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LINCOLN, Neb. -- Supporters of five different petition drives, including one to cap state spending and one to allow casino gambling in Nebraska, said Friday they had collected enough signatures to get on the November ballot.
But some of the measures face staunch opposition.
"Nebraska voters want to be in charge of state spending, and they have earned the right to vote on the ... initiative this fall," said Mike Groene, spokesman of the Stop Over Spending -- or SOS -- petition drive. "With the SOS initiative, they will finally have a say in how their tax dollars are spent."
The Committee for Better Schools and More Jobs in Nebraska, Inc. sponsored a package of three petitions that would allow one casino in each of the state's three congressional districts.
It would earmark funds for K-12 education, horse racing and compulsive gamblers, and create a board to regulate and license casinos in the state.
"If approved in November, the casino measures will stem the flow of hundreds of millions of Nebraska dollars each year to casinos across our borders and re-channel that money to Nebraska jobs and public education," said Greg Lemon, chairman of the committee.
The petitions will be sent by Secretary of State John Gale to the counties where the signatures were gathered for verification.
A group wanting to amend the state Constitution must gather about 114,000 signatures -- 10 percent of the state's registered voters -- to get the issue on the November ballot.
A group wanting only to create a state law needs about 80,000 signatures -- 7 percent of the state's registered voters.
Each group also must collect signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in 38 of the 93 counties.
Meanwhile, a coalition opposing the spending cap vowed to fight on.
The coalition, called Nebraskans for the Good Life. includes the League of Nebraska Municipalities and the Nebraska State Education Association.
A Montana group, America At Its Best, has given $380,000 to the SOS petition drive, which seeks a constitutional amendment that would tie state spending to cost of living and population changes.
The casino measure is being pushed by Boyd Gaming Inc., which owns several casinos around the nation.
Gale now must decide if the casino petition would violate the state Constitution.
Gambling opponents have questioned whether the casino petition should be allowed to proceed given the state constitution's limit on submitting similar ballot proposals more than once in three years.
Nebraskans voted down two casino plans in November 2004 -- one touted by Las Vegas casino interests and the other by the Legislature. Even though the details of proposals differ from past ones, opponents consider it more of the same.
Petition organizers had until 5 p.m. Friday to submit signatures.
Three other petition drives also were successful:
-- Keno operators were pushing to legalize video versions of the game.
-- A group called Nebraskans for Local Schools submitted a petition aimed at restoring elementary-only -- or Class I -- school districts, which were forced to merge with larger, K-12 districts. It would require voter approval before dissolving or merging school districts. It also would protect school districts from being redrawn by the Legislature, as was a result of a new law passed this session (LB1024) that would divide Omaha Public Schools into three districts.
-- The Nebraskans for Humane Care Committee circulated a petition in response to the 2005 death of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a right-to-die battle between her husband and parents that divided the country. It would prevent caregivers from shutting off nourishment and water to a person in their care unless the person specifically gave pre-authorization in a living will or other document.
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