Evening star., 1940-02-18

Nebraska ! 'sUnique
Legislature Shows
Quick Action
Special Session Votes
~ Needed Lows in
!: 1l-Doy Meeting
~ the Associated Press,


1l-Doy Meeting
" ~ the Associated Press.
. =. LINCOLN, Nebr., Feb. 17.-Ne-
:. braska's single-chambered Le1isla-
~ ture, only one In the Nation, can
. function with double -barreled etfec-
: tiveness.
=. The 43 members Of the non-polit-
n tcal, streamlined unicameral body,
summoned recently for their first
: special session since 1t was estab-
: lished, disposed of their tasks In
!. Just II days. - =
Gov. r. L. Cochran called the
6enators-that's their self-selected
designated title-together princi-
pally to boost the biennial public
assistance appropriation from $l4,-
e57,000 to an estimated $16,754 ,4l2,
so that monthly payments to 27,50O
old-age pensioners and 1850 de-
pendent children could be raised.
:: The money was available in sur
plus tax collections and the Sena-
tors decided the needy ought to
get it.
Also taken care Of was a revision
IN the unemployment compensation
law, making it conform with recently
enacted Federal legislation, a change
In the workmen's compensation
statutes and Qualification of an act
dealing with counties bearing costs
:" OF burying paupers.
= A method was set up for release
eof liens given the State against the
estates of assistance recipients to ef-
fect recoveries for relief granted
them, and an appropriation of SIS, 900
made to cover expenses of the spe-
cial session.
The Senators estimated the final
cost would be well under that
figure.
Large Volume Of Business.
All in all, 1t was q large volume
OF business to dispose of in Just II
days-considering that some pes
simistic Senators estimated they
might be on hand for two months.
and the most optimistic said two
weeks.
But the entire procedure brought
70 Nebraskans-and to students of
modern governments new valua-
ton for the States thus far unique
form Of legislative machinery.
Most appealing to economy loving
Nebraskans is that 1t is cheaper to
have one-house body.
Under the two-house system law
makers were paid $500 for the two
years service and $40 per day for
actual attendance at special ses-
sions, but not to exceed 500 for any
one session.
Unicameral Senators got 81 IA for
the blennium and no extra pay for
special sessions. That might have
been a reason for the short duration
OF the unicameral special meeting.
The first regular session of the
unicameral in 1887 cost $103,445 and
the 1899 session $100,678. The de-
crease under 1887 was $2,767, despite
the fact the 1899 session was 13 days
longer.
AT any rate that Is very much
under the cost Of the 1885 bicameral
legislature of 80 Senate and 100
House members that totaled 500, 2,593.
Talk Of Changes Heard.
There has been talk Of revamping
the present one-house setup, in
creasing the number of Senators and
selecting them on political basis.
Critics Of the present arrangement
BAY 1t is too small q body as 1t now
exists and should have two members
selected from each district-thus
doubling the membership-serving
four-year terms. Half the Senators
would be elected every two years.
Such proposals are likely to meet
with the disapproval of United
States Senator George w. Norris,
the father Of the one-house system.
When the veteran lawmaker
stumped the State pleading that
Nebraskans give the Nation an op-
portunity to see an experiment in
modern lawmaking work he stressed
the importance Of having legislators
selected on a non-political basis.
The unicameral system has been
proposed in many States, but has
yet to win adoption in another.
Legislators and students of Govern
ment have come to Nebraska by the
score to study the system and have
gone away with varying ideas.
Senator Norris once summed It
up this way:
There has been considerable
criticism Of this Legislature, some of
It honest, constructive, some of It
selfish, and some of it without any
foundation whatsoever.
However. honest men and women
who realize that perfection cannot
be had in any body Of men are salts
ned and think it is far superior to
the record made by any previous
Legislature in the history Of Ne
braska."