What may have been anticipated to be a typical half-day of bill introduction for the second day of the Legislature’s special session ended up with some political gymnastics.
Early in the day, Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha filed a priority motion to adjourn Sine Die and end the session.
Speaker John Arch of LaVista spoke against the motion, saying with more than a dozen senators leaving the body, now is the time to address the issues that really can’t wait for next year. “The Governor cannot pass legislation. So it is now our work that we have to do. Citizens are watching. I don’t know about you, but I know in my district there is a lot of interest with what’s happening here in this session. Now we have the hard work to do,” said Arch. “Only we can address this issue that is forcing people out of their homes, preventing others from buying a first home, forcing increases in rent, and all the other negative impact on everyone in the state.”
The motion failed with only Wayne and three other lawmakers voting in favor, and 34 against.
Meanwhile, LB 1, the main bill containing Governor Pillen’s proposal to reduce property taxes, was referred to the Government, Miliary and Veterans Affairs, prompting Revenue Committee chair Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn to file a motion to re-reference the measure to her committee.
If and when LB 1 gets to the floor, it will face a filibuster at each stage of debate, as senators Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha have filed a series of motions and floor amendments meant to derail the bill.
At the end of the morning, Arch told lawmakers to expect a full week of committee hearings next week, with one more half-day for introduction of new legislation.
