Class I bills draw crowd in Lincoln

Bills to restore Class I schools drew an impressive crowd Tuesday, Sen. Mark Christensen said today at the McCook Chamber of Commerce's weekly legislative conference call.

Three bills were introduced and heard in the Education committee, with Christensen hearing the most favorable comments on Sen. Cap. Dierks bill LB234.

But the senator said he is leaning toward LB 30, by Sen. Carol Hudkins and a McCook School board member asked for support on yet another bill, Sen. Ron Raikes' LB 658.

Sen. Raikes was the sponsor of LB 126, which merged Class I's with the K-12 districts. The law was repealed by Nebraska voters in the November election.

LB 234 would restore Class I schools as they were before they were forced to merge last year with their affiliated K-12 district. LB 30 would call for a vote of patrons in Class I and Class VI before the schools would be reinstated by a special election. LB 658 would recreate the schools after signatures were gathered from affected districts, it was voted on special election and the school was approved by a state reorganization committee.

Most of his constituents have expressed support for LB 234, he said, with a number of people stopping by his office Tuesday. "This is an important issue for a lot of people," he said.

McCook School Board member Mike Gonzales asked for support LB 658, citing concerns with the other bills. Districts have spent the money and staff has changed, he said and it would be more fair to allow patrons to vote on the issue, as outlined in LB 658.

Christensen said he hasn't pledged support to any of the bills.

"My mind is not made up yet," he stated. LB 234, which would automatically restore all boundaries, assets and liabilities back to Class I schools, has its detractors, mainly those districts who have merged and do not want to come back as a Class I schools, he said. LB 30 appears more even-handed as it allows the patrons of both districts to vote on the issue, he said.

Other bills discussed included workmen's compensation disbursements to hospitals and tax credits for long-term care insurance

LB 304 would lower tax credits for long-term care insurance from age 60 to age 50, promoting greater responsibility for individuals instead of the state having to pay for these costs, said Larry Eisenmenger. The government will be facing huge costs if it is expected to bankroll long-term health care costs.

As the bill would promote individual responsibility, "Let's help them out with a tax credit," Eisenmenger said.

John Wilkerson of Curtis, who was also part of the conference call, asked if the tax credit could be adjusted according to gross income. "Someone with a $2 million income doesn't need the tax credit," he said.

Christensen said he understood Wilkerson's concern and agreed with the bill but that the "separation of classes" would probably not fly on the floor of the Legislature.

Jim Ulrich of Community Hospital in McCook asked about the status of LB 588. The Nebraska Hospital Association testified about the bill on its hearing this week.

A lot of workmen's comp insurance carriers try to challenge payments, Ulrich said, which is not that big of a problem in rural hospitals but is creating major losses for hospitals in urban areas.

"There really needs to be some structure in place," he said.

The 2007 Legislature session is one third complete, with senators having until March 13 to name their priority bills. Christensen said he is planning to name his water bill, LB 701, as his priority bill but will wait to see what happens to it after its first committee hearing Feb. 28.