The second session of the 102nd Legislature adjourned early evening April 18 after narrowly overriding gubernatorial vetoes of bills authorizing local-option sales taxes and establishing a prenatal program for low-income women. Two other vetoes \u2013 authorizing historic horse racing and school-based health centers \u2013 were sustained.<\/p>\n
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the state’s first unicameral legislative session. As is customary, senators serving their last session were asked to speak about the experience of serving in the Nebraska Unicameral. Nine senators are leaving the Legislature due to term limits, among them Norfolk Sen. Mike Flood, who has served as speaker since 2006.<\/p>\n
Flood acknowledged the contentious nature of the issues lawmakers grappled with on the final day of the session.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like soft landings for legislative sessions,\u201d he said. \u201cOn this one we foamed the runway \u2013 but any landing you walk away from is a good landing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calling the session \u201cexceptional,\u201d Flood applauded senators for providing tax relief to citizens while funding several University of Nebraska projects, including a veterinary diagnostic center and a cancer center in Omaha.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe delivered a budget that is reasonable and balanced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Flood also praised fellow lawmakers for adhering to the principles of nonpartisanship and cooperation that he said were essential to addressing the issues contained in the 247 bills passed this session.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we addressed the state\u2019s priorities, and we did it in a way that respects each other and our people,\u201d Flood said.<\/p>\n
Chairpersons of several key legislative committees are among the term-limited senators ending their service in the Legislature this year.<\/p>\n
Bellevue Sen. Abbie Cornett was elected chairperson of the Business and Labor Committee in 2006 and became chairperson of the Revenue Committee in 2008. She said one learns quickly as a lawmaker that Nebraska is more diverse than it appears. Chairing the Revenue Committee brought contact with a wide range of citizens, she said, and taught her that decisions made at the Capitol impact the entire state.<\/p>\n
\u201cNebraska doesn\u2019t end at the metro area borders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sen. Deb Fischer of Valentine echoed that sentiment. Chairperson of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee since 2006, Fischer said the gravity of the impact senators have was clear to her when she saw her name on the voting board for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the sudden it hits you,\u201d Fischer said. \u201cEvery time you vote it affects someone\u2019s life in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
She encouraged fellow senators to bear in mind the far-reaching impact of their work.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re sometimes parochial in serving our districts,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I challenge each of you to look at the broader picture, to look at the state as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elk Creek Sen. Lavon Heidemann, who served as chairperson of the Appropriations Committee since 2006, was succinct in summing up his legislative career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good trip for a southeast Nebraska farm boy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Heidemann also said he wasn\u2019t concerned about the experience that the 2004 class of senators take with them as they depart.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll be fine,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m convinced that there are a lot of good people left here to take our places.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler agreed, noting the importance of long-serving staff in the Legislature. Chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee since 2008, Langemeier said staff members are key to a successful committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that we couldn\u2019t do this job without the people in this building,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee chairperson Rich Pahls of Boys Town said his background as a school administrator was helpful when he took over the committee in 2006. Managing a school and managing a committee are similar tasks, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all kids at heart,\u201d Pahls said. \u201cWe just happen to be taller.\u201d<\/p>\n
Omaha Sen. Gwen Howard, also elected in 2004, focused her time in the Legislature on the state\u2019s child welfare system. She encouraged fellow senators to maintain oversight of health and human service provision in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ask you to be vigilant and to continue your compassion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Calling himself \u201cjust a cowboy from the Sandhills,\u201d Sen. LeRoy Louden of Ellsworth said he was proud of his legislative efforts on behalf of economic development in rural Nebraska. In spite of his achievements, Louden said he was eager to return to the family ranch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to corralling cattle instead of votes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Departing senators spoke of the sacrifice made by their families that allowed them to serve, and Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton was no exception. Appointed to the Legislature in 2007, Fulton said senators spend a great deal of time at the Capitol, missing valuable hours with their families.<\/p>\n
When constituents offer to pray for him, Fulton said, he asks them to include his wife. \u201cShe is just as much a servant of the people of Nebraska as I am,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In his closing remarks, Flood said he also looks forward to having more time to spend with his wife and young children.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething really good is about to happen in my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The first session of the 103rd Legislature is scheduled to convene Jan. 9, 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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