UPDATED Thursday @6:39pm Unfortunately, the NE Unicameral voted 30 to 16 to override the Governor’s veto on LB599 this afternoon between 4-5pm. We will be publishing the roll call on this vote this evening, along with other information NE Senators to Vote Wed., April 18, Last Session Day LB599 Veto Override Will our legislators vote… more
“‘Next January … you are going to be begging and pleading and scratching and clawing for every dime,’ Omaha Sen. Burke Harr warned his colleagues during floor debate . . . ‘We don’t have the money.’” ~ “’Sadly, the . . . senators who supported these proposals have no plan for our financial future except… more
Readers are referred to a Local View column published today, April 13, 2012, in the Lincoln Journal-Star that was co-written by Shelli and me. In the article, we argue that Governor Heineman should use the opportunity presented by his veto of LB599 to draw a line against the Unicameral’s profligate spending. I recommend that readers… more
Last evening we published the letter we sent to 48 of Nebraska’s Senators about LB599. We also wanted to share a letter from one of our readers who contacted his own Senator, Colby Coash (District 27), who voted for LB599 in the first two rounds. Even IF you read this article after the third round… more
GiN's letter to all NE Senators regarding LB599 - the effort to expand Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants and others deemed ineligible by the Federal government. more
In recent days, the Lincoln-Journal Star has published what amounts to a one-two punch in the form of articles intended to push a bill expanding Nebraska’s Medicaid program to provide coverage for prenatal care. Senator Kathy Campbell, a Republican, embarked on this crusade to expand Medicaid well over two years ago when some 1600 pregnant… more
The Nebraska Unicameral, is, as we all know, a one house legislative body, and, officially “non-partisan”. After having observed the legislative process for quite some time, both from a distance, and up close, we stopped puzzling over this paradigm. What the Nebraska Unicameral is, is clear. Last fall, Linda wrote the following article: Nebraska is… more
“The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” ~ James Madison, 1829 So, all quiet on the health care front? Definitely not. There were recent news reports about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to consolidate and hear several health care law… more
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! Wait… Is that a football? No, but it is brown. And it is oblong. Hey, it’s smoking! Wait! It’s a hot potato! It’s America’s new national past time and no, sorry, Husker fans, it is not football. It’s called Pipeline Hot Potato. So, let’s play! Let’s meet our… more
Nebraska was one of only fourteen states to see the successful passage of a State Sovereignty Resolution in the two year period 2009 – 2010, while well over thirty states had resolutions. In other words, the passage of the Nebraska resolution on April 13, 20101 , was no small thing. It took an organized effort… more