Another week in the books and this one was pretty good. Last Saturday I attended a town hall meeting at the Bellevue Public Library with Senator Sue Crawford (LD 45) and we were met with a standing room only crowd. The attendees listened to us speak on current legislation as well as participated in a Q & A session. Questions included topics such as Nebraska Schools, Retirement, Potential Loss of Federal Dollars, Environmental, Taxes and possible ideas for future legislation. The Bellevue Public Library did a fantastic job and we are both excited to come back for future town halls.

The end of the week saw a great deal of activity for two of my bills. LB85, which would stop anyone from running for public office, or be appointed to public office if they owed fines to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission (NADC), passed final reading and is now headed to Governor Ricketts’ desk for his signature. Once he signs it, it will officially become law. I believe this bill will hold public servants accountable and weed out the people who aren’t willing to own up to their obligations. This bill hasn’t received a single no-vote as it’s made it’s way through the legislature. It advanced from the committee unanimously and got through three rounds on the floor without any opposition. The vote count on final reading was 48-0 with one senator absent. This truly has bipartisan support and will be a very beneficial law moving forward.

Speaking of a bill with strong bipartisan support, my priority bill LB88 got through the first round of debate on the legislature floor on Thursday. LB88 would allow military spouses to be able to get a temporary license in over 30 medical fields when they move to Nebraska, as long as they were licensed and able to practice in those fields in their previous states. This will help Nebraska be looked upon as more “Military Friendly” and will greatly aid those people who live and work in and around Offutt Air Force Base.

In addition to helping military families, the Health and Human Services Committee asked me to allow LB88 to be the vehicle to carry an amendment that included four other bills that are similar to my bill. The amendment includes parts of LB342 (Adopt the Nurse Licensure Compact and provide for temporary nursing license for military spouses) which is Senator Erdman’s bill, Senator Crawford’s LB425 (Change and eliminate provisions relating to the Nurse Practitioner Practice Act), Senator Kolterman’s LB61 (Adopt the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact) and finally Senator Riepe’s LB283 (Change and eliminate provisions relating to licensed practical nurses). This means that not only does LB88 with these amendments attached have bipartisan support in the legislature, but the bill and amendment shows the ability for bipartisan agreement in writing legislation.

Did you know that the following publications are available at no charge and can be ordered via the Unicameral Information Office?

Inside Our Nation’s Only Unicameral: The Nebraska Legislature
22 X 28″ Color Poster: Featuring Contact Information & Photos of Each Senator
Unicam Kids: Illustrated book for gradeschoolers
Membership & Committees Cards: Reference card listing Senator contact information and membership of the Legislative Committees.
Public Hearing Testimony: A brochure about the committee hearing process
Lines of Government: A booklet depicting boundaries for Nebraska’s Legislative, Supreme Court & Congressional Districts, as well as districts for other lines of Nebraska Government.
Unicameral Update: Online news source produced by the Clerk of the Legislature’s Office. Weekly print or email subscriptions available.

Friday and Monday are recess days for the legislature and we’ll be back in session on Tuesday. That day will mark the 54th day of the session, meaning we only have 36 days left and we’re barrelling towards the end with still plenty of work to do.  As always, we are here to serve the residents of District 3. Don’t hesitate to call or email my office and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.