LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska lawmakers are nearly three-fourths of the way through this year’s 60-day session, with many of the most high-profile issues still awaiting a vote.
Of the 105 bills designated as priorities this year, lawmakers have advanced 52 beyond a first-round vote. Forty have reached the floor of the Legislature, but haven’t received a vote, and 13 are stuck in committee. By choosing a bill as a priority, lawmakers increase the odds that it will get debated.
Senators have forged ahead this year with an updated, $7.8 billion budget that includes funding for property tax relief, early childhood education and pediatric cancer research. They also have proceeded with plans to create a state guardian program for people who can’t make decisions for themselves because of a disability or mental illness.
Some of the priority measures are effectively dead for the year, including a proposal to repeal Nebraska’s motorcycle helmet law and income-tax cuts championed by Gov. Dave Heineman.
Speaker of the Legislature Greg Adams said he’s aiming for lawmakers to debate every priority bill this year that has moved out of committee. Lawmakers are expected to stay in session later into the evening, starting this week.
“I’m very comfortable, regardless of the outcome, that we’ll have dealt with what I perceive to be the priorities of the priorities,” Adams said. “I want to make sure we’ve covered the biggest issues. We will have dealt with one or two bills on prison reform, several different tax bills, Medicaid expansion, and at some point, we will have debated water issues.”
Lawmakers on Tuesday will begin the 44th day of their 60-day session, which ends on April 17.
Here are several bills that have made it to the full Legislature for debate, but haven’t yet reached a vote.
- Medicaid: Lawmakers are expected to start debate Tuesday afternoon on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage as part of the federal health care law. The “Wellness in Nebraska Act” has been rewritten after a different Medicaid bill died last year.
The new version makes use of private insurance, cost-sharing and wellness incentives, with the federal government initially covering all of the costs. The federal contribution would ratchet down gradually until it reaches a floor of 90 percent by 2020. The bill will face another filibuster from conservatives in the Legislature, with debate expected to continue through Wednesday.
The bill, LB887, advanced out of the Health and Human Services Committee on a 5-1 vote, with Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha abstaining.
- Minimum Wage: Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha and 13 co-sponsors are pushing for an increase in Nebraska’s minimum wage. The bill advanced out of the Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee last month on a 6-1 vote.
The bill, LB943, would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9 per hour by 2017. It also would gradually increase the wage for tip-earners to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage.
- Prison Reform: Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha is proposing a $13.8 million prison reform package to address the state’s overcrowding problem. The Judiciary Committee advanced a proposal last week that would revive vocational and life-skills training programs, and increase services for offenders with substance abuse and mental health problems. It also would create a state task force to work with the Council of State Governments, a group that has helped other states. The bill Is LB907.
- State Services: A bill inspired by the decision to relocate the Central Nebraska Veterans Home advanced out of committee this month, but it would only apply to future projects.
The bill by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island would require a legislative review of any proposal to move a state service or agency from one community to another, if the cost was $15 million or more. It originally would have allowed lawmakers to intervene in the decision to move the home from Grand Island to Kearney, but that possibility was opposed by most committee members. The bill is LB935
- Highway Bonding: Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton is proposing legislation that would allow Nebraska to issue up to $200 million in bonds for highway projects, at a fixed interest rate no greater than 5 percent.
Lawmakers began debate on the bill last week, but moved on to other issues before reaching a vote. Adams said he expects lawmakers will resume debate before the session ends.
Nebraska has used a pay-as-you-go system for decades, but supporters said the state could take advantage of low interest rates. The proposal faces resistance from some lawmakers, who argue that the state should preserve its debt-free approach to financing highway projects. The bill is LB1092.
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