Housing authority consolidation plan stalls

Lawmakers voted Feb. 11 to strike the enacting clause of a bill that would have required development of a regional housing authority plan for the Omaha area.

Introduced by Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford, LB49 would have created a joint committee to develop a plan for the creation of a single housing authority in a county with a metropolitan class city. Currently, Omaha is the only metropolitan class city in Nebraska.

The committee would consist of two members each from the Omaha Metropolitan Housing Authority and the Douglas County Housing Authority. The original four members of the committee then would select three additional members.

The committee would be required to report to the Urban Affairs Committee by Jan. 1, 2014.

Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers filed a motion to return LB49 from final reading for consideration of an amendment to strike the enacting clause.

Chambers said the bill would be ineffective because it contained no consequences for the newly created committee should they choose not to meet or develop a plan.

“If the Legislature is going to act in this area, they should do so decisively,” he said.

“I take our lawmaking very seriously and I think a law should be enacted only if a persuasive reason can be given for its enactment.”

After initially opposing the motion, Ashford said the bill’s provisions could be strengthened and amended into another bill that he introduced regarding housing authorities.

“I agree with Sen. Chambers,” he said. “I’m going to give him his point.”

Senators voted 43-0 to return the bill for consideration of the Chambers amendment. The amendment was adopted 39-0, effectively killing the bill.