SPRINGFIELD | A Senate panel last week decided newspaper photographers should be allowed to photograph high school sports and sell the pictures without restrictions.

Newspapers and the Illinois High School Association have been locked in a dispute over the matter for months.

On one hand, the IHSA wants to give exclusive rights to sell photos from high school sporting events to its own photographers. On the other, the papers argue restrictions on selling pictures creates a free-speech problem.

Members of the Senate Education Committee sided with the media Thursday and approved legislation removing restrictions on photo sales by an 8-1 vote. State Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare, cast the lone "no" vote.

But several lawmakers said the two parties should resolve their differences instead of looking to change the law.

"This should be worked out, somehow," said state Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville.

Recently, the IHSA offered the Illinois Press Association a compromise to let it sell photos from nearly all sporting events except championship tournaments. For those tournament games, papers could give high school sports photos away or sell them at cost.

The press association resisted, but state Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, said he didn't understand why that wouldn't suffice as the beginning of a compromise.

"What's the problem?" Meeks asked.

State Sen. James DeLeo, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the measure, said the newspapers' concern was over free speech, not cash.

DeLeo's plan now moves on to the full Senate.

The legislation is Senate Bill 1997.

-- Mike Riopell can be reached at mike.riopell@lee.net or (217) 789-0865.