Omaha World Herald. March 23, 2018
Legislature responsibly debates, decides the speed-limit issue
Nebraska lawmakers handled the speed-limit issue responsibly this week through well-conducted debate and appropriate modifications to pending legislation.
The original proposal, Legislative Bill 1009, from State Sen. John Murante of Gretna on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, said the Transportation Department should be allowed to raise speed limits from 75 mph to 80 mph on Interstate 80 between Omaha and Lincoln. The bill also allowed the speed limit to increase from 60 mph to 65 mph on stretches of two-lane highways and Interstate 80 in Douglas County and from 65 to 70 mph on four-lane expressways.
Wednesday night, the Legislature advanced the bill on a 35-2 vote after modifying it with an amendment removing I-80 from roadways eligible for a speed limit increase. State Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion introduced the amendment in light of the trucking industry’s opposition to boosting the Interstate speed limit.
“When that industry stands up and says increasing the speed limit is not a good idea, I think we should listen,” Smith said.
Representatives of Nebraska’s trucking sector had stated their strong opposition to the I-80 component during the committee hearing on the bill. Devices restrict the maximum speed on many commercial trucks to 68 mph. The proposed change for the Interstate would mean “more frequent and more serious collisions” and would create “many more opportunities for unsafe driving,” a representative from Crete Carrier testified.
The legislative debate was constructive. Rural senators described how long-distance travel is necessary in much of Nebraska and said current speed limits on specific highways are frustrating for many residents. Some senators addressed safety concerns, including issues raised by bicyclists.
The discussion about the Department of Transportation’s methods for determining speed-limit changes offered reassurance that any increases will come about only after proper study and analysis.
In the end, a reasonable consensus developed, and the bill, properly adjusted, moved forward. It was a good illustration of how a responsibly conducted legislative process should work.
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The Grand Island Independent. March 22, 2018.
Bill could build employment opportunites
Nebraska requires state licensing for about 200 professions.
That compares to an average across the country of about 90 licensed professions per state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Last year, the Nebraska Unicameral reduced the requirements for several jobs, from car salesmen to hair braiders. This year, it is considering a bill that would reduce licensing requirements for horse massage therapists.
Along with the horse massage therapist bill that passed its first vote this week, the Legislature has also advanced LB299, a bill introduced by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete that would require a Legislature review of job-licensing requirements every five years.
The state has a long way to go in reducing its licensing requirements to be comparable to neighboring states. But this bill is one step that can be taken to reduce the disparity.
Lawmakers would still be able to make changes in licensing requirements every year, but if enacted into law, LB299 would set up a process to prevent them from getting sidetracked from the effort to reduce licensing restrictions.
Regulations are being loosened because the state is preventing people from practicing their trades here. Rather than go through the extensive training and expense to be licensed in Nebraska, they move to Iowa or Colorado where they don’t need a license.
Ebke’s bill passed its first vote with no opposition. Legislators have recognized how important it is that the state become more supportive of people who want to live and work here.
There are good reasons for many of the licenses required by the state. There are many professions for which the state must ensure that consumers will be dealing with people who are qualified for the jobs. Physicians and nurses must complete rigorous training and testing in order to offer their services.
But when the state has 200 jobs that require licensing, it’s clear that there must be some for which the state is setting up unnecessary barriers.
The horse massage therapist license, which is held by no one in Nebraska, is a good example. There’s no licensing requirement for farriers, who nail horseshoes onto horses’ feet, but in order to offer massage therapy for horses, a person would have to have completed the 1,000 hours of training to be a veterinarian or a human massage therapist, as well as 150 hours of animal therapy training.
Sen. Mike Groene’s bill would replace the licensing for this profession with a registry and certification process that would encourage people to provide this service in Nebraska.
The idea is to create career opportunities, rather than send Nebraskans out of state to earn a living.
LB299 would also make it possible for people with criminal records to know whether they would be able to qualify for a license for a particular job before they start a training program. That only makes sense. If state regulations say a convicted felon can’t qualify for a particular license, that information should be available to people considering going into that profession.
Overall, this bill is a positive step for the state of Nebraska, encouraging Nebraskans to stay in the state to make a living.
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Lincoln Journal Star. March 22, 2018
Social worker expansion in schools offers promise
Debate at the Nebraska State Capitol often pivots around - or centers on - the at-times differing needs of the state’s rural and urban residents.
A bill before senators this year aims to ensure all Nebraska students have increased access to social workers, regardless of their location. The legislation, LB998 introduced by Fremont Sen. Lynne Walz, would create the Collaborative School Behavioral and Mental Health Program. That would ensure each of the state’s 17 educational service units outside Lincoln and Omaha have a social worker on staff for three years.
By targeting the ESUs, centralized offices that provide services to districts by pooling resources, this measure would take a first step by working through a system that includes every Class 3 public school district in Nebraska.
Concerns about cost and a loss of local control are misguided, as the proposal creates what would essentially be a three-year trial program.
The bill isn’t an added expense for the state or an unfunded mandate, as it requests no state appropriation and plans to rely on grants. No money would be disbursed until the fund for the program reached $3.6 million, at which point the ESU Coordinating Council would hire a program coordinator and social worker for each ESU.
After three years, ESUs and individual districts would then have flexibility to continue employing a social worker through whatever means they deem fit. Those that opt out or determine they’re unable to afford it will no longer participate.
That’s it. Nowhere is the state interfering in the long-term operations of Nebraska schools, wasting money or perpetuating the government overreach detractors have insinuated.
Instead, the council created by this legislation merely would serve as a vehicle to improve access to social workers, who would be the point people for referring students to relevant resources and provide training to school staffers.
As populations shrink, availability of mental and behavioral health providers tends to follow, with such outlets few and far between in rural communities. But, since every student and school belongs to an ESU, Walz’s bill would help the 17 ESUs - headquartered in towns such as Wakefield, Trenton, Ainsworth and Milford - would be able offer some of the same programs available in Lincoln and Omaha.
A district’s enrollment shouldn’t be the sole determinant in whether students get the help they need. This proposal offers a way to level the playing field without charging taxpayers a dime before it gets off the ground.
For a state as sprawling as Nebraska, the bipartisan list of 11 co-sponsors stretches literally from border to border. Expanding the reach of social workers would be a sound policy upgrade, helping offer new resources to all students in this state.
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Kearney Hub. March 21, 2018
UNK needs Lowe’s faithful support
State Sen. John Lowe is at a defining moment in his legislative career. Will the lawmaker from Kearney advocate for one of the key institutions in his legislative district, or will he stand silent as the Legislature debates further funding reductions for the University of Nebraska system, including the University of Nebraska at Kearney?
Admittedly, Lowe and his legislative colleagues face a difficult decision. The state has a funding gap of nearly $200 million that must be closed. Gov. Pete Ricketts has proposed a 2 percent midyear cut of $11.4 million followed by a 4 percent $23.3 million cut for the next school year. However, the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee has floated a plan in which only 1 percent would be cut from the university’s budget instead of the 4 percent originally proposed.
The difference in the two plans appears minimal - only a few percentage points. However, those percentages represent more than numbers. They represent teaching positions, research programs and other factors that combine to help the University of Nebraska and its five campuses to maintain their high quality and fulfill their mission to educate students and support the state’s economy.
UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said recently that smaller budget cuts would cause less harm. “It still means we’re going to have to reduce our budgets and cut, but a 4 percent base cut would just be brutal. So to get that to 1 percent is still painful, but it would be welcome.”
UNK already has eliminated three sports involving 56 student athletes and is reducing 38 staff positions to cut $3.4 million. If lawmakers call for additional cuts, they’ll be to the bone. Kristensen and other NU campus leaders warn such deep cuts will harm the university in ways that will take years to recover.
Some lawmakers believe deep cuts are necessary because Nebraskans cannot afford a tax hike to cover the funding shortfall. We appreciate that position, but revenue forecasts are improving, possibly signaling an economic rebound. We encourage lawmakers - including our own Sen. John Lowe - to think long and hard. The university makes up 13 percent of the state budget but Ricketts and some lawmakers expect it to absorb one-third of the cuts.
Whether those are fair expectations isn’t nearly as important as what Nebraskans need from their university system. Cut too deeply and lawmakers risk undercutting and crippling one of the state’s major institutions and ruining a key economic engine.
NU is prepared to shoulder its share of budget hardships, but we urge lawmakers to cut surgically to preserve NU’s ability to perform its mission. We believe Lowe’s wisest course is to advocate for NU and especially UNK.
If anyone understands UNK’s economic importance and can speak in support of the campus, it’s the lawmaker from Kearney.
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