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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2000)
\ r-' E I / State legislators bring a ‘calm’ session to a close | END from 1 ~ passing bills that would have increased § teachers’ pay and benefits. Instead, sen ators established a task force to evaluate ways to better compensate teachers in next year’s legislative sessioa Although some of die big issues fell through die cracks, Johanns said he was » pleased with how the session went “Together we have addressed the important issues fapftig Nebraskans,” he said. The governor addressed the sena , tors Wednesday afternoon and drew on issues he had mentioned in January in . his State of the State address, which included lower taxes, less government, building Nebraska^ economy, protect ing families and the health, safety and success of tiie state’s children. The governor commended the sen ators on the passage of LB900; which merged the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and the Nebraska Department of Water Resources because he said it was a step toward accomplishing his goal of less government He cited LB950, which created the Infant Hearing Act, and LB 1436, which established the Teen Tobacco Prevention and Education Project, as legislation aimed at protecting the state’s children. “This Legislature has done very good work,” he said. Sen. Jim Cudaback of Riverdale, vice chairman of the General Affairs Committee, said overall, he felt this year’s session was productive. “If the body has a will, they can find a way to do what they want,” he said. Cudaback said he was concerned mainly with legislation dealing with underage and binge drinking. Cudaback said he was happy with dis cussion centering on these issues, but he thought that more progress needed to be made. “We need to make the safety of our youth our priority,” he said. Cudaback said he was disappointed the committee failed to advance LR289CA, which would have placed a question on the general election ballot in November on whether casino-style gambling should be permitted on feder ally recognized American Indian reser vations. The committee voted 4-4 on the issue, leaving it deadlocked, and when the bill’s sponsor, Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln, filed a motion to pull the bill from committee, it failed by a vote of 23-24. Twenty-five votes are needed to pull a bill from committee.Cudaback said he was dis appointed because he felt Nebraskans deserved to vote on the issue. Senators passed bills dealing with mental health care, juvenile justice, teen tobacco prevention and education and child care, and those issues topped the list facing the Health and Human ^ This Legislature has done very . good work Gov. Mike Johanns Services Committee this session said Jeff Santema, legal counsel for the committee. Santema said the committee’s chairman, Sen. Jim Jensen of Omaha, was pleased with this year’s session. “(Jensen) felt significant progress has been made and looks forward to working during the interim,” Santema said. Tenure ofASUN bilk often ends with term « BILLS from 1 Schafer said Bowling added that when ASUN speaks on behalf of students on an issue, it may not be necessary for the senate to reiterate its stance on the issue every term. “ASUN’s already made its state ment,” Bowling said. “The resolution isn’t still in effect, but it’s still kind of a held belief.” Urrvano Gamez, an Arts and Sciences senator, said if ASUN wanted its legislation to have a more lasting effect, it could pass a bylaw, bylaw amendment or a constitutional amend ment. These remain in effect even when a new senate is inducted. A bylaw or bylaw amendment can be passed by two-thirds of the senate. In November, ASUN voted unani mously to change its bylaws and include NU on Wheels, a program funded by student fees. The legacy of bylaws and bylaw amendments are longer, but they are harder to pass than a regular bill, which requires only a majority vote ftom the senate. A constitutional amendment requires the support of two-thirds of the students who vote in ASUN elec tions. In the last two years, no constitu tional amendments have passed. Criticism for ASUN’s policy of having bills and resolutions last only one term came from UNEs peer insti tutions. At the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Kansas, senators must agree with the previous legislation or take direct measures to oppose it. Lawrence Houston, student gov ernment chief justice for the University of Iowa’s student judicial court, said bills stayed valid until the senate took specific action to counter act them. Legislation remains effective so senates “aren’t building everything from scratch every single year,” Houston said. Iowa’s student senate maintains legislation from year to year because fluidity is a characteristic of all good government, Houston said. Bowling disagreed. “With an oiganization that is not representing a large group of people, I can see why you would want to keep old resolutions for fluidity,” Bowling said. 1 “But we’re representing a group of students that is not static; it’s always changing, so we have to change with it.” Career Services Snapshot % ...see what’s developing in Career Services ” nt DS» Nfi.brflstefl UUaXo i/b Bring resumes to submit 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. For more information — http://www.uni.edn/careers./ees/erd.htm UNL Career Services — 230 NE Union — 316 East Campus Union '' v ' ■"'. . ■ s 12 & O Si. www.sartorhamann.w.