ixiClM
monday, january 22, 1979
lincoln, nebraska vol.102 no. 65
New senators find Legislature runs at frantic pace
By Connie Casari
In the words of one freshman Lincoln
senator, the Legislature "is an experience
I've had nothing to compare with."
"Tell your readers that finals week ain't
nothin' compared to this," said Don
Wesley, 24, a 1977 UNL graduate.
Wesley is the youngest of the three
freshmen senators from Lincoln. Chris
Beutler, 34, Dave Landis, 30, and Wesley
were elected last November.
The three senators, who comprise half
of the Lincoln contingent, are all registered
Democrats and all have similar feelings
about the first hectic weeks of their terms.
The fast pace of the Unicameral creates
a time problem, said Beutler.
"The chance for error is increased by
the relatively short period of time we have
to consider such a large number of bills,"
said Beutler.
As of Wednesday, the last day individual
senators could introduce bills, 535 bills had
been introduced. There are now only 82
days left in the session.
Awesome responsibility
The responsiblity is awesome, Wesley
said, but he expected difficulty in adjust
ing because so many motions, bills and
activities happen at a fast and furious pace.
"I like to be well informed and some
times it's hard to feel good about my
votes," Wesley said.
Beutler said he will try to change the
bill introduction system. Currently, a
senator can introduce only ten bills, but
committees can introduce an unlimited
number of bills. ...,g...
There is no point to limiting individual
senators if committees are not limited,
Beutler said.
"If a senator has another bill he wants
introduced, he just goes to his buddy who's
the chairman of the committee," he said.
"The calm before the storm" is the
phrase Landis used to describe his first
three weeks.
Clash of interests
He said the genuine clash of interests
has not begun yet and at this point, Landis
said, his head is still above water.
Landis, whose district includes the uni
versity, introduced eight bills.
Landis said he is trying to protect an
individual's privacy with the introduction
of LB394.
Section I of the bill says, "It is the in
tention of the Legislature to protect any
person from unreasonable intrusions into
his or her private life, and to give up any
person a legal remedy in Jhe event of such
intrusion."
Landis said the bill does not interfere
with the First Amendment freedom of the
press. He pointed out a line in Section VII
of the bill which says, "the statutory rights
of privacy shall be qualified by federal
statutory and constitutional privileges and
defenses."
He said this indicates that all state
statutes must follow already existing
federal laws.
Renovation bill
Landis also introduced, with Sen. Frank
Lewis of Bellevue, a bill creating funds for
renovations and addition to UNL's Temple
Theater Building.
A bill to provide students receiving
financial aid with immediate money for
books was introduced by Beutler.
He said LB248 asks that students re
ceive money from UNL's cash fund in the
first week of school. This allows students
to pay for their books, when they might
otherwise have to wait for their aid check.
The studentwouIareimDurse UNL upon
receiving his aid check.
Also introduced by Beutler was LB1 17,
which would raise the jurisdictional
amount in small claims court from $500 to
$2,000.
This bill, Beutler said, would allow more
claims to be settled in small claims court
and would facilitate the settling of these
claims.
Wesley is co-sponsoring, with Sen.
Loran Schmit of Bellwood, a bill to pro
vide tax incentives to those promoting
development of alternate energy systems in
Nebraska.
Solar energy
Wesley said he hopes this bill will make
Nebraska a leader in solar energy.
"I anticipate much support," Wesley
said. "The federal government had
stumbled around for five years. Now the
states must take the lead."
All three men expressed genuine likings
for their job and Wesley said, "We aren't
partiers. We take our job very seriously and
put it first. The pace is just incredible."
While it is still early in the session,
Lincoln Sen. Steve Fowler said he hears
feedback that the three new senators are
proceeding quietly and thoroughly.
Fowler, 28, was elected in 1972 and re
elected in 1976.
"Some freshmen push too hard and too
quick and they (Wesley, Beutler and
Landis) haven't made that mistake,"
Fowler said. "The biggest problem is that
you're always trying to catch up, but the
longer you're around the easier it is to
adjust."
Photo by Ted Kirk
Freshmen state Sens. Don Wesely (left) and Dave Landis, both of Lincoln, enjoy a
light moment during a long tedious morning in the Legislature.
Lincoln victims less hesitant to report offenses officers
By Val Swinton
A study released Monday by the UNL Department of
Sociology indicates less than half of the people who were
victims of crimes reported those crimes to police. How
ever, two area police officers feel the percentage of report
ed crimes may be higher locally.
The study, the 1978 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators
Survey (NASIS), differs from normal sources of crime
statistics in that it is not based on offenses reported to
police, but on the victims.
Nearly a quarter of the 1,940 persons interviewed in
the state said they were victims of crimes last year. But
only 43 percent reported the crimes to police.
The reasons most commonly cited for not reporting a
crime include: it is useless to report, the crime was not
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Photo by Bob Pearson
Right to Life advocates sflently protest 1973 Supreme Court abortion decision in a march to the state capitol.
See page 7 for story.
important enough to report or the person who committed
the crime was a friend.
Lincoln reports higher
Lt. Paul Merritt, a Lincoln detective, said he thought
the percentage of victims in Lincoln who report crimes is
much larger.
"I think we get a line on anything of consequence," he
said. "People in this area report crimes they see."
Merritt said part of the reason is efforts by police to
get citizens involved.
"We try to encourage the community to get involved,"
he pointed out, referring to the community team concept.
"They'll call in any kind of thing that's not right."
Investigator Robert Fey of the UNL Police Department
said he did not have statistics to support his feelings, but
he too felt the percentage of crimes reported were higher
than the survey indicated.
However, Fey said the survey may not be that much
different than the percentage on campus. "We go to a
building to check on a reported offense and we find that
similar offenses occurred in the area that went unreport
ed." Swamped departments
Both Merritt and Fey say their departments would be
swamped if every crime was reported.
But Fey said he would prefer it that way.
"I would rather have everybody report crimes," he
said, because many of them may be tied together.
The two officers disagree as to why people are hesitant
to report crimes.
Merritt said he feels at least part of the reason may lie
Continued on page 6
DDDSI
mondisy
Eastern travels: Winterim adventures remembered . page 6
Superman's new look: Man of steel has heart of gold
page 8
Respectable finish: The NU women's basketball team
placed thud in the weekend Big Eight Tournament
page 10