Sen. Hughes in Lincoln for final legislative year

    Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango is starting his final session in the Nebraska Unicameral, and this week, sounded like he is ready to get to work.
    The senator, who serves the 44th District including Chase and Perkins counties, didn’t sound sentimental about starting his eighth and final session in Lincoln.
    It wasn’t Hughes’ decision for 2022 to be his final year as a state senator.
    He was term-limited out.
    “It’s time for someone else to have the opportunity to serve,” he said Monday from his Lincoln office.
    The 2022 session officially kicked off Wednesday with opening ceremonies, and the first of 10 days for bill introduction.
    Debate on carryover bills from the last session could also start sometime next week, likely in the afternoons, he believes, with mornings set aside for the new bill introduction.
    Hughes returns to his post as chairman of the executive committee, and in that position, he also serves on the reference committee, which assigns new bills to standing committees.
    So, he and eight others will be busy the first few days making those assignments, he said.
    In addition to his second year as executive committee chair, he’ll continue to serve on the natural resources, telecommunications and transportation committees.
    One bill he plans to introduce in 2022 is an extension to his LB 126, passed two years ago, on which he said he’s received a lot of positive feedback.
    The 2021 deer season was the first year LB 126 was implemented, allowing landowners and their children (four permits total) to hunt deer on their land three days before the firearm season opened.
    Hughes said a lot of the feedback the past year has requested that grandchildren be included among those early hunters.
    “The Game & Parks was okay with that, so we are planning a bill,” he said.
    As it now stands, a landowner can receive four permits for family members to hunt early—two for hunters over the age of 19 and two for 19 and younger who must be the landowner’s children.
    His new bill will add grandchildren to the group of eligible early hunters 19 and younger.
    Hughes said they are still working on what that expanded number of permits will be for the younger hunters.
    Several other bills he plans to introduce are still being finalized, he added, and will end up in the ag and transportation committees.
    A couple of others will be cleanup bills on technical issues such as wording that he’ll carry for the executive committee.
    It’s a short, 60-day session in 2022, and Hughes is hopeful no issues will arise that will suspend the session.
    “We’ll get the things done that need to get done,” he said.
    One of the big debating points he expects will be how to spend the $1 billion the state received in COVID-related funds.
    “Hopefully, we’ll direct some portion of that to more deployment of broadband in rural Nebraska, and earmark some for continued road improvements,” he said.
    “But, there are a lot of ideas out there on how to spend it,” he added.
    He believes the chances are good for a new state penitentiary.
    “We’ve got the need and the revenue to build a new prison, so those two things are answered,” he said.
    Nebraska is in good shape financially with about $400 million more in tax revenues than what was forecast.
    He’s hopeful some of that will be directed to property tax refunds.
    As in other years, Hughes expects a lot of new bills will be introduced starting day one.
    “There’s always something out of the blue that comes up,” he said.
    That should make for some good politics.
    “With a lot of money to be spent and half the body running for re-election or for a different office, that always adds a different dynamic to the floor debate,” he said.
    The first day of the session Wednesday is also the first day candidates can file for office.
    With Hughes leaving his 44th District seat, only one person, Ed Dunn of Grant, has indicated an interest publicly to run for that office.
    Hughes has had conversations with others about the 44th District seat, but no one else besides Dunn has announced plans to run.
    He said he’s not saying at this point whether he’ll endorse anyone or not. He’ll wait to see who enters the race, who’s the best candidate and make a decision then.
    The 44th is one of the 24 even-numbered Unicameral seats up for election in November.
    While noting there is no perfect job, Hughes said he enjoys his position as state senator.
    “Some days are better than others,” he said.
    One thing he’s certain of is that he’ll miss the people and acquaintances he’s made while serving as state senator.
    “I’ve made some good, lifelong friends,” he said.
    The second session of the 107th Legislature is set to conclude April 20.
    In 2022, the officially nonpartisan Unicameral has 32 Republicans and 17 Democrats.