State News in Brief

A Nebraska judge has upheld the decision to split a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that intended to limit property taxes and compel lawmakers to boost state funding for schools.

Drafted by a coalition including the Nebraska State Education Association and the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the proposal would set new statewide caps on property taxes. The teachers' union supported the measure out of fear that more drastic cuts to education funding might be on the way. ( "Neb. Lawmakers Back New Caps on Property Taxes," April 17, 1996.)

The coalition hoped to make sure the state would make up for lost property taxes by adding a declaration that providing an education is the "paramount"...