Vanity: Nebraska LB577 (expansion of Medicaid) down to the wire (still no cloture)

Nebraska Legislature (Senators Kintner and Price) | 05/02/2013 | Kolath

[Kolath]

As of today, LB577, a bill to expand Nebraska's Medicaid under Obamacare rules, does not have the 33 votes to invoke cloture. With only 18 days until closure of the 2013 legislative season, time is running short. With a stack of other bills to consider (such as the budget) the bill is currently shelved and debate might not continue until the 2014 legislative session.

[Kolath]

Pressure is immense on both sides. Senator Chambers, a firebrand Democrat and loud supporter of the bill, is now resulting to browbeating undecided legislators via "Bible thumping" while at the lectern. This is rater comical since he's known to be rather non-religious person.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has been on a state-wide speaking tour to explain the monetary pit falls of LB577 and to persuade voters to contact their state senators to vote "no" on LB577. His efforts have been rewarded as several senators have waivered on their support of the bill.

Senator Kintner reports that one of his bills for LB293 (shielding firarm purchases as private information) was stood up in committee. He was told afterwards that his bill would get out of committee if sided with LB577. Senator Kintner said "NO" to that idea.

In the Unicameral, it takes 33 votes to invoke cloture and the whip count is a few votes short. The only two ways to kill this bill is either by (a) the sponsor of LB577 permanently withdraws the bill from consideration or (b) if by the end of the 2014 session, if cloture does not happen, the bill is automatically terminated. Future sponsor(s) must then submitted the bill for committee approval in 2015 (starting the whole process anew).

FYI: Bills which make it out of committee have a "shelf life" of two legislative years to be voted upon before being "timed out" and automatically withdrawn.

Right now, the Unicameral speaker has shelved LB577 due to time constraints and the lack of cloture. The backers of the bill have vowed for one last attempt in 2013. If unsuccessful, they promise to put LB577 up for another cloture vote in 2014.

[notted]

Senator Chambers, is a virtual spawn of Malcolm X, Obama’s alleged daddy.

Just saying.