Public school teachers would get a $1,000 state income tax credit under a bill that would cost the state more than $20 million each year.

“It’s a way of enhancing teacher compensation” in a state that ranks in the bottom 10 for teacher pay, said Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery, sponsor of the measure.

“This is not a cheap bill,” Avery said. “But when you are in economic hard times, you don’t quit trying to do good policy.”

And the income tax credit — $1,000 for full-time teachers, $500 for part-time public school teachers — is less expensive than a full-fledged compensation package for teachers, he noted.

There will be other teacher pay proposals, Avery said. His bill (LB138) is simply the first to be introduced. 

“I thought it needed to be discussed. It might be a fall-back plan,” instead of a more expensive compensation package. Part of his goal is to “keep the conversation going” about the need to improve teacher pay.

Avery also referred to the recent controversy over administrative pay at Lincoln Public Schools, but said his bill was in the works before the discussion about administrators’ hidden benefits.

“At LPS we are quite generous to our administrators. If we can do that for administrators, we can do a better job with our teachers,” he said.

The following bills were among the measures introduced Friday.

* Motor vehicle homicide: Drivers found guilty of motor vehicle homicide would not be allowed to drive for at least one year and up to 15 years, under a bill (LB148) introduced by Omaha Sen. Pete Pirsch.

* Rename Mexican American Commission: The commission would become Commission on Hispanic-Americans, under LB139, sponsored by Avery. The commission name needs to be broadened to reflect the people it represents, Avery said.

* Full disclosure: State elected officials would have to disclose other jobs and their pay while they are campaigning and holding a statewide office. LB126 applies to the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor and treasurer. 

The bill is similar to a measure introduced last year by Avery that was specifically aimed at State Treasurer Shane Osborn, who continued to work for an insurance brokerage firm after he was elected in 2006.

Last year’s bill, barring the state’s six constitutional officers from taking outside jobs, did not make it out of committee. This year Avery’s bill would require reporting of jobs, income and amount of time spent on that work.

* Seatbelts: Nebraska’s seatbelt law would become a primary offense, rather than a secondary offense. Now, Nebraskans cannot be cited for not buckling up unless officers also cite the driver for another law violation. That would change under LB106, offered by Scottsbluff Sen. John Harms, and police would be able to cite for seatbelt violations alone.

* Construction zones: The doubled fines for speeding in construction zones would apply only when workers were present, under a bill (LB111) by Sen. Deb Fischer of Valentine.  The speed limit signs in construction zones would also include the words “when workers are present.” 

Fischer, chair of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, said she introduced the bill after constituents told her about frustrations with the changing speed limits and construction zones on I-80 between Lincoln and Omaha.

* Hallucinogenic drug: The Legislature may again consider whether to outlaw the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum.

Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber introduced a bill (LB123) to ban the plant in Nebraska.

Recently, a Lincoln store owner stopped selling salvia. State officials had cited him for selling the plant at his store, Exotica. It’s not illegal to possess the plant in Nebraska, but officials said Christian Firoz violated a statute that prohibits the sale of substances that will be used to induce intoxication. He was set to go to trial later this month.

The plant can cause hallucinations within seconds after it’s smoked, licked or chewed.

A similar bill didn’t reach a final vote last year.

* Anthrax-livestock: Laws governing the reporting and containment of anthrax in Nebraska livestock might be updated this year.

State Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege introduced a bill (LB99) that specifies what a herd owner must do if an animal is infected. It could include quarantine, vaccinations and cleanup to prevent the spread of the disease.

The bill also would specify penalties for those who don’t correctly report anthrax infections.

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.