During the 1972 election
campaigns, the Daily Nebraskan has
editorially supported the following
candidates:
PresidentVice President: George
McGovern and Sargent Shriver.
U. S. Senate: Neither candidate is
'satisfactory.
First District House of
Representatives: Charles Thone.
Second District Board of Regents:
Kermit Hansen.
Legislautre, 27th District: Steve
Fowler.
Legislature,
Hubbard Orme
29th District: Fern
County Judge: Ralph S locum,
Jeffre Cheuvront.
The Daily Nebraskan has editorially
supported all amendments to the State
Constitution except amendments one,
five and 15. Jim Gray
Tom Lansworth
Randy Beam
to legislators. The amount of per
diem compensation would be set
by law.
A vote AGAINST this
amendment would retain the
current constitutional maximum
salary of $400 a month, with no
per diem pay for other legislative
services. (Senators now receive
actual expenses for one trip to
and from each regular or special
session of the Legislature and,
as members of the Legislative
Council, draw travel and other
expenses but no per diem pay for
attendance at legislative study
committee meetings.)
Legislative vote: 30-14.
Education article
Amendment 10
Constitutional amendments to
recodify, revise and clarify
provision of Article VII of the
Constitution of Nebraska.
A vote FOR this proposal
would primarily rearrange the
constitutional article relating to
education in a more logical
sequence. It would also clarify
language prohibiting the
distribution of funds to
inoperative school districts. A
vote FOR the amendment would
also add to the article permissive
wording allowing the Legislature
to provide for the education of
persons under five years of age
and over 21 years of age in
"educational institutions owned
and controlledby the state or a
political subdivision thereof."
A vote AGAINST this
proposal would not rearrange the
article, would not clarify language
prohibiting the distribution of
funds to inoperative school
districts, and would not add the
permissive language allowing the
Legislature to provide for the
education of persons of other
than ages five through 21.
Special tax for
off-street parking
Amendment 11
Constitutional amendment
providing authority for cities and
villages to provide and maintain
off -t tract parking by special
assessments or taxation.
A vote FOR this amendment
would enable the Legislature to
enact laws giving cities and
villages power to provide
off-street parking facilities by
special assessments or special
taxation; to levy special
assessments for the maintenance,
repair and reconstruction of
off-street parking facilities; and to
periodically redetermine and
reallocate benefits arising from
acquisition of off-street pa-king
facilities. Municipalities have only
those powers granted to them by
the states, and adoption of this
amendment would make it clear
that those in Nebraska could
provide for and finance off-street
parking facilities if the Legislature
agreed.
A vote AGAINST this
amendment would withhold from
the Legislature authority to enact
laws giving cities and villages such
off-street parking facility powers.
Legislative vote: 37-6.
Judicial commission
Amendment 12
Constitutional amendment
increasing the size of judicial
nominating commissions,
inserting partisan limitations,
eliminating the chairman (a
Supreme Court judge) as a voting
member, requiring disclosure of
judicial applicant names prior to
public hearing and requiring
majority commission roll call vote
for recommendation.
A vote FOR this amendment
would increase the size of judicial
nominating commissions from
seven to nine. But the Supreme
Ccurt judge assigned chairman of
the commission would no longer
be permitted to vote on
recommending judicial nominees
to the governor. Nomination
would be accomplished by a
majority roll call decision of the
eight voting commission
members-four citizens appointed
by the governor and four
attorneys, elected by lawyers in
the geographic area each
commission services. No more
than four voting members could
be of the same political party.
Names of candidates for judicial
appointment would be made
public prior to a commission's
public hearing on the candidates.
A vote AGAINST would
maintain commissions as
seven-member units-three
laymen named by the governor,
three attorneys elected by fellow
lawyers and the Supreme Court
judge as chairman with voting
power. There is no constitutional
requirement for political balance
in commission memberships, nor
for public disclosure of names of
judicial candidates. The
Constitution now makes no
statement how many commission
votes are necessary for a
candidate's name to be
recommended to the governor for
possible appointment, and no
provision is made for roll call
vote.
Legislative vote: 45-0.
Public employes
retirement benefits
Amendment 13
Constitutional amendment to
allow for adjustments in
retirement benefits of retired
public employes to reflect
increases in cost of living and
wage levels since their retirement.
A vote FOR this proposal
would allow the Legislature to
increase the retirement benefits of
public employes who have
previously retired. The change
would allow for pension
adjustments for teachers, firemen,
policemen and other public
employes to reflect changes in the
cost of living.
A vote AGAINST this would
retain the present system whereby
no changes in compensation can
be rendered to a public employe
subsequent to retirement. The
pension level received at the time
of retirement would remain the
same throughout the period of
retirement despite changes in the
pensions of other public employes
who retired later.
Legislative vote: 42-1.
Tax commissioner
Amendment 14
Constitutional amendment to
remove state tax commissioner
from State Board of Equalization
and Assessment and replace him
as the Legislature directs.
A vote FOR this amendment
would eliminate the state tax
commissioner as one of the five
members of the State Board of
Equalization. His responsibility
would then be to officially advise
the board and the Legislature
would then determine how the
fifth member of the board would
be selected. The amendment also
directs that the board "shall
review and equalize assessments
of property for taxation within
the state."
A vote AGAINST the
amendment would keep the
board's membership as it
presently exists-the
popularly-elected governor, state
treasurer, secretary of state,
auditor of public accounts and
the gubernatorial ly-appoin ted tax
commissioner. A vote AGAINST
would retain the present system
whereby the board may or may
not review property tax
assessments at its discretion.
Legislative vote: 37-3.
Conflict of interest
Amendment 15
Constitutional amendment
eliminating present conflict of
interest restrictions on state
officials and legislators and
granting the Legislature flexibility
to define what shall constitute
impermissible conflicts of interest
in the future.
A vote FOR this proposal
would remove from the
Constitution existing language
which the attorney general has
interpreted as preventing state
officials from accepting another
civil appointment to a state
office. It would allow the
Legislature to prescribe what
constitutes a conflict of interest
by individual senators. And it
would require the Legislature to
set standards and definitions for
determining the existence of
conflicts of interest in contracts
as well as sanctions for enforcing
those standards.
A vote AGAINST would
maintain the injunctions of the
Constitution against conflicts of
interest, both direct and indirect,
by members of the Legislature
and individual state officials.
Legislative vote: 39-3.
Name change
Amendment 16
Constitutional amendment to
change the name of the State
Railway Commission to the
Public Service Commission.
A vote FOR this proposal
would change the name of the
constitutional body which has
authority to regulate rates and
services of common carriers
within Nebraska borders. The
present Railway Commission
regulates not only railroads but
many other public services. No
change would be made either in
the commission's powers or the
members' election to six-year
terms.
A vote AGAINST this
proposal would keep the
commission's present name.
Legislative vote: 44-1.
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