Capitol View: Get ready for drama and gamesmanship
Yes friends, the Nebraska Legislature meets on a regular basis again in less than a month (Jan. 8, 2020). It’s a short session (60 days from Jan. 8 to April 23) with full plates. It’s also an election year for half of the senators; so don’t expect anything earth shattering from them.
Or, maybe there will be too much election rhetoric and nuance to allow any real work to get done. Let’s hope not.
As you well know, but should be reminded, the legislature is officially unicameral (one house) and nonpartisan (some days not so much). That makes Nebraska unique among U.S. states. With 49 members, it is also the smallest legislature of any state.
The odd numbered districts, all 25 of them, will be electing new senators in the November 2020 election. The short session with its April adjournment is designed to avoid conflict with the May primary from which the top two vote getters advance to the general election. There are less than a handful of incumbents who are facing term limits and their last session before a required fouryear hiatus.
Chief among that group is the venerable Ernie Chambers who faces term limits for the second time after serving eight years since his last four-year timeout. The 82-year-old from North Omaha will have 46 years of legislative experience under his belt when he is forced to step down.
Would he come back after another four-year time-out? I wouldn’t put it past him. Have you seen the guy lately? He still works out. He still wears blue jeans and short-sleeve sweatshirts and dark brown boots. He still drives from Omaha to the Capitol nearly every day, even when lawmakers are not in session.
I know the mere mention of his name is polarizing. Just stop and think what your reaction was a couple paragraphs ago. Ernie claims to be the reason that we have term limits. People wanted to get rid of him, but he keeps coming back.
Term limits has ruined the institutional memory of the place and Ernie has actually been the beneficiary of that. He remembers.
A 2013 New York Times article once called him “the (legislative) chamber’s most passionate and peskiest member. A master of process and procedure, he will do whatever is necessary to derail a bill he does not like. His candor can leave a trail of hurt feelings.”
I prefer the description offered by a late colleague who once said “Ernie plays the rule book like a piano.” That’s what allows him to hijack the agenda. A favorite tactic is to debate a bill that comes before one he opposes so as to run the clock and delay consideration of the measure he dislikes.
His use of amendments, many quickly and accurately drafted during debate, is the stuff of legend. His ability to chase rabbits within the bounds of relevancy to the subject is well known among the press corps and his fellow senators.
The bottom line here, think what he might have up his sleeve if he thinks this might be his last hurrah in the legislature, at least for four years.
Couple the Ernie factor with partisan quibbling, which seems all too popular on the national stage. The Nebraska Legislature has not been immune from the divisiveness and ill will that characterize so much political discussion today. With 30 registered Republicans, 18 Democrats and one Independent (Chambers), the polarization has become a significant problem at the State Capitol too.
Success in getting legislation passed depends on support from outside the bill sponsor’s “tribe.” Regardless of party or philosophy, it is important for lawmakers to build relations with their colleagues in order to be effective.
Given the crisis level concerns with property tax relief, the crowding and staffing crises in the state’s prison system and challenges with youth rehabilitation centers and financially troubled rural nursing homes, relationships across party lines are of the utmost importance.
It is also important that the issues are dealt with in spite of the size of the workload and the length of time to address it. In fact, it’s imperative.
Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk said his colleagues would hit the ground running to address some of the more than 80 bills that are leftover on first reading from last session. There will be the customary 10 days of new bill introduction and fullday debate begins after committee hearings are done, about March 3.
Stay tuned for the drama.