Gov. Dave Heineman called 49 senators to Lincoln 2 1/2 weeks ago to find a solution to a budget crisis.

He met with the Appropriations Committee and other key committee chairs Nov. 2, and held briefings with others, to outline his proposal to cut the two-year budget to fill a gap in revenue.

Then, according to a few senators, he more or less disappeared.

He was invited to speak to senators when the session opened Nov. 4, but he did not.

He apparently will choose not to speak at the end of the session.

And according to Speaker Mike Flood, the Legislature will meet an hour early Friday to vote on the final reading of budget bills, to get them to the governor by 9 a.m. That way, he can either sign the bills or use his veto power by noon.

If the governor gets the bills after 9, it could be 6 p.m. before the Legislature knows of any vetoes. Flood decided it would be better to stay into the evening to act on any vetoes, rather than spend another $10,000 to bring senators back Saturday, next week or after Thanksgiving, he said.

By law, the governor has five days, not including Sunday, to sign or veto a bill. Or he can allow it to become law without his signature.

If the session concludes Friday, the cost to taxpayers for 12 days would be about $120,000.

"I'd like to wrap the session up," Flood said.

But he also wants to make sure senators have a chance to override any vetoes.

On Monday, Flood said, he thought the Legislature would adjourn Saturday at the earliest. But when second-round voting took 15 minutes on Wednesday, he saw senators were ready to move on.

If the governor (pictured) is willing to make decisions on the bills Friday, Flood said, he is willing to accommodate his schedule. The two branches have to work together.

"Most Nebraskans go to work at 8," Flood said.

The governor is scheduled to speak at 11:15 a.m. Friday at an African American Achievement Council meeting in Omaha. Then he's off to Hartington in far northeast Nebraska for the dedication of the Cedar County courthouse renovation at 4 p.m.

Hartington is in Sen. Cap Dierks' District 40, and Dierks said he would be a little disappointed, personally, if the governor canceled his visit. But, he said, whatever he decides would be OK.

"He's in the catbird's seat," Dierks said.

Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop said he didn't know why the Legislature was being asked to accommodate the governor on the timing of the vote.

"This is not a partisan issue," he said. "It's about respect for the Legislature as an independent branch of government."

Omaha Sen. Heath Mello noted the governor was not around during the session.

"Now it appears the final vote revolves around his schedule," he said.

Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island said it didn't bother him to accommodate the governor Friday.

"I had marked on my calendar that I was available morning, noon and night," Gloor said.

He was even willing to meet over the weekend, he said, although he would have felt a little guilty missing church.

Appropriations Chairman Lavon Heidemann said it is important for senators and governor to work together to save $10,000 a day.

"I think (the governor) did his job," Heidemann said. "The majority of his work was over when he presented his proposal."

If he was around a lot, he would be criticized for being heavy-handed, Heidemann said.

The special session was a first for 17 senators.

Jen Rae Hein, a spokeswoman for Heineman's office, said the governor worked for a month on his budget proposal, asking for input from senators along the way. He had an open-door policy during the session for any senator who wanted to come in and ask questions or talk.

When the governor learned that final reading was going to be Friday instead of Saturday, Hein said, he agreed to accommodate the Legislature to turn the bills around.

Hein said a governor does not historically address senators publicly during a special session, when the time frame is compressed.

"In this case, the governor allowed the Legislature to do their work," she said.

At the same time, he was open to hear their thoughts and ideas, she said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.