Legislative Leadership Takes Heat Over Budget Impasse
by John Gage
Nebraska legislative leadership received blowback from members over how the budget had been handled following filibuster efforts by both conservative and progressive senators over school choice funding.
Appropriations Chair Rob Clements admitted there was “disappointment” from state senators in how he handled the budget last week after he brought a “chair’s amendment” that would have unilaterally stripped $3.5 million in “gap funding” for school choice scholarships from the budget. The move was met with anger from conservatives who joined Democrats in voting against ending debate on the budget.
State Senator Bob Hallstrom said he had never seen a budget vote fail so spectacularly, stating the body had “rebuked on a broad, bipartisan basis.” Some state senators were frustrated that Clements had moved unilaterally without consulting the whole Appropriations Committee.
After Clements brought a new amendment that kept the scholarship money in the budget on Wednesday, Democrats and a handful of Republican Senators demanded the money be taken out again.
“If we truly want this budget passed, take the opportunity scholarships out of the budget,” State Senator Tom Brandt said. Brandt acknowledged the Legislature is at an impasse, stating, “neither camp has the votes.”
State Senator Jane Raybould said she thought Clements should have stuck with his original instincts to take the scholarship funding out of the budget. “I thought Clements was so wise and acting within his authority,” she said.
Proponents of the scholarship funding said they believed opponents were being “hypocritical” in their stance towards the “gap funding.” “The majority of senators speak out both sides of their mouths depending on what the issue is,” State Senator Rob Dover said. “The hypocrisy here, like in Washington, is just sad.”
State Senator Kathleen Kauth echoed similar sentiments. “It does not seem like a lot of us are sticking to our true, core convictions,” she said. “Opposing the stopgap measure is only punishing poor kids.”
Clements said he brought the amendment last week because he believed the school choice funding would have been stripped out of the budget regardless. A previous amendment to strip the scholarship funding out of the budget failed 23-17.
“Not my desire, but I need to get the budget passed,” Clements told The Plains Sentinel at the time. “Even if I put it in, there was sentiment to take it out eventually anyway, after several hours of going around in circles.”
After the failure of the “chair’s amendment,” Clements now describes his new amendment that included the “gap funding” as a “compromise” that lawmakers should support.
Legislative leadership said they will be tying childcare subsidies in the budget to scholarship “gap funding” — either keeping both in or taking both provisions out of the budget, depending on how senators vote.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.
