Legislature begins 2013 session

LINCOLN (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature began its 2013 session Wednesday with lawmakers expected to focus on the state budget, tax cuts and a proposal to expand Medicaid.

Lawmakers returned to Lincoln with the state facing a projected $194 million budget shortfall, far less than the $1 billion hole they had to fill when they last wrote a budget in 2011.

The 90-day session will see 10 new members and mark the return of Sen. Ernie Chambers, of Omaha. All were sworn into office Wednesday morning. Chambers, the longest-serving and best-known state senator in Nebraska history, is returning after term limits forced him out of office four years ago.

Lawmakers chose a new speaker, Sen. Greg Adams, of York, to replace Sen. Mike Flood, of Norfolk, who was forced out of office by term limits. Adams, who was unopposed, said he would bring “an agenda of fairness, above all else” to the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

“I’m humbled by the responsibilities of this position — a responsibility to all of you, a responsibility to the citizens of Nebraska and a responsibility to this wonderful institution,” Adams told his colleagues.

A retired high school government and economics teacher, Adams was elected to the Legislature in 2006. He is known for helping broker deals on state funding formulas for public schools and Nebraska’s community colleges. He previously served as the mayor of York.

Lawmakers are bracing for a long debate over whether to expand Medicaid coverage to more Nebraska residents, an optional piece of the federal health care law. Gov. Dave Heineman vigorously opposes any such expansion, saying it will drain money from other priorities. Supporters in the Legislature argue that extending coverage is a moral imperative that could save the state money over the long term by reducing insurance and health care costs.

Heineman will deliver his State of the State address to lawmakers on Tuesday.

The governor has said he will call for an increase in state aid to the University of Nebraska system and the state’s three public colleges. He also is expected to call for some type of tax reform in an effort to attract new businesses and residents.