The 2013 session of the Nebraska legislature begins today with 11 freshman lawmakers – nearly one fourth of all members – including new 43rd District Senator Al Davis of Hyannis.
Although officially non-partisan, the Unicameral has 30 members who are Republicans, 17 who are Democrats, and 2 independents…including one who frequently sides with the Democrats. That’s 2 more Democrats and one more independent than last session.
The Legislature faces a projected $195 million shortfall in the state’s two-year budget, but that’s a far cry from the nearly $1 billion budget hole they confronted in 2011, and pressure to cut have eased.
Senator Greg Adams of York, who is running unopposed for speaker, expects contentious debates on funding for foster care services and the poor…and especially over expanding Medicaid as part of Obamacare.
Scottsbluff Senator John Harms…starting his final 2 years in the legislature…agrees with Adams that the Medicaid debate could be nasty, but he hasn’t made up his mind on which way to vote.
Harms says he won’t decide whether or not to support a Medicaid expansion until he has a chance to study the numbers for the expansion and the budget, which aren’t available yet.
As for his own legislative agenda, Harms says he plans to introduce bills that would upgrade both texting while driving and not wearing a seat belt from secondary offenses to primary offenses…giving police the power to make stops for those violations.
Harms sponsored the law that bans texting while driving, but says authorities around the state have told him they really can’t use it as it now stands because they can stop a driver only if another violation such as speeding is occurring. He feels pretty much the same about enforcing the state’s existing mandatory seat belt law.
Other issues Harms plans to work on include a constitutional amendment allowing local voters to choose a county manager form of government, a bill requiring elderly drivers to be tested, and one funding an expansion of the Wildcat Hills Nature Center south of Gering by adding a larger meeting room and a modern shooting range.