Senators feeling pressure from Hergert lobbyists, Omaha school interests

Friday, April 7, 2006

LINCOLN -- Dave Hergert has hired lobbyists in his fight against the impeachment proceedings, Sen. Tom Baker said in his weekly teleconference to the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, a fact Baker found surprising.

"We're in uncharted water here, folks," Baker said, adding that the last time the Nebraska legislature went through the impeachment process was sometime in the 1980s with Attorney General Paul Douglas, who resigned before being impeached in connection with the Commonwealth Savings scandal.

"This is unheard of," Baker said.

One of the lobbyists has already contacted him, Baker said, in an effort to change the senator's mind. Baker said he told the lobbyist that he would listen to the whole story when it gets to the floor, and anticipated the Legislature would address the issue on the penultimate day of the session.

Baker predicted that it would be resolved in one day of debate with no special session scheduled.

A special session may be called for for the Omaha Public School district boundary dispute, however.

He and other rural senators have been bombarded by hundreds, if not thousands, of e-mails daily from people in the Elkhorn, Millard and Omaha areas, he said, urging the rural senators to vote a certain way.

"I've never seen anything like this," Baker said.

The bill concerning the boundary dispute, LB1024, was unclear and hasn't been worked out well, he said, and in his opinion, is not ready to be put into law.

There was good news for livestock producers, Baker said, with the passage of LB990.

This bill would help out livestock producers with incentives programs who wanted to expand or construct feedlots, he said. With the minimum investment at $25,000, producers who expanded within regulations can get 10 percent back as a refundable tax credit, up to $300,000.

The goal of this program is to get livestock producer numbers up, as they have been going down the past few years.

Baker does not see a reversal of Initiative 300, which was stricken down and then appealed.

LB1248, that concerned Medicaid reform, was "stonewalled" with Sen. Jenssen who sponsored the bill finally pulling the bill in "disgust," Baker said. This bill has been in the works for a year, he said, but senators were trying to remove amendments to it which prompted Jenssen to pull it.

More money will be available to rural areas from an incentive bill for convention centers, also known as the Qwest Center bill. Baker said the percentage rate rose from 20 to 30 percent that rural areas can apply for to upgrade facilities, which Maywood has done for their city auditorium.

Baker also mention the status of LB965, which has moved to select file, that would allow refundable tax credits for long term insurance.

The McCook City Council even made the news on the legislature floor, Baker said, with several people asking him what the story was. Baker said he directed them to "read the paper."

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