Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 22

1 LEGISLATURE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6. 1991 LINCOLN. KB. JOURNAl 22 FingcrTips. 477 3333.

Local Weather Category 1600. hNGFJUIPS Two-day wait to process permit proposed A Committee advances handgun bill Local Sports Category Local News Category Accessible On Any Push-Button Phone. other order on such property. Kristensen had proposed the measure as part of an amendment to LB88, a tort reform bin that received first-round approval Monday. When it was ruled not germane, supporters of tort reform said that there were enough votes in the Judiciary Committee to advance it as a separate bul filing a lawsuit against the state or any political subdivision for making or failing to make an inspection of any erty other than the property it owns.

Additionally, lawsuits also would be barred in cases where the state or subdivision failed to issue, deny, suspend or revoke a permit, license, certificate or By Associated Pratt The Legislature's Judiciary Committee has voted to advance a handgun control bin to the full Legislature. 1 Meeting in executive session Tuesday, the committee voted 5-1 to move LB355, sponsored by Sea Brad Ashford of Omaha, to first-round consideration before the Legislature. Ashford's bin would require a person who wants to buy a handgun to apply first for a registration permit from the chief of police or local sheriff. Law enforcement officials would then have two days to determine whether information Qn the permit application is accurate. provision would apply to the purchase, lease, rent or transfer of handguns.

Ashford told the committee during 'public hearing last month that the imeasure deals only with handguns and will not be the first of many bills with the ultimate goal of banning an weapons. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha made the motion to advance the bin from committee. Chairman Sea Jerry Chizek of Omaha seconded the motion. Both voted to advance the measure along with Sens.

Chris Abboud and Bemice Labedz, both of Omaha, and Sea Arlene Nelson of Grand Island Voting against advancement was Sea Doug Kristensen of Min-dea Sens. Carol Pirsch of Omaha and Bob Wickersham of Harrison were present but did not vote. Omaha and Lincoln police officials spoke in support of Ashford's bilL The National Rifle Association opposed the measure. The committee also voted 5-2-1 to advance Kristensen's LB262, with amendments. The bin would prevent a person from Hospital group filed complaint Social Services denies most allegations in suit 1300.

rf i 1200. Lincoln, NE 68502 Friday 7:30 pm; Sunday 1 pm Diagnosed as Type II Diabetics! 1 9-75 Years of Age! Not on Insulin Therapy! May Qualify for An Upcoming Study. Harris Laboratories is currently looking for men and women with TYPE II Diabetics Give us a call to see if you Qualify and for details. Dealers, consumers split on written-estimates bill iAoR.Es.,Nc Cah 474-0627 621 Rose St I Monday-Thursday 7:30 pm; By Associated Press Car dealers and retailers oppose a bill that would require auto repair shops to provide written estimates to customers and prohibit charging for unauthorized repairs. Under LB86, sponsored by Sea DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln, repair costs could be no more than 10 percent above a written estimate unless a revised estimate was given and approved by the customer.

The Legislature's Banking, Conv merce and Insurance Committee held the bin Tuesday. Tim Domgard, white-collar crime investigator for the Lincoln Police Department, discussed a case in which the department had received more than 40 complaints about a Lincoln auto repair shop. Complaints involved gross underestimates of costs and situations in which customers said the mechanics dismantled their cars and "held them hostage" until unauthorized repair bills were paid Domgard said the repair shop, Judson Automotive was taken to court on three charges of theft by deception or If you are 19 or older and in good general health, but suffer from plaque psoriasis on 5-20 of your body, you may be selected to participate in one of two studies to test the safety and efficacy of an ointment for the treatment of your condition. For more Information, plcaso call Legislative panel studies proposed changes in NIFiV: 1 care and 32.8 percent for nursery care. SL Elizabeth Community Health Center in Lincoln was one of six hospitals that joined the lawsuit individually.

It claimed that for 1989-90 it was reimbursed $31.44 per patient day less than the daily allowable costs for acute care and $43.15 per patient day less than the daily costs of nursery care. Social Services claims the hospital was actually reimbursed $50.69 per patient day less than the daily allowable costs for acute care and $35.81 less than the daily costs of nursery care. Madonna Centers, a South Dakota non-profit corporation with a rehabilitation hospital in Lincoln, claimed it is being reimbursed $267.01 per patient day for 1990-91 rehabilitation services. Madonna claims this is $118.67 less than its daily allowable costs per patient day. Madonna also claimed that for 1989-90, it was reimbursed $55.87 less than its daily allowable costs per patient day.

In its answer, Social Services claims Madonna was reimbursed $10.69 more per day than its daily costs for 1990-91 and that for 1989-90 it was reimbursed the full cost of $175.93 per patient day for rehabilitation care. Social Services also changed some of the reimbursement figures alleged by other hospitals and denied most of the Nebraska Hospital Association's allegations. Most hospital closings reported in rural areas WASHINGTON (AP) Seventy-six hospitals, most of them small rural facilities, closed in 1989, the government reports. But five of them have reopened and 11 new hospitals opened that year, the inspector general's office at the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday. The 1989 closings, 43 of them in rural areas, represented 1.4 percent of the nation's 5,396 short-term, acute care hospitals in 1989.

The rural hospitals closed in 1989 had an average of 44 beds and average occupancy of 22 percent, and the urban ones had 103 beds with average occupancy of 28 percent ready requires instructors to demonstrate proficiency in English and win not let them teach if they cannot pass review by a UNL panel. Sponsor drops truck-weight bill By Associated Press The introducer of a bill that would exempt some farm trucks from federal safety regulations asked the Legislature's Transportation Committee to kfll the bill Tuesday. "It's not worth the trouble it would cause," Sen Arlene Nelson of Grand Island told the committee. Her LB243 would exempt farm trucks from 16 tons to semitrailer-truck weight from federal safety standards. Nelson said she introduced the bill to ease safety restrictions on farmers but decided to ask that it be killed when she realized private organizations might pursue the exemption intended for individuals by trying to amend the bin.

theft by exercising control He said passage of Schimek's bill would make it easier to prosecute cases of consumer fraud The charges are still pending against Judson Cushing, owner of Jud- son Automotive Ltd. Sea Doug Kristensen of Minden opposed the bin, which he said would pose a severe hardship. Tve been contacted by a number of repair shops who are concerned this would raise the costs of just doing business," he i Lloyd Todd, executive vice president of the Nebraska New Car and Truck Dealers Association, said that instead of stopping fraud, the bill would "go after legitimate businesses that are making honest mistakes" in estimates. Dwayne Richard, president of the Retail Merchants Association of Nebraska, said that even though the bill allowed a customer to agree orally to changes that later would be verified in writing, most shops would refuse to make any changes over the telephone to protect themselves from violating jtlie law. That would cause unnecessary hassles both for customers and for bosiness owners, he said.

members through several sections of the bilL Among the accountability and oversight changes, BaVe noted, is it provision that NIFA must notify the governor, the Legislature and ajiy news media who request information about the proposed issuance of bonds ft least 14 days before taking action on such issuance. That notice would include the public purpose of the bojid issue and the needs to be addressed hy it as well as the manner in which the need was identified. The bill also Calls for.NIFA, at the close of each fiscal year, to prepare a report that summarizes the individual loan reports by outlining the number of loans, the average principal, the average interest rate savings, average age of the borrowers and their average net worth. There were no proponents or opponents of the measure and the committee took no action on the bill State Patrol to test yl 3 Chevy Camaros By Associated Press Nebraska State Patrol troopers wffl begin testing 13 Chevrolet Camaros as patrol cars this spring, Patrol Superintendent CoL Harold LeGrande said Chevrolet had not made a police version of the Camaro untU this model year, although some law enforcement agencies have used a version of the car. LeGrande said the patrol wants to see how the car performs in day-t(Mlay traffic enforcement He said the Camaro costs less than a full-size patrol car and uses less gasoline.

BE HARRIS LABORATORIES, IfJC. 621 Rose Lincoln, NE 68502 ByJoleneDaib Journal Writer The state Department of Social Services is denying most allegations made by the Nebraska Hospital Association in its lawsuit to require that state Medicaid payment rates be updated The 94-member Nebraska Hospital Association sued the department in January in U.S. District Court to get Medicaid payment rates for hospitalizations updated to cover current costs. Social Services administers the federal-state program that provides health care for the poor. The association's suit said the unreimbursed cost of providing inpatient care to Nebraska Medicaid patients would be $13.79 million for fiscal year 1990-91.

In its answer. Social Services changed some of the figures that appeared in the Hospital Association's complaint The Hospital Association had claimed that for 1990-91, Medicaid inpatient rates will reimburse in full only 12 percent of the hospital's daily costs for acute care Medicaid days, 12 percent of psychiatric care Medicaid days and 32 percent of nursery care Medicaid days. Social Services claims the reimbursement rates are actually 11.5 percent for acute care, 11.98 percent for psychiatric Nelson to speak Monday at legislative breakfast Gov. Ben Nelson will speak at the first 1991 legislative breakfast sponsored by Lancaster County senators. Nelson will speak at 7:30 am Monday at the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education, 33rd and Holdrege streets.

The' breakfast gives Lancaster County residents a chance to discuss issues with their state senators. It runs from 7-9 a.m. The cost is $2.50 per person for coffee, juice and rolls. Speakers for subsequent breakfasts will be Lincoln Journal Editorial Page Editor Dick Herman on March 11; governor's Chief of Staff Sandy Scofield March 25; and Speaker of the Legislature Dennis Baack of Kimball April 15. Sponsoring senators are Jerome Warner of Waverly and Don Wesely, David Landis, DiAnna Schimek, LaVon Crosby and Chris Beutler of Lincola legislature- Ed bill requires fluency in English By Associated Press The Legislature's Education Committee is contemplating a bill that would require that teachers at public colleges be certified as fluent in English.

Maren Chaloupka, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told the committee Tuesday that she remembers the day she sat down in a freshman geography laboratory and the instructor wrote the letters HAN on the blackboard "He said, 'I am and that's the last thing we understood," she said Chaloupka was one of three UNL students who testified in favor of LB214, sponsored by Sen. Rex Haber-man of Imperial It would require all public colleges to certify that their instructors are fluent in English. Jim Lewis, chairman of the UNL mathematics department, opposed the bill He said the university al- Ffv 13.17 CLASSES A Great Idea By Associated The Legislature's Banking Commiileft. heard only neutral testimony on a bill would make four basic changes in the way the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority operates. The Banking Committee's LB253 was the result of an interim study hearing last fall and a lengthy public hearing in December, chairman David Landis of Lincoln said.

Committee counsel Bill Marienau said the 77-page bill makes a number of amendments in the NIFA statutes. Landis said the measure generally would limit NIFA's lending authority to areas in which it has tax-exempt status. Other portions of the bill would repeal the pooled bond on ag loans; provide an information structure to increase the legislature's knowledge of what NIFA is doing and how; and provide a public pur- pose impact statement of what NIFA is loaning money for and why. Only NIFA Executive Director Larry testified at Tuesday's hearing. He presented neutral testimony and walked LGGBGLA7UQG Calendar By Associated Press 92nd Legislature, 1st Session Feb.

5 19th Legislative Day Convened: 9a.m. Adweed from General File: LBs 220. 239, 122. I Advanced from Select File: LBs 40, 20, 32. Adopted: LR25.

Adiourned: 11:54 a.m. Committee action according to reports filed with the clerk of the Legislature: Transportation: advanced LBs 133, 284, .336.420. Harris Laboratories is currently-looking for healthy males females, ages 12-70 who have recently caught a COMMON COLD with a runny nose. If you qualify, you would be paid up to $175.00 to evaluate the efficacy of a nasal spray. For more information, call Harris at 476-6548 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday.

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