This last legislative session got "downright mean" when it came to immigration, said Rep. Dave Ure, R-Kamas.

As a member of the House Rules Committee, Ure successfully kept the House from hearing HB7, which would have repealed a law Ure sponsored that grants in-state tuition to some undocumented students.

"We ought to allow them to educate themselves for the betterment of the country," Ure said. "If we want America to remain free and remain great, what we have to do is allow them to learn what made America great. And you do that by educating them."

Today, at the 13th Annual Cesar Chavez Peace & Justice Awards Banquet, Ure will be one of two lawmakers to ever receive a Cesar Chavez award from the Utah Coalition of La Raza. Also receiving the award from the Hispanic civil rights group is Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, said chairman Archie Archuleta.

"It's finding the common ground that is often the most difficult," said Litvack, who is being honored for several years of work to pass hate crimes legislation. A compromise bill passed this session with overwhelming support.

"It may become part of the tradition," Archuleta said of the new award. "We wanted to make it bipartisan. HB7 was held by Democrats and Republicans. The same thing happened with the hate crimes bill. Democrats hung tight year after year, and when Republicans came on board it just zipped on through."

The awards are given in remembrance of Cesar Chavez, a late civil rights leader who fought for migrant farm workers' rights.

"In general, we are looking for lifetime achievement in terms of helping the underdog, particularly in helping Hispanics, or in helping anyone in duress," Archuleta said.

This year's other recipients of Cesar Chavez awards are:

• AnnaJane Arroyo, chair of Image de UTAH-NU CHAC, which has raised nearly $14,000 in scholarships through a Cinco de Mayo festival over the past few years, said helping youths "raise the bar for themselves" is critical.

• Ogden City Councilman Jesse Garcia says "it's always important for me to work for a person who is a less fortunate person . . . it has no race barrier to me. People are people, and we do the right thing because it's the right thing to do."

• Youth Award: Aurora Lopez, a student at Highland High School, has been active academically and extracurricularly.

• Organization: Reforma de Utah, an organization of librarians dedicated to helping Latinos with literacy. President Melanie Tucker said the organization's biggest event is "Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros" (Day of the children/Day of the books). Last year's event drew 4,000 people.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com