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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2001)
Bill would try to ease heating woes ■ L8502 changes taxes on natural gas to be based on usage instead of a fixed rate. BY GEORGE GREEN Nebraskans struggling with soaring heating costs this winter might find solace in knowing cheaper bills could be on the horizon. The Revenue Committee heard testimony Wednesday on LB502, which would change how the state taxes natural gas. The bill, introduced by Sen. John Hilgert of Omaha, would change natural gas taxes from a 6.5 percent sales tax to an adjustable excise tax based on energy use. With a sales tax in place, the state's bank account swells when gas prices rise because citizens shell out more taxable dough, Hilgert said. If LB502 gets a nod from the Legislature, the government won’t get extra tax money when gas prices rise because the new tax would not consider prices, it would only consider use. Less tax money is good in this situation because it means less burden on citizens strapped for cash, Hilgert said. “I don’t want the state to piggy-back’’ on the hardship of citizens, he said. Representatives from a vari ety of utility companies, includ Legislature ing Kansas City, Mo.-based UtiliCorp United, one of Nebraska’s largest natural-gas providers, lined up to support Hilgert’s bill. ' Doug Clark, a UtiliCorp spokesman, said his company helped Hilgert craft a bill that helped out desperate citizens. But Stan Timm, the finance director for the City of Omaha, said the bill wouldn’t help des perate municipalities. Of the 6.5 percent sales tax, 1.5 percent goes to cities and 5 percent goes to the state. By axing the tax, the state forces some cities into serious financial troubles, Timm said. The City of Omaha takes in more than $2 million each year from the sales tax on natural gas, he said. Yanking these precious dol lars would force Omaha to jack up other taxes or cut services, he said. “We don’t want to have our legs cut out from under us,” he said. Hilgert acknowledged the plight of municipalities, but he said the government couldn’t put its own difficulties ahead of its citizens’. “The state shouldn’t have a hand in the citizen’s hardships,” he said. Campaign finance laws draw criticism CAMPAIGN from page 1 didates the option of staying under a spend ing ceiling. Candidates who choose to forgo the spending limit must provide a good-faith statement detailing how much they plan to spend over the lid. The state steps into the picture after the statement is filed find pro vides matching funds to the opponent of the candidate who opted out of the limit. The goal of the law is to equalize the campaign process and keep campaign spending down, Gould said. Thus far, he said, the law has worked per fectly. Only a hand full of candidates have broken through the voluntary ceiling since the Legislature enacted the law, he said. And, he said, Ferlic has been the only candidate to truly shatter the barrier. Moreover, he said Ferlic intentionally schemed against the law. “It was a contrived effort to shock the CFLA (Campaign Finance Limitation Act),” he said. Ferlic announced his spending plan on the last possible day to file spending state ments, and Brashear filed a lawsuit against the law on the same day, he said. Nevertheless, Gould said he supported Brashear’s lawsuit because it would test the law and give it finality. “This could be the case that goes all the way to the Supreme Court,” he said. Until the court rules, he said the law should stay on the books because it protect ed poor people’s freedom of speech. If it’s repealed, he said the wealthy would get another step up on the less fortunate. “Wealthy men can speak louder than the poor,” he said. Despite its lofty goal, Dave Heineman, Nebraska state treasurer, said the law was “a noble failure.” It’s chock full of loopholes that let candi dates skirt the restrictions, he said. For example, candidates who stick to the limits don't get a dime of state money until their opponents spend 40 percent of their money that is beyond the limit. Therefore, crafty candidates could stop at 39 percent beyond the cap and keep their opponents from getting state money. The result is one candidate having nearly twice the resources of another, he said. Issues about independent expenditures, which aren’t governed by the law, further cripple the act, he said. More importantly, he said taxpayers don’t want to pick up the tab for campaigns. Fees paid by citizens who violate the law provide the backbone of the campaign fund. These technicalities and other more complicated problems shoot a good idea in the foot, he said. And, Heineman said, lawmakers should recognize the act’s problems and erase the law. “It’s time to repeal the law,” he said. Faculty mulls grading changes CRAPES fir6m page 1 “No single activity the uni versity takes is likely to have a big effect by itself,” he said. “The grading system by itself is not what makes the difference. I think it’s sad that students will argue against working harder.” Karen Lyons, assistant direc tor of the Honors Program and an English professor, said she was in favor of the new system. “It allows us much more accuracy in the assessment of students,” she said. “I think that this is a very good grading sys tem.” Lyons said the system would allow students applying to law and medical schools to submit grades that would not be altered to compare with grades from schools that use plus-minus sys tems. She also said though stu dents may be worried about keeping scholarships, her sense was that scholarship and Honors Program requirements would change with the system. Now, honors students must maintain a 3.5 grade point aver age - a B+ average - to remain in the program. Under the new sys tem, a B+ average would corre spond to a 3.33. Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman said he had confidence that the faculty would maintain fairness to students while increasing academic challenges under the new system. "The grading system is an assessment of student perform ance,” he said. “The real test is, ‘Can you challenge students to perform at a higher level?'” EARN MONEY BY PARTICIPATING IN UNL JURY RESEARCH! Research on jury decision making will require about two hours. Contact Marc Patry at 472-0483 to schedule an appointment. Reunion holds onto past REUNION from page 1 struction remain. Paint splatters line the floor and walls, and left over canvasses are scattered around the space. A random row of lockers sits in the middle of the room. In other rooms, left over display cases remain. A few precisely positioned buckets collect water that drips into the building. “The Reunion serves as a transition space,” said John Benson, director of Institutional Research and Planning. The second floor is used to store part of the university museum’s collection, Benson said. The lower level contains samples for the earth and con servation survey. The future of the building remains in limbo. The universi ty's master plan, which spans the next 25 years, eventually calls for the building to be tom down, but no date has been set, Benson said.f Said Jenkins, the building’s owner when it was in its union heyday. “Once the first business closed, everything fell apart.” (11 a v * c r\ S t. \! a r y Lodge !formation call: 10-368-3689 Ammonia used in meth faces ban BY GWEN T1ETGEN Charging criminals for mak ing methamphetamine is a prob lem for Nebraska law enforce ment officials. Anhydrous ammonia, a sub stance farmers and the agriculture industry use to fertilize com, soy beans and other crops, is also used to make methamphetamine. LB815, introduced by Sen. Ed Schrock of Elm Creek, adds anhy drous ammonia to the list of drug paraphernalia and closes the gap in current state law between using the substance as a drug and a fertilizer. < The bill was heard in the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. No action was taken. Under the bill, anhydrous ammonia would be illegal when not in a container approved by the Department of Agriculture and when intended for the use of producing a methamphetamine. Tom Mutt, sheriff from the Phelps County Sheriff’s Depart ment, brought the problem to Schrock last fall. "I felt we needed a law to com bat the using of anhydrous ammonia to make methamphet amines,” Mutt said. Because criminals tend to steal anhydrous ammonia from a 200 or 300 gallon tank, Mutt said, it leaves farmers in danger. "This substance is very dan gerous," he said. “It can bum your eyes out, suck the air out of your lungs and cause severe damage to the skin.” Schrock said the bill was aimed at helping law enforce ment officials and farmers simul taneously. “It'll help give law enforce ment officers another tool to stop this kind of activity,” he said. Recycle your Daily Nebraskan For All Your Party Needs! Budweiser Reg. or Lt. 18 pk cans wm.9.99 Busch Reg. or Lt. 12 pk cans wm.5.29 Miller High Life 30 pk cans wm.9.99 Boulevard 6 pk wm.4.99 Coors Reg or Lt 30 pk cans wm.14.99 Captain Morgan 1.75 L.19.99 Skol Vodka 1.75 L.9.99 Southern Comfort 750 ML....8.99 Prices good through 2/14/01 Mi ' •» FAT TIRE 19th &N 477-6077 I Everything you wanted your mother to make for Breakfast! Our mouth-watering breakfast is available til 11 am No matter what time your morning starts, you can always get a variety of scrumptious breakfast items. ebraska Unions Check out the Union! -Billiards, Game Tables, and Foosball at the RecRoom -Study areas great for groups and individuals -24-hour Computer Lab for convenience -Copy Center for your copying needs Series of forums help address women's issues FROM STAFF REPORTS The Chancellor’s Commiss ion on the Status ofWomen hopes to gather the experiences of women faculty, staff and students to get a feel of what the climate for women at the University of Nebraska-lincoln is like. Commission members hope to get feedback from women at an 11:30 a.m. forum today in the Culture Center multipurpose room. The forum will be open for women to tell about their experi ences. Three other forums will take place in addition to today’s. The next forum will be held Feb. 21 at 11:30 a.m. at the Nebraska East Union. On March 6, the forum will be field in the Nebraska Union at 11:30 a.m. On March 9, a forum will be held during the “Honoring Women’s Voices” con ference. Jan Deeds, assistant director of student involvement and a member of the commission, said she hoped students would partic ipate in one of the forums. “It’s very important that we have student input on what the climate is, as well as faculty input,” Deeds said. Those who don’t feel comfort able participating in the forum setting can e-mail Deeds at jdeedsl@unl.edu. Those who e mail should include whether they want to have their names dis closed. An anonymous letter can also be sent to Deeds at the Women’s Center at 340 Nebraska Union. Deeds said the commission wanted to know both the positive and negative experiences women on campus have had. “We want to know whether there are places, departments or people that have made them feel welcome,” she said. The feedback gathered will be compiled and presented to the chancellor. www.dailyneb.com WSave. on Men's S> Women's... Suits Dresses Ties Sportcoats rTHI$ IS ALL THE r COOP STUFF MARKED DOWN TO RIDICULOUSLY m Jj ffr
