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Hughes sees turnover woes in Legislature
McCOOK, Neb. -- Newly elected District 44 State Senator Dan Hughes reached the halfway point of his first legislative session this week and appears to be taking it all in stride.
Hughes has been outspoken in recent weeks that the learning curve has been massive for what is an unprecedented turnover of leadership at the state capitol this session. He reiterated those comments Friday afternoon before adding with a chuckle that he was enjoying a break and glad to be back home in the district.
Sen. Hughes took part in a Middle Republican Natural Resource District question and answer session coordinated at the Bieroc Cafe Friday afternoon.
He said it was a massive undertaking this session just for rookie legislators to get up to speed on the issues being debated. He said he was most surprised by the lack of new issues at the capitol and learned early on most topics had already been discussed at length in the past.
Sen. Hughes said the majority of legislation being discussed represented technical fixes or new approaches to solving old problems.
The senator's comments and introduced legislation seem to indicate he is taking a cautious approach this legislative session, as he acclimates himself to the position. Sen. Hughes has introduced only one piece of legislation, LB 269, a bill which intends to changes reporting requirements for state licensed abstracters.
Hughes' approach represents a significant shift for District 44 when comparing both the volume of bills introduced by his predecessor, as well as their tendency to grab headlines. Former Sen. Mark Christensen tended to introduce at least one controversial bill each session, which he typically described locally as a "conversation starter."
Although Hughes may be partaking in a more cautious approach than his predecessor, it certainly isn't indicative of his desire to take on an expanded role. Sen. Hughes was appointed to the Executive Board this session which supervises all legislative services and employees.
He said Friday he was the only first-year Senator appointed to the executive committee that most veteran legislators he had visited with were aware of.
Sen. Hughes indicated he was honored by the appointment but added it was also indicative of the massive turnover related to term-limits. Hughes said term-limits were providing a "disservice to the people of Nebraska" and described it as being akin to Community Hospital mandating all of their department heads be fired every eight years.
He said the amount of institutional knowledge lost by such turnover would be devastating to any organization and he would support future legislation aimed at correcting the situation.
Nebraska Public Service Commission Chair Gerald Vap of McCook also attended Friday's MRNRD chat and provided a recap of the commission's activity and areas of authority.
Middle Republican Natural Resource District staff members Jack Russell and Sylvia Johnson provided attendees with a brief recap of water conservation projects affecting the region.
Russell touted the success of the N-CORPE project, which has been in place for more than a year now. He said it has helped meet compact compliance and was also something that could be shutoff when deemed unnecessary.
MRNRD staff members indicated they were working with the Frenchman Valley Irrigation District on an a cooperative agreement they believed would benefit both ground and surface irrigators.