Democrats in the state Assembly managed to temporarily stall a vote on a controversial surprise amendment on affirmative action brought into Tuesday night’s floor meeting, which flowed into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The original bill provides grants to students who are in poverty and are non-traditional. For a student to qualify as non-traditional, he or she must either be in prison, a first generation college attendee or black, Indian, Hispanic or Hmong.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Peggy Krusick, D-Milwaukee, proposes eliminating race as a factor in college grant applications that consider minority status as a qualification.

While intermittent debate continued for nine hours after the proposal was originally introduced at 11 p.m. Tuesday, the proposal received initial preliminary approval from the Assembly Wednesday around 8 a.m.

Democrats managed to block final passage of the amendment until tonight, when the proposal is set to be further discussed. The session marks the final opportunity for any legislation to be passed through either the Senate or the Assembly as the houses go into recess until January.

During tonight’s debate, Democrats can object to the amendment being sent to the Senate, blocking the final passage until lawmakers return in January. Regardless of when it passes, approval by both houses would further require Gov. Scott Walker’s signature.

Krusick said the bill was important because it would allow the grants to continue to be need-based with talent criteria, regardless of whether or not a student qualified as a minority.

“It includes all ethnicities; they will all receive equal treatment,” Krusick said.

While the bill had the backing of the entire GOP body. Krusick was the only Democrat in support of the bill while others were left outraged at the proposal. After the Assembly reconvened from caucus around 4:30 a.m., the amendment was preliminarily approved with a 57-34 vote along party lines sans Krusick.

Krusick’s Democratic counterparts said the proposal was insulting to the rights of minorities.

Those opposing the amendment also argued the proposal is part of a greater GOP desire to squash minority rights and remove affirmative action from the higher education system.

Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said the amendment was a “racist race to the bottom.” According to Hulsey, the measure could potentially culminate in roadblocks for minorities trying to obtain jobs after graduation.

If the amendment does pass, it could impact around 4,300 Wisconsin students who traditionally qualify for the grant money each year. The grants typically range between $600 and $1,800 awards that are given to those students who are considered to be at the biggest disadvantage for educational opportunities in the state.

The grants are part of a $4.4 million Talent Incentive Program, which Republicans have argued was originally established as a pathway for any poor student to gain access to higher education, regardless of race.

– The Associated Press contributed to this story