Baker: Ready to jump back in

Sen. Tom Baker will leave for Lincoln on Monday for what promises to be another grueling session for the Nebraska Legislature.

Baker said the lawmakers will jump right into the work at hand as the legislative session gets under way Wednesday.

Much of what the Legislature will examine in the first part of the session will be bills that were introduced last year. Of those, one of the important bills that must be debated is the bill that would change Nebraska's mode of inflicting the death penalty from electrocution to death by lethal injection.

"If we don't address this in the regular session, there will most likely be a special session immediately after the close of the regular session on April 15" to address the issue, Baker said.

Baker said he believes the Nebraska Work Ethic Camp in McCook will not be targeted for closure by lawmakers this year. He said several senators have come out and seen how the facility is working and he now has a nucleus of eight to 10 senators who will give their support to the facility.

Baker also believes that the Lincoln Correctional Center will be put back in the budget of the Nebraska Correctional Facility, however the funds will be transferred from other areas of the corrections department to cover the cost. Baker does not believe there will be "new money" put into the budget to maintain the facility.

The effort to get the issue of term limits on the 2004 ballot in November will most likely be successful this year, Baker said. The term limits will go into effect this year and 20 of the state's 49 senators will be forced from office.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, which Baker chairs, is in the process of drafting a bill that would double the fines for all speeding violations and increase the number of points taken from drivers licenses for those offenses.

Baker doesn't believe the Legislature will get to the issue of the state's $211 million shortfall until early March. He maintains that the shortfall can be addressed through cuts. He said the only new taxes that will most likely be looked at are a corn and milo checkoff to go towards ethanol production and a possible increase in fuel tax which will be used by cities and counties to offset their loss in state funding.