Hughes favors three-term limit

McCOOK, Neb. - The state legislature is one-third of the way through the session and State Sen. Dan Hughes says that the body is “hitting a rhythm,” as people are beginning to understand the new protocols that have been put in place to accommodate social distancing. Hughes spoke to constituents Thursday via Zoom at the chamber’s weekly call.

Hughes said he is in favor of Sen. Justin Wayne’s (District 13-Omaha) proposal in LR18CA, a constitutional amendment to change legislative term limits from two four-year terms, 8 years; to three four-year terms, 12 years. “I don’t like term limits, I’ve never supported term limits. We have elections for providing term limits.” Hughes said he thinks that a “sweetener” needs to be added to the amendment that would provide a lifetime limit of 12 years on service in the legislature in order to gain approval from the voters.

Hughes further explained that he feels that eight years is not enough for a senator to really affect change. “There’s a lot of bureaucracy and they wait us out. It takes four years to get up to speed, and in your last four years you’re trying to find the right levers to push to affect change. By the time you get to the point where you’re getting to the right levers, you’re done.”

Originally census information was due to be out in July, but Hughes said that has now been moved back until September, which means the legislature will have to call a special session to approve redistricting. Hughes expressed some concern that the population figures may be further delayed, making the redistricting process move into 2022. “There is an election 2022, and a primary in May of 2022, so those lines need to be drawn as soon as possible.”

Constituents asked Hughes about the $230 million correctional facility that is being proposed. If the facility is approved by lawmakers Hughes doesn’t believe that it should be built near Omaha or Lincoln, stating that he would prefer a location in the Kearney-Hastings-Grand Island area because of access to the interstate and a population base to provide a workforce. “I’m going to be very vocal about site selection not being Lincoln and Omaha. We need decentralized government, not concentrated.” Hughes went on to say it was about 50-50 on whether lawmakers would approve the $230 million for a new facility.

Hughes said that the penal system needs additional capacity as sentencing reforms put in place several years ago did not provide the reduction in incarceration levels that was desired. One constituent pointed out that the proposed facility works out to close to $150 thousand per bed ($230 million for a 1,600 bed facility), further stating that he felt it was insanity to try to “build your way out of a sentencing guideline or sentencing reform problem”.

Hughes said he didn’t think there was “much of an appetite” for sentence reductions, although he did state, “It costs a heck of a lot more to house prisoners than it does to rehabilitate, and we need to concentrate on the rehabilitation.” He went on to say that there is a lack of coordination between getting counseling and education to offenders before they are returned to society.

Hughes was also questioned about the Department of Health and Human Services contract with St. Francis Ministries to provide child welfare services for Douglas and Sarpy counties. After significantly underbidding the previous provider in July 2019, St. Francis Ministries was awarded a five-year $197 million contract. In January of 2021, DHHS signed an emergency 25-month contract with St. Francis at an estimated cost of $147.3 million in order to keep St. Francis from running out of money and discontinuing service to eastern Nebraska.

Hughes said the legislature would investigate the contract and that the problem arose, in part, because the Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Health and Human Services were not communicating during the process of procuring the original contract in 2019. The procurement process also did not include an evaluation of St. Francis Ministries’ ability to provide the required services for the amount that was bid.