Topeka ? The Kansas House has rejected an effort to repeal a 2004 law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

The law permits illegal immigrants who meet certain rules, such as graduating from a Kansas high school, to pay the lower tuition Kansas charges to residents of the state. The Kansas Board of Regents says about 500 students participate in the program.

House members defeated a proposed repeal Thursday on an unrecorded 68-32 vote during debate on a broader education bill.

Those favoring repeal said the tuition program rewards illegal immigrants and serves to attract others to Kansas.

But other House members said the students who benefit from the program are working toward citizenship and bettering their lives.