C O V E R
The Legislative
Balancing Act by CHRIS BOWLING
M
orning light floods the hallway, soaking polished stone floors and rough masonry walls in a harsh glow. Bronze busts of Nebraskans, such as Chief Standing Bear and author Bess Streeter Aldrich, look out opposing windows onto a snow-covered courtyard at the Nebraska Legislature in January. In that stillness, State Senator Megan Hunt, who represents Midtown neighborhoods, including Benson and Dundee, is animated. On her feet, punctuating sentences with her hands, she talks about issues from food insecurity to abortion. But just as she’s hitting her stride, a man pops around the corner.
they’d shuffled the schedule. Now she’s on deck. “What?” she exclaims, already turning to run down the hall, her blue suede shoes clacking on the floor behind her. Things move quickly in the Nebraska Unicameral. Even as senators jump between meetings and legislative sessions, there’s always competition for their attention. A swarm of lobbyists, journalists and others waiting to carve out a slice of their time. Research to hack through that never stops piling up. Fundamental differences of philosophy and personality to bridge.
while each year it ultimately inches toward some end, many say this year’s path looks uncertain. “I mean, it could just completely break down,” said State Senator Wendy DeBoer, who represents an area that includes northwest Omaha and Bennington. “If we don’t find ways to negotiate with each other and work together in the next couple weeks, then it’s going to be a long session.”
In the 10 minutes since she left the legislative chamber
Whether balancing time, interests or bottom lines, every session is a tightrope act. And
This year, evergreen issues, such as property tax reform, are coming to a head against heavy hitters, such as a bill to give tax breaks to businesses, titled ImagiNE Nebraska, and funding for a massive $2.6 billion University of Nebraska Medical Center project that would position UNMC to be the nation’s leader in disaster management. They’re geared
Photos courtesy Nebraska Legislature
Megan Hunt
Wendy DeBoer
“Senator, your bill is up.”
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Balance, it turns out, is a senator’s greatest asset.
February 2020
up to not only be the biggest issues, but also to have their votes linked. Last year, a group of mostly rural senators blocked ImagiNE Nebraska following failure to pass property tax reform. A similar fight is expected this year with both bills returning, largely unchanged, as well as the addition of a separate bill to provide UNMC funding, which would come from ImagiNE. Among Omaha senators, a variety of strategies has emerged to find a solution this time around. But it’s also raised anxieties about how large the shadow of these issues will loom — whether other bills will get their time and how the debate will affect existing tension between rural and urban senators.
Lou Ann Linehan
