2014 State Legislature

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Coyote
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2014 State Legislature

Post by Coyote »

6 hot topics facing the 2014 Nebraska Legislature
Martha Stoddard: World-Herald Bureau wrote:The Nebraska Legislature convenes today for its 2014 session. It's a short 60-day session, but one with lots of big issues on the agenda: taxes, Medicaid, gay marriage, mountain lion hunting and prison overcrowding, among them.

Here's a look at some issues lawmakers are expected to grapple with this session:
Charter schools
Electoral votes
Motorcycle helmets
Gay marriage
E-cigarettes
Vets home
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Coyote
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by Coyote »

5 things to know about Nebraska's 2014
GRANT SCHULTE: Associated Press wrote:Nebraska lawmakers will kick off a 60-day session on Wednesday with looming debates over taxes, the state prison system and a renewed push to expand Medicaid. It's also the final regular session before a hotly contested governor's race, and the last go-around for Gov. Dave Heineman and 16 term-limited state senators - nearly one-third of the Legislature.

Here are five things to keep an eye on once the 2014 session begins:

1. WILL THE STATE ENACT TAX REFORMS?
2. DOES EXPANDED MEDICAID HAVE A CHANCE THIS YEAR?
3. WHAT STEPS ARE PLANNED ON PRISON REFORM?
4. HOW MIGHT TERM LIMITS AFFECT THE SESSION?
5. WILL LAWMAKERS ENACT WATER REFORMS?
bigredmed
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by bigredmed »

Coyote wrote:6 hot topics facing the 2014 Nebraska Legislature
Martha Stoddard: World-Herald Bureau wrote:The Nebraska Legislature convenes today for its 2014 session. It's a short 60-day session, but one with lots of big issues on the agenda: taxes, Medicaid, gay marriage, mountain lion hunting and prison overcrowding, among them.

Here's a look at some issues lawmakers are expected to grapple with this session:
Charter schools
Electoral votes
Motorcycle helmets
Gay marriage
E-cigarettes
Vets home
1. Charter schools don't get past the education lobby.
2. Electoral votes will be discussed. Omaha should oppose the change back to the regular system as the current system gives us a little more value in the presidential races.
3. Motorcycle helmets will not be made optional.
4. Gay marriage should have been legalized a while ago, but won't be this year. It probably won't get past the first round, and maybe not out of committee.
5. E-cigs: Small potatoes issue that will be used as comic relief around taxes and medicaid.
6. Vets home: will stay in it's new location.
7. Expanded Medicaid: probably will not happen in Nebraska (the Insurance Commission is run by real world people who can count. They know that the fed isn't going to be able to fund this forever, and that Nebraska will be stuck with a huge bill going forward. Look for the economic impact statements of any proposal to be negative.)
8. Water use: incremental change to avoid more Republican river issues.
9. Prison reform: they are too expensive to build and a lot of non-violent offenders are there. Look for sentencing changes. Look for calls for more mental health by people who can't count, and thus don't understand the basic problem underlying the shortage.
10. Tax reform will probably not happen even though this would be a great opportunity to do something given that 14 of 49 senators are out after this and the governor could use a major reform as a capstone.
11. The airplane: Having flown on these rickety old aircraft, and nearly been killed twice due to severe mechanical failures that would have grounded a commercial fleet, I would hope that the legislature would find money for the Nebraska Air National Guard to buy and maintain a couple of small planes to be used by the state and them (as well as CAP) that are new and in good working order, and have warranties and available spare parts and with the Air Guard maintaining them, they won't blow an engine at 12,000 feet between Scottsbluff and Ogallala. Or be maintained by subpar mechanics that dont' tighten hoses so that all the fluids drain out of the engine at 10,000 feet between Omaha and Hastings. This probably won't happen either. Thus, I drive when I have to travel for the state.
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Seth
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by Seth »

Thanks for the input!
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iamjacobm
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by iamjacobm »

http://www.ketv.com/politics/winnertake ... b/24309534
Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont ended his push for the measure on Wednesday, acknowledging that he didn't have enough votes to overcome a legislative filibuster. Lawmakers moved the bill to the bottom of their agenda, effectively killing it for the year.
YES!
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Brad
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by Brad »

What about the MECA bill? Any word on that one yet.
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jessep28
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by jessep28 »

Charlie Janssen isn't having the best week.
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iamjacobm
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by iamjacobm »

jessep28 wrote:Charlie Janssen isn't having the best week.
Fine by me. He would of been very bad for the state.
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Coyote
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

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Say goodbye to any more legislation. Uncle Ernie has the floor to filibuster to the end, unless he can get his way to end Cougar Hunting in Nebraska.
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S33
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by S33 »

Wasn't that a bizarre, insult-laced rant he went on the other day, because of the "cougar bill?" The old man has lost his |expletive| mind.
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Brad
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

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According to Joe Duggan from the OWH ‏( @JoeDugganOWH )this mock-up of the 2014 Nebraska License Plate was handed out by Sen. Charlie Janssen today in the Legislature...

Image
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nativeomahan
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Re: 2014 State Legislature

Post by nativeomahan »

Apparently that didn't sit well with many senators. I think Janssen later apologized.

The session is now over, except for one day reserved for veto override attempts, next week. As usual, much got accomplished, and much was left for next year.
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