STATE
PROGRAM 2005-2007
GOVERNMENT
THE
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
A concise Bill of
Rights;
2)
Additional means
to amend the Constitution;
3)
An executive
branch with authority adequate to carry out responsibilities assigned to it by
the Constitution;
4)
Provisions for
initiative and referendum;
5)
A unicameral
Legislature;
6)
Four-year terms
for Legislators;
7)
A merit plan for
judges;
8)
Public hearings
on legislative bills;
9)
Mandatory
legislative reapportionment after each federal census;
10)
Salaries set by
statute;
11)
An appointed
parole board consisting of specialists in penal and related matters;
12)
The appointment
by the Governor of all executive fiscal officers, except the Auditor;
13)
Opposition to
state aid to non-public schools, with action limited to voter service.
MERIT
PLAN FOR SELECTION OF JUDGES: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska
supports the nominative, appointive and elective features of the Merit Plan for
the judges of the Supreme Court, the district courts, the juvenile courts, the
county courts and the Workmen’s Compensation Court, and recommends that it be
retained in the Constitution. (Adopted
1967, amended 1985 and 1987).
Specifically, the League supports:
1)
The Commission on
Judicial Qualifications as the appointed body to confidentially receive and
process complaints from any citizen concerning the discipline or removal of any
judge;
2)
The right of
appeal and removal power remaining with the Supreme Court; and
3)
The right of the electorate
to reject judges by election under the Merit Plan, and the Legislature to
retain the impeachment power.
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
The right of a
county to choose its own structure, including elective and appointive options;
2)
Structural and/or
functional consolidations of counties and of a city with a county;
3)
Option of county
home rule;
4)
Permission for
counties to possess all powers not prohibited by state laws;
5)
Alternative
methods for initiating change in a county structure by legislative action of
the state or the county and/or by a petition of the county voters;
6)
A variety of
means of financing county government; and
7)
Permission to
allow county governments to create or dissolve special purpose districts, excluding
school districts, lying wholly within the county, to approve their budgets and
to supervise their long-range plans;
8)
The right of
counties to appoint a county administrator;
9)
The right of
counties to appoint row officers.
FINANCING
STATE GOVERNMENT: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska
supports a state fiscal policy which reflects the goal of adequate revenues in
order to meet the budgeted expenditure levels necessary to allow the state of
Nebraska to fulfill its governmental responsibilities through a tax structure
which is progressive, efficient and flexible.
(Adopted 1987).
Specifically,
the League supports the following:
1)
The state’s
primary sources of revenue should continue to be derived from a combination of
sales and personal income taxes.
Additional revenues can be achieved through an increase in tax rates, by
extending the sales tax to services with exemptions for medical, legal,
child-care and educational services, and increases in tobacco products and
liquor taxes.
2)
The League is opposed
to the state operating, or sanctioning the operation of any state or regional
lottery.
3)
The state should
utilize the federal income tax form as a progressive, economic and efficient
vehicle for taxpayers to determine their tax obligations.
4)
The state’s
primary responsibility is in providing adequate funding, in priority order,
for: all levels of education, human services programs, aid to local
governments, government services and economic development.
5)
The state
legislature when considering budget reductions should carefully evaluate each
program and use line item reductions, not across-the-board reductions. The League does not support the imposition of
fixed percentage “lids” on state expenditures as a proper method of budget
reduction, or the use of deficit spending in times of inadequate revenue.
6)
We believe there
should not be any sales tax on food.
NATURAL RESOURCES
WATER: The League of
Women Voters of Nebraska supports a water policy which promotes wise use and
care of water resources guided by the principle that water be managed in the
public interest. (Updated 1978, amended
1993. Updated 1995, amended 1999).
Specifically,
the League supports:
1) Conservation
of water through efficient irrigation practices, improved farming techniques
and continued research and education.
2) Legislative
support for beneficial use to include water for domestic use including
livestock watering, agricultural and manufacturing, including power production
uses, and for the following instream uses: fish and wildlife, ground water
recharge, recreation, and dilution of wastes.
Highest priority shall be given to domestic use.
3) Legislative action to resolve the
issues of ground water ownership, interrelationship of ground and surface
water, and the administrative structure of water management.
The
League acknowledges that there is a physical relationship between surface and
groundwater which is recognized by hydrogeologists, and that
The
League believes that a method for resolving conflicts between competing
interests should be established. This
method should include tested mediation procedures, and the parties to a dispute
should be encouraged to settle the matter between themselves. If arbitrary decisions are made, they should
recognize statewide and local interests, should balance public and private
interests, and should recognize the differences between the various areas of
the state.
Specifically,
the League:
1)
Supports
retention of existing water law, but with modification to recognize the
relationship between ground and surface water.
2)
Recognizes the
respective roles of the Department of Water Resources and the Natural Resources
Districts.
3)
Recommends the
creation of an institutional framework for resolving water conflicts which is
flexible and expedient, and which reflects publicly established criteria.
4)
Proposes that
water problems be resolved by statute instead of abdicating decision making
authority to the courts.
The
League supports state regulated water marketing (which includes leasing) as a
means of allocating ground and surface water, with consideration given to
protection of the public interest, environmental factors, effect on third
parties, property tax implications and future water requirements.
Specifically,
water marketing administration should include:
1)
Quantification of
water available for sale,
2)
Terms of sale,
and
3)
A framework for
resolving unintended consequences.
The
League supports the sale (or leasing) of ground surface water between
preference classes with the understanding that the preference system should be
preserved.
Since
the U.S. Supreme Court has determined ground water to be “publicly owned” and
the Nebraska Constitution states that use of surface water is “dedicated to the
people of the state” the League believes that the state should derive revenue
from the marketing of water.
LAND
USE:
Members of the League of Women Voters of Nebraska support a state land
use program based on goals and strategies which encourage local control, while
at the same time identifying and providing statutory mechanisms for managing
areas of statewide concern. Preservation
of unique and prime agricultural land should be a primary goal and programs
should be developed to implement that goal.
The League of Women Voters of Nebraska supports green belt (buffer zone)
type
legislation and recognizes the inter-relationship of taxation and land
use. -adopted 1979, -amended 1985, 1987,
1991.
Specifically,
a state land use program should incorporate the following:
1)
Requires that
local government exercise at least a minimum level of planning and control over
land use;
2)
Provides state
technical assistance to local governments;
3)
Requires state
agencies and political subdivisions to abide by comprehensive planning of local
government with provision for appeal to the state if conflicts occur;
4)
Encourages
coordination between governmental agencies, commissions, and boards which are
planning for the same area, and coordination between areas;
5)
Identifies areas
of state-wide concern;
6)
Recognizes the
interrelationship of urban and rural concerns in land use;
7)
Adopts goals and
implements policies to preserve unique and prime agricultural land;
8)
Coordinates the
state land use planning process by the State Office of Planning and Programming;
9)
Establishes a
capital improvements process with long and short range goals;
10. Involves the public;
11. Ensures that policies and procedures are
understandable and simple to follow for those who need to work with them and
under them.
ENERGY: The League of
Women Voters of Nebraska believes that energy conservation must be a part of
any national or state energy policy.
Public understanding and cooperation are essential to the success of any
program of energy conservation. Citizens
should be involved in the difficult choices that must be made.
STUDY
OF ELECTRIC UTILITY DEREGULATION/ PRIVATIZATION IN
SOCIAL POLICY
CORRECTIONS: The League of
Women Voters of Nebraska supports a correctional system which provides for realistic
and humane treatment of the accused and sentenced offender, both juvenile and
adult, as well as for the protection of the community. In order to achieve such a system, the League
advocates the use of community based alternatives to incarceration and the
separation of corrections from law enforcement.
(Adopted 1975, Alternatives to Incarceration, updated 1984,
amended 1993).
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
Diversion of
offenders from the criminal justice system to appropriate programs;
2)
Decriminalizing
certain victimless crimes when alternative programs and facilities are
feasible;
3)
Improved and
increased use of a variety of pre-trial release procedures;
4)The
principle that juveniles be heard in juvenile court;
5)
A probations
system comprised of an adequate professional staff as well as volunteers;
6)
Institutional
programs aimed at reintegrating the offender into the community;
7)
A central state
agency to set minimum jail standards and to coordinate local correctional
administration;
8) Removal of
payment to jailer based on number of prisoners confined; and
9) A system
which insures the preservation of civil and human rights of pre-trial detainee
and which insures basic human rights of sentenced offenders.
EQUAL
RIGHTS AMENDMENT: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska
supports bringing state laws into compliance with the goals of the Equal Rights
Amendment (ERA). (Amended 1981, 1985).
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
Elimination or
amendment of those laws that have the effect of discriminating on the basis of
sex;
1)
Promotion of laws
that support the goal of ERA; and
2)
Strengthening the
enforcement of such existing laws.
NATIVE
AMERICANS: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska believes
that Native Americans should participate in the formulation, development,
implementation, and valuation of all policies and programs affecting them. (Adopted 1974, amended 1985, 1987 and 1993).
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
Equality of opportunity
for employment, health care, education, and welfare benefits.
2)
Efforts to keep
Native American children within their own families. In cases in which the child must be removed
from his/her family, the prime concern of welfare departments should be to
place the child in willing and qualified Native American foster/adoptive
homes. Non-native American
foster/adoptive parents should receive cultural awareness and sensitivity
training before a Native American child is placed in the home.
3)
Multicultural education
and sensitivity training should include the customs and culture of the Native
American.
4)
Affirmative
action programs are needed.
5)
Education efforts
are needed to inform Native Americans of their rights and the services
available to them.
6)
A state Native
American Commission composed entirely of Native Americans, whose objective
shall be to enhance the cause of the Native American rights and to develop
solutions to problems common to all Nebraska Native Americans, should be
maintained and adequately funded.
7)
This commission
should review all treaties of Midwestern Native Americans, specifically as they
apply to the tribes or their branches located within the state of
CHILD
CARE:
The League of Women Voters of Nebraska believes that children in
preschools, child care and learning centers or child care homes should be
provided humane, quality care in a safe and healthy environment. (Amended 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989).
Specifically
the League supports:
1)
Establishment of
uniform minimum standards by federal, state, and local governments in the
regulation of preschool, child care, and learning centers and homes;
2)
Adequate staffing
to promote personal, emotional and intellectual growth;
3)
Education of
preschool and learning center teachers, parents, caregivers and others about
quality care; and
4)
An environment
free from child abuse and/or neglect.
CHILD
WELFARE: The LWVNE supports policies and programs that
respect the rights, promote the well-being, and insure the safety of
Specifically,
the LWVNE believes:
1) All reports of alleged abuse and neglect should be
investigated. This may include screening
by trained staff using a standard, effective protocol. An appropriate number of investigative
workers should be hired and maintained to perform investigative tasks and to
ensure the safety of children.
2) Foster families need pre-service/ in-service training,
respite care, access to counseling (especially for behaviorally disordered
children), adequate financial compensation based on the needs of the children,
access to information about foster children needing placement and regular
communication with the Child Protection Service workers. Foster families should be recruited and
trained to provide specialized care for children with special needs.
3) A range of
placement options based on the needs of children should be developed in all
areas of the state, including specialized treatment foster homes, specialized
group homes, and long term residential treatment facilities. The Nebraska
Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies caring for
state wards, should continue to contract with out-patient mental health
providers and other agencies for diagnostic, evaluative and treatment services
to enable foster children to remain in existing foster homes. Contracting with out-of-state facilities for
out-of-home care or treatment should be a last resort.
4) To achieve
permanency for children in an expeditious manner, standards and a protocol
should be developed for county attorneys, judges, and CPS workers to use in
determining if parents are making progress towards reunification with children
or if termination of parental rights is appropriate. CPS workers should be trained in collecting
and documenting information necessary to make reunification or termination of
parental rights decisions. County
attorneys, guardians ad litem, and judges and CPS workers should be trained on issues related to termination of
parental rights and on the adoptability of disabled children. Adoption laws should allow and encourage open
adoption in appropriate cases.
5) The number of juvenile courts and
juvenile judges should be
increased in areas of the state where there is a demonstrated need. County attorneys, guardians ad litem, and
judges should be provided with on-going training on child abuse and adoption
issues. The guardian ad litem system
should be augmented with volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates.
6) The
State Foster Care Review Board performs needed functions for children in
out-of-home care in
7) Public
awareness of abuse and neglect problems and preventive measures should be
increased. Public health education about
the relationship between chemical dependency and increased risk of abuse and
neglect should be undertaken. Family
life education classes should be available in the public schools, especially
parenting classes for high school students, and home visits of high risk
families with newborns should be made.
Family counseling services and parent education classes should be
available in all areas of the state.
Family Preservation Services providing intensive casework and in-home
therapy for both short term crisis and longer term intervention, should be
available to at-risk families in all areas of the state.
VIOLENCE PREVENTION: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska supports policies and programs
at all levels of the community and government that serve to prevent violence in
the home and in the community. These
include:
Programs and services for the prevention of child
abuse and neglect;
Family support services for violence prevention and
intervention;
Public and private development and coordination of
programs that emphasize the prevention of violence;
The active role of government and social institutions
in preventing violent behavior; and
The allocation of public monies in government programs
to prevent violence. (Adopted May 2000).
EDUCATION
FINANCING
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
Shifting the tax
burden from heavy reliance on the local property tax to increased state support
derived from income taxes while maintaining local control of school districts
and budgets;
2)
Full funding of
state aid formula, including Foundation, Incentive and Equalization;
3)
Removal of
arbitrary limitations upon budgets of local government subdivisions;
4)
Provision of
adequate revenue from sales and income taxes, both individual and corporate, to
support educational services;
5)
Accreditation
standards of the minimum level of education regardless of the wealth of the
local district in which a student resides;
6)
A free public
school education through 12th grade, age not a limiting factor. Public school funds should be used to provide
special education services to children with verified handicaps from birth to
age 21; and
7)
The merger or
affiliation of Class I schools with districts having high schools to equalize
the tax levy.
CURRICULUM
IN NEBRASKA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The League of Women Voters of Nebraska
supports policies and programs to promote a quality education for all
Specifically,
the League supports:
1)
Public school
curriculum standards that will prepare students to strive to meet the goals of
Nebraska 2000 and ultimately meet the current admission requirements of our
state universities and other state post-secondary educational institutions;
2)
A strong social
studies and government effort, including studies of:
a) Local, state and national levels of government;
b) The three branches of government: legislative,
judicial, and executive, giving equal emphasis to each branch and how it
functions;
c) The role of the media in government; and
d) The role of women and minorities in government and
science.
3)
An emphasis on
citizenship to include the Pledge of Allegiance, citizenship requirements for
naturalization, the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and how to
be a responsible voter;
4)
The teaching of
“How to Take Tests” to all children, in the light of the increased emphasis on
testing;
5)
Requiring all
secondary students to pass a minimum consumer competency program in areas of
money management, credit, insurance, taxes, buying decisions, and consumer
protection;
6)
Incorporation of
critical thinking skills into all teaching.
Throughout the educational process, the purpose of critical thinking is
to develop patterns of active analysis of information rather than passive
acceptance of information;
7) &