Your May Legislative Update

Hello friends,

The month of May has been chockful of legislation. The budget is getting close to passage, the education committee’s omnibus bill passed, property tax levy’s for community colleges changed and so much more.

The amount of information that can be shared to you through this newsletter would be almost overwhelming. During a normal year at the legislature, we’d have each individual bill debated on or the omnibus bills wouldn’t have nearly the amount of bills amended on to the main bill. In order for bills to be amended together with other bills, they must be germane. The same section of statute or the same kind of topic are the two qualifications for germaneness. Bills like LB705, LB727 and others, have over 20 bills amended. The question of germaneness may come up down the line, but I do wish to highlight some of the best pieces of legislation that either are on to the next stage of debate or are heading to the governor’s desk.

From LB727:

LB 180 as amended by AM 142 creates the Nebraska Biodiesel Tax Credit Act, allowing for biodiesel retailer income tax credits under the Act.

LB 447 amends current statute(s) to allow retired firefighters a deduction for health insurance premiums paid and to allow for tuition waivers for firefighters and dependents of law enforcement officers and firefighters.

LB 706 as amended by AM 692 creates new statutes that allow, under the Build Nebraska Act, for issuing bonds up to the amount of four hundred and fifty million dollars ($450,000,000.00), with a provision for thirty million dollars ($30,000,000.00) annually for debt service, for new roads projects, and harmonizes corresponding statutes to reflect the new sections. AM 692 added a provision to extend the sunset date of the Build Nebraska Act to match with the sunset date of the new bonding under LB 706.

From LB705:

LB 385 (as amended by AM 1397) Creates the Nebraska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act, which is funded by the Education Future Fund. The purpose of the act is to incentivize the recruitment and retention of new teachers and teachers with a high-need certification. New teachers would be eligible for a two thousand five hundred dollar grant at the beginning of years two, four, and six. Teachers with a high-need certification will be eligible for a one-time grant worth five thousand dollars at the beginning of a school year in which such high-need subjects are taught by the grant recipient.

LB 414 (as amended by AM 689)  Would provide standards and practices for public school’s option enrollment program in order to ensure that children with special needs are not disqualified due to their special needs. AM 689 offers clarifying language to address standards by which a school district may determine the manner in which they manage option student applications, and also directs the school district in reporting requirements to the Department of Education regarding how option student applications are handled.

LB 516 (as amended by AM 1442) Appropriates eight hundred seventy thousand dollars from the General Fund each fiscal year to carry out the School Safety and Security Reporting Act in order to continue serving Nebraska citizens via the Safe2HelpNE hotline.

LB 632 (as amended by AM 1208) LB 632 Would prohibit a school from suspending a student in Pre-K through second grade. Exceptions are granted if such student brings a deadly weapon on school grounds, or to a school-sponsored activity or athletic event, or in a vehicle being used for a school purpose or by a school employee.

LB 724 (as amended by AM 1235) Addresses the on-going teacher shortage in Nebraska by removing basic skills testing from certification requirements, while retaining content knowledge testing requirements.

The Budget:

The legislature for the entire month of May has been debating and working extremely hard on delivering a budget that is fair for all Nebraskans. Multiple bills make up the budget. LB813, LB814, LB815, LB816, and LB818 are all at the final stage of debate or are at the governor’s desk. LB817 is still awaiting a decision by the appropriations committee. The appropriations committee worked extremely hard on each of these bills and I wish to thank each member for their deliberation and consideration about each part of the budget.

WanderNebraska:

WanderNebraska is a program run by the Nebraska State Historical Society.

The program runs all year long, kicking off Memorial Weekend 2023 and running through May 2024.

The new website includes the organization’s name, hours of operation, contact information, a Google Map for directions, a summary of the location, any upcoming events, and a list of other, nearby WanderNebraska sites.

The state has been divided into 7 regions so you can see all the locations in the area and make it easier to plan a trip to multiple sites.

There is no booklet needed this year. Our website has all the information you need for your visits!
NSHSF is excited to help you explore all these hidden treasures along Nebraska’s back roads and in local communities.

These organizations work very hard to keep their history alive and they love to show it off. Plan a summer trip today!

Click on the link below to learn more about WanderNebraska!
https://wandernebraska.com/?fbclid=IwAR1LeMjmDJ4SOjNHXSYhonUE8hymSeNtKidHkWWiFaEZ3VaneBHiW7lvOOw

Sincerely, Senator Blood

If you ever have questions about legislation, please feel free to call my office by calling 402-471-2627 or you can contact my staff by email below.

Alex Maycher, Legislative Aide: amaycher@leg.ne.gov
Gabriel Hinrichs, Administrative Aide: ghinrichs@leg.ne.gov

Talking Sarpy

Hello friends,

I hope your week was enjoyable. I had a great week and got to visit with a lot of Sarpy County friends.. It’s always a pleasure to speak with District 3 students. I have to say that the littles from Peter Sarpy Elementary exhibited exceptional behavior and their knowledge of the Nebraska Legislature. I wish to thank them and their teachers for visiting. What a great group of future leaders.

Another group I met with on Tuesday was Leadership Sarpy. During this conversation I talked about property taxes and how the legislature continues to not address the main causes behind high property taxes. We as the people of this state continue to hear the same exact thing on the campaign trail, “we need to lower property taxes.” and the legislature continues to craft legislation that does provide property tax relief but not in a way that is sustainable. These types of bills continue to kick the can down the road.

“Why are property taxes so high?” is one heck of a question that can’t be answered by one piece of legislation but one thing that is definite about the increase on property taxes is that the blame is often placed in the hands of the wrong people. Political subdivisions are given mandates that they must fulfill without any financial help by the legislature. These can result in tens of millions of dollars in mandates passed down by the legislature that the political subdivisions are forced to comply with and figure out how they must pay for these mandates without state support.

My legislative resolution, LR1CA would end this cycle of unfunded mandates and ensure that these mandates are funded by the legislature. Sarpy County alone has over 15 million dollars in unfunded mandates. We need this constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot. This would solve a long-term property tax issue. You, as a voter, will get to decide on the ballot if we should generate legislation without first showing you how we will pay for it. It’s a no-brainer that we can do better and unless it goes to a vote of the people, it will never change.

Another Meeting

Tuesday was busy! I also had the great opportunity to meet with Alpha Kappa Alpha, organized and established by strong Black, college-educated women who focus on community service and action. We had a great discussion about women in politics, women’s issues and property taxes once again. It was a great moment to be surrounded by such proud women. Thanks for the certificate!

DOD

Also on Tuesday, I had the pleasure of hosting fellow senators for a lunch meeting with Michelle Richart of the Military Community & Family Policy Office from the Department of Defense. She discussed the key issues identified by her office each year that can support military families within the State of Nebraska. She also explained the role of the Military Families Office as she is relatively new to the position and this was her first visit in her new capacity.  As you know, I’ve worked closely with this office over the last 7 years and had great legislative success. It’s important that we continue to hone this relationship and move needed legislation forward in a timely fashion. Senators were inquisitive about the programs available and what can be done to improve the lives of military families across the state. Thanks to all that joined the meeting and the conversation, and thanks to Michelle for her hard work and commitment to help military families and veterans.

Facebook

Check out the Facebook page! We have started a new daily post called Daily Holidays. It’s been really fun to see the interaction between constituents so feel free to join in on the fun!

If you have any questions or concerns about legislation, feel free to contact my office by calling 402-471-2627. You can also contact my staff directly.

Alex Maycher, Legislative Aide: amaycher@leg.ne.gov
Gabriel Hinrichs, Administrative Aide: ghinrichs@leg.ne.gov