Floor Debate March 06, 2012
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Transcript Prepared By the Clerk of the Legislature Transcriber's Office Floor Debate March 06, 2012 [LB239 LB333 LB751 LB751A LB782 LB806 LB810 LB820 LB820A LB821 LB821A LB822 LB851 LB897 LB936 LB953 LB959 LB961 LB962 LB995 LB997 LB998 LB1005 LB1020 LB1026 LB1038 LB1039 LB1079A LB1079 LB1090 LB1090A LB1104 LB1106 LB1140 LB1160 LB1160A LR206 LR429 LR430 LR453 LR454 LR455 LR456 LR457] PRESIDENT SHEEHY PRESIDING PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber for the thirty-ninth day of One Hundred Second Legislature, Second Session. Our chaplain for today is Senator Carlson. Would you all please rise. SENATOR CARLSON: (Prayer offered.) PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Senator Carlson. I now call to order the thirty-ninth day of the One Hundred Second Legislature, Second Session. Senators, please record your presence. Please record, Mr. Clerk. CLERK: I have a quorum present, Mr. President. PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Are there corrections for the Journal? CLERK: I have no corrections, Mr. President. PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Messages, reports, or announcements? CLERK: I have but one announcement. The Education Committee will have an Exec Session at 9:15 this morning in Room 2022. That's all that I have, Mr. President. PRESIDENT SHEEHY: While the Legislature is in session capable of transacting business, I propose to sign and do hereby sign LR429 and LR430. Mr. Clerk, we'll move to the first items under General File, appropriations bills, LB751A. [LR429 LR430 LB751A] CLERK: LB751A is a bill by Senator Fischer. (Read title.) [LB751A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Senator Fischer, you're recognized to open on LB751A. [LB751A] SENATOR FISCHER: Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the body, if you remember last week, LB751 was our big committee bill that we advanced. This is the A bill to it. It is cash funds from the Department of Motor Vehicles. And I would ask for its advancement. Thank you. [LB751A LB751] 1 Transcript Prepared By the Clerk of the Legislature Transcriber's Office Floor Debate March 06, 2012 PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Senator Fischer. You have heard the opening to LB751A. Seeing no request to speak, Senator Fischer, you're recognized to close. Senator Fischer waives closing. The question before the body is on the advancement of LB751A. All those in favor vote yea; opposed, nay. Record, Mr. Clerk. [LB751A] CLERK: 25 ayes, 0 nays, Mr. President, on the advancement of LB751A. [LB751A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: LB751A advances. We will now proceed to LB820A. [LB751A LB820A] CLERK: LB820A is a bill by Senator Campbell. (Read title.) [LB820A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Senator Campbell, you're recognized to open on LB820A. [LB820A] SENATOR CAMPBELL: Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning, members of the body. It certainly has been a very important week in the child welfare reform effort that we, as the Legislature, is undertaking. And I first want to thank Liz Hruska in the budget and Fiscal Office for her just excellent work in getting the A bills ready and all of the information. I want to note for the body that the three bills that you are going to look at in this category we had initially talked to the Appropriations Committee as being a little under $10 million. When I was on the floor last week, we said, well, we think it will be under $5 million. At this point, the total of the three bills in General Fund appropriation is $3,884,688. And we are extremely pleased that we have been able to bring these into a much more accurate picture for you. Our first bill, LB820A, is the appropriation that would...and is the largest, that would provide a bridge rate increase for foster parents and also would set up the study for the Title IV-E funds which we would be applying to the federal government for a waiver. Colleagues, I would urge your support on LB820A. Thank you, Mr. President. [LB820A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Senator Campbell. You have heard the opening to LB820A. Seeing no requests to speak, Senator Campbell, you're recognized to close. Senator Campbell waives closing. The question before the body is on the advancement of LB820A. All those in favor vote yea; opposed, nay. Record, Mr. Clerk. [LB820A] CLERK: 32 ayes, 0 nays, Mr. President, on the advancement of LB820A. [LB820A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: LB820A advances. We will now proceed to LB821A. [LB820A LB821A] CLERK: LB821A is a bill by Senator Campbell. (Read title.) [LB821A] 2 Transcript Prepared By the Clerk of the Legislature Transcriber's Office Floor Debate March 06, 2012 PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Senator Campbell, you're recognized to open on LB821A. [LB821A] SENATOR CAMPBELL: Thank you, Mr. President. Members, this bill sets up the 24-member Nebraska Children's Commission and also sets forth the cost of the contract for taking a look at the Medicaid amounts that we are spending in this area and also sets up the Inspector General. Once again, I want to thank Ms. Hruska for her work because we have tried very hard to be realistic about what we are appropriating but also to make sure that we are giving appropriate funds to carry out what we need to do in this area. And with that, I would ask for your support on LB821A. Thank you, Mr. President. [LB821A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Senator Campbell. You have heard the opening to LB821A. Seeing no requests to speak, Senator Campbell, you're recognized to close. Senator Campbell waives closing. The question before the body is on the advancement of LB821A. All those in favor vote yea; opposed, nay. Record, Mr. Clerk. [LB821A] CLERK: 29 ayes, 0 nays, Mr. President, on the advancement of LB821A. [LB821A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: LB821A advances. We'll now proceed to LB1160A. [LB821A LB1160A] CLERK: LB1160A, a bill by Senator Campbell. (Read title.) [LB1160A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Senator Campbell, you're recognized to open on LB1160A. [LB1160A] SENATOR CAMPBELL: Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. This bill...the major part of the expense of this bill is in order for us to do a planning and analysis of what it would take to integrate our data systems. And I hasten to add that that would not only help in child welfare but certainly in children's behavioral health and as we look at Medicaid and the other children's services. And the last cost of this is for the outside third-party evaluator to take a look at the system and which will assist greatly for the commission to do the strategic plan. With that, Mr. President, I will close and urge the support on LB1160A. [LB1160A] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Senator Campbell. You've heard the opening to LB1160A. See no requests to speak. Senator Campbell waived closing. The question before the body is on the advancement of LB1160A. All those in favor vote yea; opposed, nay. Record, Mr. Clerk. [LB1160A] CLERK: 28 ayes, 0 nays, Mr. President, on the advancement of LB1160A. [LB1160A] 3 Transcript Prepared By the Clerk of the Legislature Transcriber's Office Floor Debate March 06, 2012 PRESIDENT SHEEHY: LB1160A advances. We will now proceed to items under General File, 2012 Speaker priority bills, Heidemann division, LB782. [LB1160A LB782] CLERK: Mr. President, LB782, a bill by Senator McCoy. (Read title.) The bill was introduced on January 4 of this year; referred to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee for public hearing; advanced to General File. There are committee amendments, Mr. President. (AM1901, Legislative Journal page 497.) [LB782] PRESIDENT SHEEHY: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Senator McCoy, you're recognized to open on LB782. [LB782] SENATOR McCOY: Thank you, Mr. President, and good morning, members. And I am pleased to introduce LB782 to you this morning which, as the Clerk just mentioned, requires reports submitted to the Legislature to be submitted in an electronic format. You know, I first arrived here in the Legislature almost four years ago now. I was amazed at the number of very nicely published reports and the volume of them, and that hasn't changed over the sessions. I think we all get a ton of reports. I really think this legislation, and I have to give credit to my staff where this idea came from. Mary Jacobsen in my office, a few months ago, being new to the job said, isn't there a better way? Couldn't some of these reports be submitted electronically? Well, we started to investigate the concept and discovered that perhaps this legislation was necessary. And I appreciate all the good work that our Clerk's Office has provided on this issue. There's been a fair amount of discussion on how we would go about this to make sure that this legislation wouldn't have unintended consequences for some of our state agencies and commissions. And, hopefully, with the committee amendment that you'll hear about in a few minutes, we've hopefully nailed down the best way to go about this so we really can reduce printing costs, the consumption of paper inside this building, and, hopefully, kind of bring things more in line with where we are in the twenty-first century. You know, the irony isn't lost on me. If you pulled up this bill, and as the members of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee will know...or can tell you, I should say, this bill is 382 pages long. The irony that to a bill to reduce the amount of paper would need to be 382 pages long is fairly comical, honestly. It took over 3,000 pages of paper just to make sure all members of the committee had a copy of the bill.