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dally nebraskan
monday,april 23, 1979
Kelly gives drinking bill 'excellent chance9 on floor
By. Rocky Strunk
According to Sen. Ralph Kelly of Grand
Island, it was "Irish Luck1 which happened
to number his bill to raise the drinking age
from 19 to 21, LB221 (to twenty-one).
And as the legislation approaches first
round debate Wednesday, it would appear
that the senator, who has introduced the
same bill twice before, may have more than
"Irish luck" on his side this year.
Results of a poll earlier this month
commissioned by the Nebraska Council
on Alcohol Education indicate that Nebras
kans favor raising the legal drinking age by
a 24ol margin.
The poll, conducted for the Lincoln
based organization by pollster Joe B.
Williams of Elmwood,, showed that 64
percent of those surveyed favor raising the
drinking age to 21, while only 32 percent
favor the law remaining at 19.
According to James S. Hamilton, the
organization s executive director, results of
the poll will be used in floor debate Wed
nesday. A thousand interviewed
Hamilton said it should be noted the
poll reflects a split 4949 percent reaction
among those 30 and under. Those aged 45
to 59 favored It by 69 percent and those
60 and over favored It by 78 percent.
The poll included 1 ,040 telephone inter
views in a random sample of residents age
18 and older. Interviews were conducted
between 4 and 9 pjn., the time working
people are most likely to be at home.
It included 521 men and 519 women,
337 in the 1st Congressional District, 350
in the 2nd District and 353 in the 3rd Dis
trict. The poll's margin of error, he said,
is plus or minus 3 percent.
Kelly told an audience at Kearney State
College Saturday that LB221 has "an
"excellent chance to pass." He also said
that his measure has "overwhelming state
wide support in every precinct."
Amendments ready
Kelly was participating in a Kearney
Chamber of Commerce-sponsored legis
lative forum.
Kelly has six amendments prepared for
LB221, although he said that he doesn't
expect to have to use them Wednesday.
"I plan on 221 making it all the way
across the board without any changes to
the way it reads now," Kelly said.
Lying on Kelly's desk Friday was a
freshly-stamped opinion of constitutional
approval from the Attorney General on
his latest amendment.
That amendment would make any
liquor offense punishable by automatic
revocation of driver's licenses. First offense
would be one -month suspension, second
offense would be three months, and third
offense would mean a year.
Among other amendments Kelly has
prepared to fight off opponents are a
"dram shop" provision which would place
more liability on bar owners and a 10-day
close down of all liquor establishments
selling to minors.
"Opponents want tougher laws rather
than raising the age, so if they want them
I'm prepared to give them," Kelley said. He
added that he doesn't want to amend his
bill because he "doesn't want to further
punish the industry or citizens."
Close and hard-fought
Expected to lead floor debate in opposi
tion to LB221 Wednesday is Sen. David
Newell of Omaha, who Is scheduled to de
bate Kelly at a Thursday luncheon meeting
of the Omaha Area Council on Alcoholism.
"I see it as very close on Wednesday and
it should be a close and hard-fought bill,"
Newell said. He added that it was import
ant to young people that may be disen
franchised by raising the age to continue
to be outspoken on the bill.
Because the bill was late getting out of
committee, final reading may extend into
May when students will be out of school.
"U will have no effect if students are
around for final reading," Kelly said. "The
public pressure is over and it's all political
from here on in."
According to Patrick O'Donnell, clerk
of the Legislature, the soonest LB221
would get to final reading, it gets first
round approval Wednesday, is a week and
a half.
"I'd guess that it doesn't move near that
fast, but I'd be surprised if it goes into next
session," O'Donnell said.
All bills that do not receive final reading
are carried into the next legislative session,
which will begin in January, 1980.
Student fee hike sparks regents' criticism on programs
By Lucy Bighia
UNL student fees were increased from
$66.50 to $69 a semester at Saturday's NU
Board of Regent's meeting, despite com
plaints from some of the regents about
rising fees.
Regent Robert Prokop, Robert Raun,
James Moylan and Kermit Wagner were
among those Questioning student fees uses.
Wagner said he is getting "hundreds of
letters from parents who are against raising
student fees." And Parents, not students,
are the ones paying the bills, he said.
ASUN should learn how to use student
fees more effectively, Wagner said.
Past UNL student regent Ken Marienau
and new student regent Bud Cuca spoke in
favor of raising fees.
According to Marienau, the 3.8 percent
increase will be used to improve student
parent communication. The money will be
spent on posters, flyers and the upcoming
UNL Parent's Day, he said.
Many posters
Many of the regents questioned
Marienau's explanation. $4,000 can buy a
lot of posters, Raun said.
The regents deferred action on UNO
student fees until the May meeting. UNO
isn't asking an increase in its $43 a
semester fee, but many on the board said
the UNO budget was too liberal.
UNL has "tightened the screws" on its
budget, and UNO should do the same,
Raun said.
"You haven't had the pressure applied
like UNL has," Raun told UNO vice
chancellor Ron Beer. "I think some tight
ening up is in order."
Student newspaper budgets, especially
that of the UNO Gateway, were criticized
by the regents.
The Gateway is asking for a budget in
crease of $8,000-from $39,000 to
$47,000 to cover rising production costs,
Beer said.
Out of line
An $8,000 increase for the Gateway,
which comes out two days a week is "way
out of line," Regent Ed Schwartzkopf said.
The UNL Daily Nebraskan comes out
four days a week and has a circulation of at
1
least 4,000 greater than the Gateway's and
has to adjust to inflation also, yet it cut it's
budget request by $2,100, Schwartzkopf
said.
UNL administrators will bring specific
breakdowns of student fees expenditures
to the May regents meeting.
Despite the criticism of student fees,
Cuca said they're a "real bargain." NU
students pay less in fees than most other
American college students, he said.
Prokop disagreed, he said student fees
Foundation . .
Continued from page 1
also found that Dobson testified before the
Legislature's Banking Committee on Feb.
7, 1977. But Burrows said he did not know
if Dobson was paid for his testimony, and
said it is questionable if the testimony con
stitutes lobbying.
Koefoot said Thursday that from his in
formation, Dobson is not a paid consultant
now. Koefoot also said he was not sure if
Dobson had been a paid consultant in the
past.
pay for a lot of unnecessary services, such
as the student newspapers, student govern
ments and entertainment programs.
Schwartzkopf said that things have
changed since Prokop was in college.
In other action, the regents:
-set the mandatory retirement age at
65. Employees staying on past that age
must get a yearly appointment, but NU
won't pay its share of retirement benefits
past 65. Regents Prokop, Robert Koefoot
and Schwartzkopf opposed the motion.
At Saturday's regents' meeting, Dobson
said he did not consider the testimony to
be lobbying because he discussed an
article he prepared.
Prokop had charged that Dobson was
paid for the appearance.
Maresh could not be reached for com
ment Sunday. The Milligan senator has the
information from the NU Foundation, and
will make it available to other senators,
according to Sieck.
91
DO YOU WANT TO
TIKV0LV1DIE0UR
CAMPUS AND:
O Gain Leadership Skills
o Gain Career Experience
O Get to Know the University Community u
o Loam about Budgets and Long-Range Planning
o Have a Voice in How Your Students Fees aro Spent
Applications are now being accepted for the Nebraska
Union Board
vv y
For applications and more information stop by the
ASUN office, 115 Nebraska Union, or call John
Kreuschcr at 472-2531 or 4644)283.
A DEADLINE IS April 23
I INTERVIEWS ARE April 23-25
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