Your Weeks 11 and 12 Legislative Update
Hello friends,
The past two weeks at the legislature have been quite eventful with the issues discussed on the floor.
Week 11:
On Tuesday the 12th, the first item on the agenda was the veto override of LB307. LB307, introduced by Senator Hunt, allows municipalities and counties (local governments) to vote for a syringe exchange program. In Nebraska, we have seen a spike in HIV and other diseases due to not having a syringe program available. This bill was incredibly well researched and had broad bipartisan support throughout all 3 rounds of debate. Governor Pillen vetoed the bill, citing issues he had with the legislation that truly aren’t based off of the data that has shown the success of syringe service programs in other states. 44 other states have a syringe exchange program. Multiple senators switched their votes from support to opposition due to requests by the governor and opposition from people in their districts. I want to applaud Senator Hunt and her staff for their efforts on this legislation.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the legislature debated LB1412 and LB1413. Both of these bills are the mid-biennium budget adjustments recommended by the governor’s office. Many of the adjustments were to take funding out of different cash funds in order to administer property tax relief. This type of relief isn’t going to solve the long term issues with property taxes in Nebraska. Unfunded mandates in political subdivisions across the state are a leading cause behind property tax levies being raised. While both bills passed, I will always continue to raise issues and look to have true property tax reform.
On Friday the 15th, my bills, LB823 and LB1373 were both amended onto LB1215. LB823 has Nebraska join the Physician Associates Licensure Compact, which removes hurdles to licensure for PA’s in other states that are a part of the compact. LB1373 would have Nebraska join the Dietitians Interstate Compact as well. Both of these bills are beneficial, especially for military families as they often are moved every 2 to 3 years to different states. My office is continuing to find ways to have my legislation amended on to other bills in order to make my bills law.
Week 12:
On Monday of week 12, the legislature discussed multiple bills throughout the day, beginning with LB137. Senator Bosn’s bill enhances criminal penalties against drug dealers if the drug they sold leads to injury or death. This bill was filibustered throughout the morning hours. The bill was passed over for the afternoon debate to allow discussions on other legislation. One of my bills, LB834 successfully passed on to Final Reading. LB834 expedites the temporary licensure process for postgraduate dental students to be able to practice at their approved residency site. The bill will help to prevent postgraduate students leaving for out of state schools and leaving Nebraska’s workforce. The bill passed without opposition.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, LB441 continued to have debates until Wednesday morning. The bill failed to obtain the votes needed to end debate, basically guaranteeing that the bill is dead. Legislation similar to this has passed in other states and has proven to be incredibly harmful for educational institutions to teach, Teachers and librarians shouldn’t have to worry about being prosecuted while teaching.
On Wednesday the 20th, I began a filibuster against Sen. Holdcroft’s bill LB876. This legislation expands the Safehaven law to allow babies to be dropped of at fire stations and other specific locations where first responders are located instead of just hospitals while expanding services to protect mothers and children. The main contention I had with the legislation was allowing “baby boxes” to be placed at these sites. These baby boxes haven’t been given approval by governmental agencies for safety inspections. There are numerous legal issues as well. These boxes violate the Indian Child Welfare Act, and make it easier for crimes like rape, domestic violence and incest to be perpetrated. The boxes are costly as well for localities, costing 15,000 dollars per box and includes a 500 dollar yearly fee for using the box. Working with Senator Holdcroft, the bill will be amended and eliminate the baby box language from the bill.
On Wednesday night, the legislature passed LB20, introduced by Senator Wayne from General File to Select File. This legislation restores voting rights for felons after the completion of a sentence or probation. The bill passed the first round of debate with ease. Legislation identical to LB20 has come up multiple times over the years. I’m glad to see Nebraska catch up to other states when it comes to criminal justice reforms. |
