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Sales tax bill advances
By Todd Anderson
Assignment Reporter
The Legislature advanced a bill
Tuesday that would include a small
state sales-tax decrease, but it won’t
see the governor’s desk unless it’s
passed within the last three days of
the session.
Sen. Dave Maurstad of Beatrice
introduced an amendment to LB 1104
that would have decreased perma
nently the state sales tax by 0.5 per
cent.
But senators said the state could
n’t count on an extended economic
boom to pay for a permanent
decrease in the sales tax.
The Legislature then approved an
amendment that would limit the
decrease to one year.
If passed, the amendment to the
bill would transfer $80 million from
the state’s cash reserve fund to the
general fund to pay for the tax cut.
Sens. Ernie Chambers of Omaha
and Gene Tyson of Norfolk both said
the sales-tax cut would benefit low
income households especially.
Chambers said poor people would
benefit more from sales-tax decreas
es because they use a larger percent
age of their income for daily spend
ing than wealthy people.
The bill was advanced by the
Legislature 38-1. The sole opposition
vote was from Sen. Stan
Schellpepper of Stanton.
Nelson signs sex-offender legislation
By Todd Anderson
Assignment Reporter
Nebraska caught up with the
rest of the nation Tuesday when
Gov. Ben Nelson signed into law a
bill that will require the Nebraska
State Patrol to notify families about
sex offenders in their neighbor
hoods.
Nelson signed LB204, which
will require the state patrol to tell
residents when someone convicted
of sexual misconduct moves into
the area.
Nebraska is the 49* state to pass
its own version of a 1994 federal
law called Megan’s Law, named for
a young girl killed by a rapist in
New Jersey.
“(This bill) will provide the pro
tection and peace of mind ... to
.assure citizens that we’re doing
everything we can do to protect
them,” Nelson said.
U.S. Rep. Jon Christensen, who
supported die bill in Congress, said
the passing of Megan’s Law in
Nebraska will make communities
safer for children, though he regret
ted it was not passed sooner.
“Our streets are just a little bit
safer,” he said.
State Patrol Sgt. Gary Plank
said his office is creating a system
for determining the level of risk of
sex offenders and will have it work
ing in January.
Sex offenders will be ranked in
three tiers based on the nature of the
crime and the likelihood that the
criminal will be a repeat offender.
Neighborhood residents will be
notified in a letter or in person if a
high-risk offender moves into their
neighborhood, while schools and
day care centers will be notified
about medium-risk offenders.
The state patrol will watch areas
where low-risk offenders live and
also will tell other states when a
released criminal moves out of
Nebraska.
Omaha Sen. Kate Witek, a co
sponsor of the bill, said the names
of about 500 criminals will be
released, but the law will not affect
past offenders.
Nelson said a rating system
needs to be in place to determine
who should know about which
crimes so that citizens are not over
loaded with information that does
n’t affect them.
The governor said the law finds
a balance between safeguarding the
reputation and interests of the indi
vidual and protecting the public.
“It’s critical to draw the line in a
fair way,” he said, “and this bill does
that.”
Local levy bill signed
Gov. Ben Nelsotf sighed
LB989 on Monday, a bill that
will put a 2.5 percent base lim
itation on local governments’
spending growth in the fiscal
year 1998-99.
The base limitation could be
exceeded by 1 percent with a
three-fourths vote of the local
government and could be
exceeded beyond that with a
vote by the people.
For all local governments,
except school districts, the
bill’s lid actually would be
imposed on restricted funds,
which include revenue from
property taxes, local sales taxes
and state aid.
But for school districts, the
lid would be imposed only on
general fund expenditures,
exempting special education
expenditures.
Sen. George Coordsen of
Hebron, the bill’s sponsor, said
he was happy the bill had
passed after the several months
of work that had been put into
it.
“This addresses something
the Legislature has had a prob
lem addressing - property tax
relief,” lie said.
The bill passed on a 39-5
vote Thursday in the
Legislature and will be effec
tive immediately because of the
emergency clause.
Nelson signs POP bill
Tuesday evening Gov. Ben
Nelson signed LB320, a bill
that will create a graduated
licensing system for young dri
vers.
Under the new law, 16-year
olds will get a provisional oper
ator’s permit rather than a dri
ver’s license. Teens with a POP
will not be able to drive unsu
pervised between the hours of
midnight and 6 a.m., except
when they are driving to or
from a job or school activity, or
unless accompanied by an adult
who is at least 21 years old.
The earliest age at which
one could get a driver’s license
is 17.
Nelson also attached a note
to the bill asking legislators to
take a closer look at the curfew
rule during the next session.
Peru State gets funds
Peru State College will
receive a greatly needed
makeover with funds appropri
ated by two bills that received
final approval from the gover
nor Monday afternoon.
Gov. Ben Nelson signed into
law LB 1138, which will give
money to Peru State College for
renovation and construction of
buildings on its Peru campus.
The college will receive
more than $13 million from the
State Building Fund to repair
old buildings and construct an
addition to Hoyt Science Hall.
LB1138 also authorizes the
Commission for Postsecondary
Commission to perform a ,
study to determine whether
Peru State College should ,
remain in Peru or move to !
Nebraska City.
Nelson also signed LB799
Monday, which will create the ‘
Nebraska Cultural Preservation
Endowment Fund for statewide
arts and humanities projects.
Compiled by Legislative 1
Reporters Todd Anderson and
Joy Ludwig *
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Model scouts
scope Lincoln
By Kelly Romanski
Staff Reporter
Their interviews lasted two
seconds.
If they had long hair, they
held it up so the scouts could get
a look at their jutting jaw lines.
They heard one of two curt
responses: “Thank you, you’re
free to go,” or, “Thank you,
please stay.”
Recently, modeling talent
scouts with Manhattan Model
Search spent a day recruiting
models at the Cornhusker Hotel,
333 S. 13th St., but the day and
the glimpse into the modeling
industry wasn’t the fashion fairy
tale many expected.
If they were one of the many
“free to go,” they were urged not
to take it personally, then shuf
fled away.
“It does not mean you’re ugly
or a loser,” said Katherine
for MMS. “You just don’t have
what the companies we represent
are looking for.”
And if they’re asked to stay,
the scouts will provide informa
tion about the next step,
McKeever said. But they won’t
promise fame, she said.
“We’re not here to fill heads
with falsities.”
Out of the 200 model hope
fuls - both boys and girls, men
and women - who tried their
luck in the Cornhusker’s Grand
Ballroom, only 10 were asked to
stay.
Only four of them were older
than 12.
Lisa McCune, a 16-year-old
sophomore at Lincoln East High
School, said she had been to
model searches before and had
been asked to stay each time.
But she was surprised at the
Cornhusker when she was
turned away.
“I just came for fun,”
McCune said, with a downward
gaze and a disappointed look.
Had she been selected to stay
after passing the initial inspec
tion, she would have been asked
to attend a Regional Model
«
(Being rejected)
does not mean
you ’re ugly .or a
loser.”
Katherine McKeever
MMS scouting director
Search attended by scouts from
several famous modeling agen
cies.
“The Regional Model Search
is one day that can really change
your life,” states an MMS
brochure. “It’s your real-life
chance to be signed by a top
agency and begin an exciting
career as a professional model.”
Only those asked to stay got
the brochure. But everyone got a
viaeo louung me rewards oi
modeling.
McCune called the video
“fake.”
The video states MMS has
started more modeling careers
than any other scouting firm.
MMS looks for all sorts of
models for their affiliated agen
cies, the video states - every
thing from the high-profile fash
ion models to the more ordinary
looking commercial models
needed to sell everyday prod
ucts.
McKeever said scouts know
the looks they search for, and
they know instantly - right on
the spot.
Only the right looks sell, and
the modeling industry runs on
commission from models’ earn
ings, McKeever said.
Models typically keep 80
percent of their earnings, and
their representing agency gets
20 percent. If talent scouts like
MMS find the model for the
agency, they take 5 percent of
that model’s earnings from the
agency.
“It’s a business,” said
McKeever. “Nobody cares about
your feelings ... you’re just mak
ing money (for the agency).”
Smith: State funds shrinking
SENATE from page 1
teed of $538 million to pay the
:alaries with the new increases,
rhose salaries now cost $305 million.
A statute requires salaries to meet
he midpoint of the university’s peer
nstitutions. NU is 6 percent below
his midpoint, Smith said.
Raising tuition will not be the
solution either, Smith said. For every
>ercentage point the university
ncreages tuition, it brings in
>900,000, Smith said. NU would
lave to raise tuition by 300 percent
ige points, which is too large.
Also, Smith said, Republican
gubernatorial candidates hoping to
:ut the stats budget will probably fur
her cut the state’s funding to higher
education.
The Legislature Tuesday
idvanced LB 1104, which included
m amendment to cut state sales tax
>y 0.5 percent. If passed, this would
:ut a minimum of $17 million from
'JU’s budget, Smith said.
Smith and NU administrators
lave looked at possible solutions,
rhese included the consolidation of
iome academic departments,
ncreased funded research, business
:ontracts and the reallocation of uni
versity funds. Administration also
ihould consider ways to increase
enrollment, Chancellor James
Moeser said.
Last year’s UNL reallocations
brought criticism from many faculty
members who attended the meeting.
Merlyn Nielsen, animal science
professor, said that when realloca
tions are made, administrators must
make sure they are not shortchanging
any parts of the university.
“How are you going to pick out a
new pair of shoes when you don’t
know what leg you are going to cut
off?”
The East Campus DEAL lab, a
faculty-supported laboratory for
developing multimedia, received the
majority of money that should have
gone to benefit all of Information
Services on both City and East cam
puses, said Gail Latta, associate pro
fessor in university libraries. As a
result, uniting the two campuses was
stunted.
Moeser said faculty-member
input was the only way to combat
such problems and improve realloca
tion next year.
Smith said many state-funded
colleges and universities are facing
similar problems and many will col
lapse.
“I certainly want to not just be a
survivor, but to become the best.”
