monday, January 12, 1976
daily nebraskan
page 5
rarefield
Legisl
ature: work ahea
By Dick Piersol
This column today and on future Mondays, will be
dedicated to-or if you can't swallow that, display a some
times aggravating preoccupation with-state and national
politics and that venerable body, theNebraska Unicameral.
None of these subjects will be taken lightly, of course,
except when they deserve it.
The Legislature's members really have their work cut
out for them this session. Recent years have not seen such
an amalgam of important and controversial issues.
State spending, as usual, is the priority item. And NU,
the most expensive state agency, alternately will be lauded
and kicked about more than any other.
University administrators have asked for $100 million
in tax money. The Appropriations Committee has recom
mended $88 million.
Before anyone complains about the Legislature being
tight-fisted or otherwise with any state agency, check the
budget recommendations of only four years ago. The
Appropriations Committee university budget proposal in
1972 was $463 million. The committee's recommended
budget this year for UNL alone is $47.3 million. The total
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state budget recommendation brought to the floor in
1972 was $196.5 million. This year, what committee
chairman Sen. Richard Marvel of Hastings called a "bare
bones" budget bill will be about $359 million. State
agency requests for fiscal 1976-77 totals $405 million.
Cleai.y, inflation has taken more of a toll on state
government services than the lawmakers' parsimony.
At equal issue with the level of university appropria
tions is to what extent, if any, the NU Board of Regents
will be allowed to exercise flexibility in spending those
tax dollars. Appropriations Committee hearings last
month seemed to point to some flexibility, possibly with
campus-by-campus appropriations. The possibility de
pends upon university administrators developing an
accountability plan to the legislators. The Legislature will
not give up easily its prerogative to legislate program by
program university functions.
Add to tax dollar-stretching problems the senators'
other ambitious plans. They want to deal decisively with a
potentially dangerous medical malpractice situation.
The coal slurry pipeline proposal promises to be one of
the most heavily lobbied issues in Nebraska history. A
generous increase in state aid to education, raising the
state's load to 40 per cent support over the next few
years, and legislation reducing the number of school
districts also are in the works. The Nebraska State School
Boards Association is supporting a bill requiring Gass I
districts (those with kindergarten and six or eight grades),
to merge with a larger district by 1 980.
The Judiciary Committee will concentrate on revamp
ing the state criminal code.
This session's agenda seems to be an even larger load
considering 24 of the 49 seats are up for reelection. One
Vpnders about the timing of a bill to provide senators
travel expenses . while in session as a supplement their
measly $100 monthly salary.
It also is worth noting what the senators, for whatever
reason, probably will not do. Judiciary Committee Chair
man Sen. Roland Luedtke of Lincoln has predicted
senators will take no action on the subject of court-ordered
limits oh trial news coverage. He said any action could'
be overruled by the courts themselves but the issue might'
be approached next year.
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