying giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition likely would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. "If we have institutions that need to change their verification processes, we're going to ensure that happens," DeCample said. In health care, federal law requires emergency rooms to accept anyone, regardless of whether they can pay or their immigration status. Federal law also covers other public health measures for illegal immigrants, like immunizations. But a report by the Arkansas Department of Health showed it did not ask for proof of citizenship when offering maternity care, newborn screenings and other care for diseases. Out of the department's $191 million budget in 2006, illegal immigrants cost the department only $199,000 during the year, officials estimated. DeCample said the number of illegal immigrants likely served by those programs would be small. "You have to make the choice: Do you have a screening now or wait until something happens and spend more money for emergency care, which is mandated by the federal government," DeCample said.

Arkansas does partially meet some of the requirements that would be mandated under the proposed ballot measure. State law makes the theft of public benefits a crime, though the state does not uniformly screen all applicants for services through a federal immigration database. All those applying for Arkansas driver's licenses are required to provide proof they live in the country legally. However, a new facial matching program with license photos found more than 3,700 suspicious images so far, something a state official blamed largely on illegal immigrants using phony documents. But Beebe isn't the only person making claims about the ballot measure that don't fully match up with the realities of illegal immigration. Jeannie Burlsworth, the chairwoman of Secure Arkansas, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette she feared America would merge with Canada and Mexico and allow part of Kansas City to become "sovereign Mexican territory." (the North American Union is a reality of illegal immigration) Wednesday, Burlsworth declined to comment beyond saying "the state of Arkansas should not be held hostage by the federal government's inaction." But the governor may be right about one thing - implementing the new immigration checks could prove costly for the state. A preliminary report by the state Department of Finance and Administration released Wednesday said every state agency would have to provide a notary public for free to those filling out paperwork if the measure became law. The report also claims using the federal database would cost 50 cents to a $1 per transaction, which would take "between a few seconds and five days" to be completed. "This delay could create significant hardship," the report reads. (again they refuse to calculate how much money the state will save by stopping illegals from getting State benefits)

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Here's Beebe attempting to look like he's solving the problem.

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