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[[Image:Dianna-Schimek.jpg|right|200px]]

'''DiAnna Schimek''' (b. 1940)  is a [[Nebraska]] state senator from Lincoln, Nebraska in the [[Nebraska State Legislature|Nebraska Unicameral]].  She is married to Herb Schimek, who is a lobbyist for the [[Nebraska State Education Association]].<ref>[http://www.nsea.org/about_us/directory/staff.htm ''Nebraska State Education Association staff list'']</ref> Although members of the Unicameral are technically non-partisan, Senator Schimek is a member of the Democratic Party who served on the [[Democratic National Committee]] from 1976-1988.  She is responsible for introducing [[Nebraska Legislative Bill 39]] with its new restrictions on the initiative process.

[[Dave Heineman|Gov. Dave Heineman]] vetoed Schimek's LB 39, and Schimek successfully engineered an override of that veto, so that LB 39 is now state law.<ref>[http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=14002&pageID=3 ''Gov. Heineman vetoes petition changes'']</ref>

==Personal life==

She was born on March 21, 1940, in Holdrege, Nebraska and graduated from Alma High School in 1958.  She attended Colorado Woman's College and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating from Kearney State College in 1963. 
 
==State Legislature==

Schimek was elected in 1988 to represent the 27th Nebraska legislative district and reelected in 1992, 1996, 2000,  and 2004.  She currently sits on the Business and Labor and Urban Affairs committees as well as the Committee on Committees and chairs the Government, Military and Veterans' Affairs.

==Legislation supported by Schimek==

'''2008'''

In 2008, Senator Schimek has proposed:

* [[Nebraska Legislative Bill 39|LB 39]], which imposes aggressive new monitoring and registration guidelines on [[circulator|petition circulators]].

* LB 1141,<ref>[http://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LB1141.pdf ''LB 1141'']</ref> which imposes aggressive new monitoring and registration requirements on homeschooling families.<ref>[http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ne/200801290.asp ''Legislator Wants to Take Homeschool Law Back to the ‘Dark Ages’'']</ref>  [[Dave Heineman|Gov. Dave Heineman]] has pledged to veto this bill.<ref>[http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/06/news/politics/doc47aa037a6a2f2031178079.txt ''Heineman: I'll veto home-school testing bill''] February 6, 2008 [[Lincoln Journal-Star]]</ref> 

* LB 824,<ref>[http://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Intro/LB824.pdf ''LB 824'']</ref> which mandates that appointed boards, commissions, committees and councils of the state must have equal numbers of men and women.<ref>[http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/01/11/news/politics/doc4786758faeecc728829009.txt ''Lawmaker wants equal number men, women on state boards''] January 10, 2008, [[Lincoln Journal-Star]]</ref>

* LB 1148, a bill to phase out the use of confinement crates for pregnant sows.  Schimek withdrew the bill five days after she introduced it, saying "I'm saying I didn't give it a thought, and that's a terrible way to introduce legislation in the first place."  Schimek was prompted to introduce the bill by the Humane Society of the United States, which has sponsored petition drives in two states to eliminate gestation crates.<ref>[http://www.bellevueleader.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19282882&BRD=2712&PAG=461&dept_id=556239&rfi=6 ''Bill to regulate hog enclosures has short life'']</ref>

'''2006'''

Senator Schimek proposed a controversial bill in 2006 to allow for in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants in the state of Nebraska.<ref>[http://www.lancastercountydemocrats.org/SchimekMessage.htm ''Message from State Senator DiAnna Schimek to the Lancaster County Democrats'']</ref>

==Contact information==

Sen. DiAnna Schimek<br>
Room 1124, State Capitol<br>
Lincoln, NE 68509<br>
dschimek@leg.ne.gov

==External links==
* [http://nebraskalegislature.gov/web/public/senators/bios/schimek Official Unicameral biography of DiAnna Schimek]
* [http://www.netaxpayers.org/ntfpetition1.htm History of restrictions to initiative rights in Nebraska]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Nebraska]]
[[Category:Nebraska State Senators]]