|
I enjoy writing a column every week. It is an opportunity to stay in touch with the district. The column also helps inform you about the day to day activities of the State Legislature. In many ways this week feels like the calm before the storm. We have many important issues that will demand out attention and we are nearing the halfway point to the conclusion of the session. Committee hearings will conclude within the next two weeks and Senators must name their priority bill by Feb 22. After these events the pace of debate will kick into high gear.
In the meantime we are dealing with carryover legislation for the 2007 session. One such bill is LB 39 which deals with requirements for petition circulators. Senator DiAnna Schimek's bill simply requires petition circulators for initiatives, referendums or recalls to be an elector (a Nebraska citizen of voting age), and prohibits circulators from being paid on a per signature basis.
There are stringent rules in place governing the petition process. These rules are intended to protect the integrity of our initiative process. This bill passed Final Reading with a vote of 31-14. I support this bill because I feel you should be a Nebraska resident of voting age. By being a resident you will have an invested interest in the outcome of any petition drive. You understand how the citizens of our state will be impacted by the results. Removing the per signature payment hopefully will tone down some of the more aggressive tactics that have come into play in recent petition drives.
The Governor vetoed LB 39 and Senator Schimek intends to seek an override vote. An override is not an easy effort as it requires 30 votes to be successful. This debate will take place within the next week. It is my intention to vote for the override to protect the initiative process for Nebraskans.
As always I like to hear your viewpoints on this or any other issues. When contacting me by email please be sure to include your full name, address and a phone number.
Senator Annette Dubas
State Capitol
PO Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509-4604
Email: adubas@leg.ne.gov
402.471.2630
www.annettedubas.com
Want to comment on this article?
Register on our forums and post your thoughts.
It's free and easy to do!
independentforums.com
|
