With a challenging legislative session behind them and lawmakers set to reconvene in just over two weeks, the State Senators of Lincoln/Lancaster County are projecting optimism and warmth.
Monday evening, 16 days ahead of the first legislative day of 2024’s abridged session, 9 of the 10 lawmakers elected to represent the city of Lincoln and the towns/villages of Lancaster County attended a a Legislative Delegation Town Hall, hosted on Union College campus.
In attendance: Senators Beau Ballard, Carolyn Bosn, Eliot Bostar, Tom Brandt, Danielle Conrad, Myron Dorn, George Dungan, Jane Raybould, and Anna Wishart. Unable to attend was Sen. Robert Clements.
Filling the seats typically occupied by students, overlooked by large periodic tables of elements, sat about 50 attendees, listening, jotting notes, and passing written questions to the town hall moderator Jason Ball of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
Senators sat shoulder to shoulder, laughing and chatting like old friends, devoid of the high-tension that defined the 2023 legislative session.
Numerous topics and legislative sneak-peaks were outlined during introductions, which consumed the bulk of the town hall. Concerns over soaring property taxes, access to health care/child care services, a dwindling education workforce, were echoed by nearly every representative. But, above all, calls to cool down and conduct a more cordial legislative session in the new year.
“There’s no doubt we had a very acrimonious legislative session last year,” said Sen. Danielle Conrad, “If were going to chart a better and stronger, more thoughtful path forward, its a political choice for state leaders every single day. Whether or not we’re going to focus our time and energy in a short 60 day session on smart, thoughtful, consensus issues that deliver for Nebraskan’s, or, are we going to continue to wage divisive culture wars that tear us apart?”
A pragmatic criticism of the 2023 session was offered by Sen. Tom Brandt, “We passed, I think, 33 bills… inside of which were 292 bills. It was a not a great way to govern.”
Now looking forward, the Senators all agreed, rising property taxes is the top concern of their constituents. Sen. George Dungan expects that concern to follow in kind amongst lawmakers, “As a member of the revenue committee. We’re going to be working on this next session to try to figure out what we can continue to do to effectuate real property tax relief. We always have to be cautious about the fiscal health of our state. None of us want to be in a position, 10 years down the road, where we’re having a conversation about either cutting essential services or raising taxes.”
Carrying a torch of sorts, Sen. Jane Raybould said she seeks to continue the work of her predecessor, former Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks. “She was always a champion for the tribes of Nebraska. I’m trying to fill her awfully big shoes, and help the different tribes find reliefs for their key issues,” pinning on an issue that affects Nebraska’s tribal and non-tribal communities alike, “and no surprise: its water. We’re finding, there is so much contamination in their well and water systems… and their not unique. As we travel throughout the state of Nebraska, so many counties have high concentrations of nitrates and phosphates that are really impacting their wellbeing and quality of life.”