Thread: NE: Bruning fight over immigrants resolved

Published Friday May 23, 2008
NE: Bruning fight over immigrants resolved (Bruning WINS!!)
BY MARTHA STODDARD/WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10341502

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission would contract with its own attorney to handle housing discrimination cases involving illegal immigrants under an agreement approved by federal officials.

The agreement appears to resolve a dispute between the anti-discrimination agency and Attorney General Jon Bruning.

It also would satisfy the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which had stopped payments to the agency because of Bruning's refusal to prosecute a housing discrimination case that involved a complaint from an illegal immigrant.

HUD officials had faulted Nebraska because Bruning's office had filed few other housing cases referred to him by the commission.

"I think we've all got what we wanted," commission Chairman Arnold Nesbitt said following a conference call Thursday morning.

Dale Gray, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City, Kan., regional HUD office, confirmed that federal officials had given the agreement their blessing.

"We're just pleased that they've worked this out because our concern is the housing discrimination cases," she said.

But the last agreement reached between the two Nebraska agencies blew up shortly after it was publicly announced.

That agreement fell apart after Bruning told reporters that he would not prosecute any housing discrimination cases on behalf of illegal immigrants.

Leah Bucco-White, a spokeswoman for Bruning, said Thursday: "We're working on the (new) agreement and we're making progress. We look forward to being able to comment next Wednesday."

Nesbitt said representatives of the agencies plan to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the agreement on that day.

Under the proposal, the Attorney General's Office would handle all housing discrimination cases except those involving illegal immigrants — those would be handled by an attorney under contract with the commission.

Bruning has said illegal immigrants are not entitled to free representation by state attorneys. Previously, his office objected to designating outside legal counsel as special assistants to handle such cases.

The new agreement also calls for Bruning's office to work more closely with the state anti-discrimination agency in investigating and preparing housing discrimination cases.

If everything goes as planned, Nesbitt said, the agreement should clear the way for the commission to resume investigating housing discrimination complaints and to receive payments from HUD for those investigations.

HUD provides the commission with $2,400 for each case it handles. The commission's budget includes about $250,000 annually from the federal agency.

The suspension of payments has cost the commission more than $96,000 so far.


• Contact the writer: 402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com

The suspension of payments has cost the commission more than $96,000 so far.

I prefer to see it as, the taxpayers didn't have to pay $96,000 so far.

I remember thinking when i watched Mr.Bruning on Lou Dobbs . What a good American . Loyal to his Oath of office

If everything goes as planned, Nesbitt said, the agreement should clear the way for the commission to resume investigating housing discrimination complaints and to receive payments from HUD for those investigations.





LOL.....have they planned for the tremendous backlash and anger coming from property owners and landlords who are being bankrupted from having to pay out to illegal aliens who scream discrimination over being expected to play by the same rules as everyone else?

It's almost guaranteed that, with the NEOC and a private attorney, there will not be one case NOT filed on behalf of illegals with a monetary settlement being awarded said illegals.

This should be rather interesting............