Legislative Update

Good morning, Nebraska!

This week, we continued floor debate in earnest and took up two of my bills on select file. LB14 my personal priority bill this session, is the Audiologist and Speech Pathologist Compact bill. The other was my military retirement fix, LB6. was advanced as part of the broader military retirement bill which I also co-sponsored, LB387.

LB6 was designed to fix an unintended oversight with last year’s military retirement bill, but with the expansion it will also apply to this year’s bill. Right now, there is a population of military retirees in Nebraska who receive their 1099’s from the office of Personnel Management rather than the Department of Defense, because they first retired from the military and then worked on the civilian side, though still for the federal government. That means that the tax exemption in these military retirement bills do not apply to them as is. The language from LB 6 would make this group of Nebraska military retirees eligible for the benefits, ensuring no one is left behind and that everyone is treated fairly. Finally, it will help to further support Governor Ricketts’s goals by helping to retain and attract veterans to Nebraska.

LB9  has been selected by Speaker Hilgers as one of his Speaker Priority bills. This guarantees that the bill will be debated on the floor in the near future and I expect it to advance, pass and become law this year.

LB9 changes annexation requirements and property tax special valuation provisions for cities that might encompass or be built near a military installation. The way state law is currently written, annexation has to include contiguous or adjacent land, but that’s impossible for cities like Bellevue which have federally owned land in the middle of a potential annexation area. This would allow those cities to “cross” over Federal land. The special valuation provisions make it so landowners who are being annexed in aren’t “punished” by the annexation.

When Bellevue looks to expand and grow, it is in fact, hampered several different ways. Offutt and Rising View Military Housing create particular hurdles. Offutt AFB causes Bellevue to be “landlocked” to the South, the Missouri River is to our east, Omaha to our north and Papillion and La Vista to our West. Our only option for growth is to move south and that’s what we hope will happen with the passing of LB9.

For a full list and additional information about all the bills I’ve introduced and cosponsored, you can click the link here.

Bellevue East With The Big Win
Congratulations to Bellevue East as the overall State Champion and Large School State Champion at the Academic Decathlon State Finals. This is the first time the team has won this particular event in the history of the school!

In addition to the overall team win, several students won individual honors. I want to send out my heartfelt congratulations to the entire group. Clearly their hard work and dedication paid off.

What Drives You?
The Nebraska State Highway Commission will conduct a virtual meeting via WebEx on March 26 at 8:30 am. This event is open to the public. An audio feed will be available by dialing 1-415-655-0003. When prompted, enter meeting number 145 060 5666 to connect to the call. If attendees would prefer an access link for computer or mobile viewing, please contact Sarah Soula at 402-479-4871 or sarah.soula@nebraska.gov.

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions about anything going on that are related to highways in our area. Just FYI, District 2 includes the counties of Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy and Washington.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update
The Sarpy/Cass County Health Department recently issued an update on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. 

While still in Phase 1B they have been able to lower the age requirements for those who can schedule an appointment for a vaccination. 

Sarpy/Cass residents born in 1956 or before are eligible to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination. Any K-12 educator is also now eligible to be vaccinated.

You do not need the Sarpy/Cass Health Department to schedule this appointment for you. Please visit this website to view all the vaccine clinic options in our communities. Select the clinic that works best for you, and click or call that individual clinic to schedule your appointment.

Please keep in mind that scheduling at this time is limited to those residents 65 or older, or those who are K-12 educators.

If you do have any questions there is a number you can call to get assistance. 402-339-4334 and press option 1. 

In preparation for your name being called to get vaccinated, the state does offer a website where you can register to be notified when it’s your turn. You can sign up at this link. .

Preschool Screenings
If you’re in the Papillion La Vista school district and your child is going to turn four-years-old by July 31, 2021 then it’s officially time to call and schedule a screening.

If your family fits this criteria please call 402-524-3243 today and set up an appointment. Again, you must reside in the Papillion La Vista community schools district in order to use this number for the screenings.

March OPPD Efficiency Tip
Every month, OPPD offers a couple of helpful tips to be more energy-efficient and lower your electricity bill. This month, the focus is on furnace filters. You may not believe they aren’t that important in the broader scheme, but in fact, filters protect the internal compacts of your HVAC system and keep it running smoothly.

Furnace filters, like many other things, have ratings that tell you a filter’s ability to capture and hold particles and pollutants. Most furnace filters have a MERV rating (3M has MPR and The Home Depot has FPR, but have equivalents to the MERV rating). The higher the MERV rating, the smaller the particles that can be trapped when the system is running.

OPPD suggests you get a furnace filter that has a MERV rating of between 8 and 11.