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Nebraskans for Peace Legislative Wrap-Up

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The Nebraskans for Peace scorecard on the 2009 Unicameral Session tallied a number of victories — and one particularly heartbreaking loss.

On the positive side, the Legislature overwhelmingly passed a measure mandating education in our public schools about the dangers of dating violence. Building on the passage of last year’s ‘anti-bullying’ bill, Sen. Gwen Howard spearheaded a move this session to adopt the “Lindsay Ann Burke Act” (named after a victim of dating violence). For two consecutive years now (at the instigation of Nebraskans for Peace and others), the Unicameral has passed legislation that requires school districts to establish policies to curb school violence. This type of nonviolence education among our youth is exactly what’s required if we are ever to create a society where everyone can feel secure and respected. Our thanks to all the senators who supported this important initiative.

Just as he promised during his 2008 election campaign, rookie senator and Nebraska Sierra Club leader Ken Haar made renewable energy development his legislative priority, and racked up several landmark accomplishments. For the first time ever, a ‘net-metering bill’ (LB 436) that will encourage local, small-scale wind energy generation in the state made it through the Legislature. The bill will permit private citizens to generate their own wind energy and then sell what they don’t use to their local power district. A second Haar-sponsored measure (LR 83) creates a “Wind Energy Development Zone Task Force” that, between now and the 2010 Session, will examine how best to develop major wind energy enterprises in the state. On the basis of this study, state government will finally have the state-of-the-art information it needs on prime generation sites, transmission requirements and environmental impact assessments to develop Nebraska’s largely untapped wind potential. In Sen. Ken Haar, environmental advocates have a champion that we can turn to for legislative leadership.

The immigration issue, unfortunately, continues to be a highly charged political topic in the state, and NFP had its hands full during the 2009 Session trying to stop even more punitive legislation from being adopted. NFP officially testified on four bills, and succeeded to helping to kill one that would have required employers who are seeking a public contract to verify the legal residency of their employees. Two others, mandating background checks and proof of identity, and collaboration between state law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, were stranded in committee. The Legislature did approve the fourth bill that demands verification of lawful presence in the state to receive public benefits. More than ever, this mix of bills at the state level demonstrates the need for immigration reform at the federal level to establish a uniform policy nationwide (and to avoid persecuting individual workers and their families).

Although no specific legislation was introduced this session on the subject of alcohol sales in Whiteclay, the Legislature did vote to authorize an interim study on the alcohol-associated problems in this border town just 200 feet from the dry Pine Ridge Reservation. In an almost unheard of turn of events, the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee (which handles liquor control legislation) and the Judiciary Committee jointly decided to conduct the study. So far, hearings are scheduled to be held both in Lincoln and Rushville. The statewide screenings of Mark Vasina’s documentary film, “The Battle for Whiteclay,” can be largely credited with sparking the renewed interest in this long-standing blemish on our state’s public image.

And finally, the major disappointment of the session was of course the passage of a lethal injection bill (LB 36), which once again gives Nebraska a constitutional method of execution. While the measure passed handily (34 for, 12 against, with 3 abstentions), we can take some consolation in the fact that an ‘Abolition bill’ was advanced out of committee to the floor of the Legislature. LB 306, introduced by Sen. Brenda Council, was placed on General File and will be considered when the 2010 Legislature convenes next January. The bill replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The 2009 Session was the ‘long’ 90-day session of the 101st Legislature. Next year’s ‘short’ 60-day session compresses the time frame in which we can do business. With so much legislation already on the docket, Peace & Justice activists will have to be ready to hit the ground running when the Unicameral reconvenes January 6, 2010.