Senators wrap up 'good session'

LINCOLN — No vetoes from the governor or last-minute acrimony marked the end of the 2010 legislative session.

Nebraska lawmakers headed home Wednesday amid praise for a job well done from Gov. Dave Heineman and Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood of Norfolk.

Both commended the Legislature for its fiscal restraint in a tight budget year.

“Your actions kept the budget in balance,” Heineman said. “We stuck to the basic principle that has served Nebraskans and our state so well: We don’t spend money we don’t have.”

Flood commended lawmakers for preserving the state’s cash reserve fund, which could prove key in dealing with next year’s budget issues.

The shortfall for the two-year budget period beginning July 1, 2011, is projected at $679 million.
Despite the financial constraints, senators made progress on some of the state’s most difficult issues, Flood said.

Among them he listed wind energy, juvenile justice reform, economic development, community college aid and addressing teens who drink alcohol or smoke marijuana.

Heineman also highlighted passage of historic pro-life legislation and a bill requiring that settlement agreements reached by government entities be made public.

Flood made special mention in his message of the shootings in north Omaha. He said senators go home to specific problems in their own districts but also must deal with problems that affect the state.

He asked colleagues to support Sens. Brenda Council and Brad Ashford of Omaha in coming up with ways the state can help address the violence.

Flood said senators passed 196 bills during the session. Another 55 bills were amended into those that passed.

The governor issued only two vetoes during the session.

The first came in early March, on a bill that increased from $200 to $1,000 the cost of a license for a liquor manufacturer to ship products into Nebraska. Heineman called the large increase unreasonable during tough economic times.

But senators overrode the veto, noting that the fee had not been increased since 1981 and that the increase would fall mostly on out-of-state companies and was in line with what other states charge.

His other veto, issued Monday, stood. That was on a bill to provide a sales tax exemption for nonprofit health clinics. The exemption wouldn’t have taken effect for three years, though, and Heineman objected to the delayed implementation, saying the bill should be passed when it could fit within the state budget.

Speculation about additional vetoes turned to relief among senators as they listened to the list of bills Heineman signed.

Among those he signed was a bill banning texting while driving. The governor said he had difficulty with the bill because he believes in personal responsibility, but he said he ultimately came down on the side of public safety.

Heineman also signed a bill that would allow communities to extend bar closing times to 2 a.m. Other provisions in the law were important for state liquor regulation, he said, and he was satisfied with the strong local control approach to bar times.

The governor reversed course on a measure that allows first responders to get workers compensation for mental health problems caused by trauma on the job.

He vetoed a similar bill two years ago. This time, he sent a letter expressing misgivings about the potential cost but went ahead and signed the bill.

Heineman also signed a bill allowing for occupation taxes on irrigators to pay for water-saving measures. He said agricultural and business leaders in southwest Nebraska convinced him the measure was critical to that part of the state.

Orders to shut off irrigation could be forthcoming if the natural resources districts in the Republican River basin cannot pay for steps such as removing water-hungry vegetation from streambeds or building water-saving dams.

At least three lawmakers won’t be coming back next year — Sens. Tim Gay of Papillion and Tom White of Omaha are not seeking re-election. Sen. Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center is term-limited.

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