Opponents of a bill requiring two-people on train crews continued the Nebraska legislature’s first filibuster of the year on Thursday..
After Wednesday’s first 3 hours of debate, bill sponsor Senator Mike Jacobson of North Platte said Senators Julie Slama and Lou Ann Linehan had told him they would filibuster the measure because it might trigger a lawsuit from the Union Pacific railroad.
When debate resumed, Jacobson warned his colleagues and those watching the session on TV or online that a “full-blown filibuster” was underway and “We’re not going to do anything today but rehash what we talked about yesterday.”
Lawmakers actually did do more than rehash the previous day, including Senator John Lowe of Kearney, part of the filibuster, reading the classic children’s book “The Little Train That Could” and commenting how the “I think I can, I think I can” phrase applied to Jacobson.
Jacobson, Slama, and Linehan are all registered Republicans and were among those highly critical of last year’s Democrat-led ongoing filibusters.
Jacobson has said he thinks he has the support of at least 25 senators, which would be enough to pass the bill but not stop the filibusters – which requires 33 votes after 8 hours of debate has ended. That point should be reached late Friday morning.
On the committee level, proposals to raise the sales tax rate and eliminate many existing exemptions to help fund Gov Jim Pillen’s plan to cut property taxes by $2-billion dollars or 40% got their first public hearing before the Revenue Committee.
The governor himself testified, endorsing a number of bills, including ones to extend the sales tax to soft drinks, candy, advertising services, dry cleaning, repair parts for farm equipment, and legal services for businesses.
Pillen urged the senators to be courageous, “to sort through the noise…and drama, (and) have a significant attitudinal change to make sure we focus on what’s best for Nebraska” regardless of heavy lobbying by special interests.
Other testimony was mixed. Representatives of city and county associations supported the ideas in concept, but reserved the right to hold off on endorsing anything until all the details have evolved.
Rich Otto – a lobbyist representing grocers, retailers, gas stations and convenience stores – warned of possible complications – such as the fact the Milky Way Midnight bar might be taxed in some situations where a regular Milky Way wouldn’t’ Hearings will continue tomorrow.