Legislative Update

Good morning, Nebraska!

This week was the last week of hearings for my bills. We went out with a bang as we had five bills go in front of various committees. LB12, LB20, LB478, LB13, and finally LB8 had their hearings. I honestly believe that we made our case for each one of these bills and I look forward to the committees advancing the bills out of committee.

While the hearings were still center stage, we did have several bills debated and advanced on the floor as well. Of those, a rather large chunk were select file bills, meaning they were already in the second round of debate and likely headed to final reading. In all, we advanced 26 bills. Of note:

LB159 which was brought by the Urban Affairs Committee, of which I’m a member. This bill isn’t going to move mountains, but it does allow for a city or village to print its ordinances in an online format. This will both allow for a bit less waste, as they may not need to print off as many pamphlets and it allows more people to better educate themselves on those ordinances.

LB4, which increases from 50 percent to 75 percent the magnitude of tuition assistance benefits for Nebraska-based enlisted military reservists. This piece of legislation has 36 cosigners, including myself and might be one of the most “sure to become law” this session.

Next week, at least two of my bills will be heard on the floor, with LB14, my personal priority bill this session, the Audiologist and Speech Pathologist Compact bill, first up on Tuesday morning. The other bill on the agenda for Tuesday is my stroke-heart bill. LB476. I’m looking forward to taking the next step in getting them both passed.

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

Have Your Kiddos Join The Pawsitive Reading Program
Next Saturday, March 13, the Bellevue Public Library is holding a couple of its Pawsitive Reading Programs, though for obvious reasons, this year it will be on Zoom. Grades Pre-K through 6th will be able to read to a host of furry cuties.

The first program will take place from 9:30-10:30 am and the second will take place from 2:00 – 3:00.that afternoon. You can sign up on the Bellevue Library’s website but you should know that you’re going to need to sign up at least 24 hours in advance.

Water Roundtable Next Week
Nebraskans continue to reach out to me about the potential for flooding due to the record amounts of snow we have received. Here is an opportunity to learn more about the history, impact, outlook, and preparation regarding ice jams for the upcoming 2021 spring season. This will be an excellent opportunity to have your questions answered, as well.   Please share this information with any interested parties.

Please join the 2021 Water Roundtable presentation being held on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 8:00 am (Central Time)  This will be a webinar format and will feature Bryan Tuma, Assistant Director of NEMA.

You can register for this Webinar here.

Questions regarding the event can be directed to the Nebraska Water Resources Association at 402-476-1528

COVID-19 Vaccine Update
The Sarpy/Cass County Health Department recently issued an update on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. The department has officially entered into Phase 1B.

Unfortunately for those with underlying health conditions who were hoping to be vaccinated sooner, Governor Ricketts announced last week that “High-Risk” individuals won’t be receiving their vaccinations during Phase 1B. This phase is expected to last until April.

However, Sarpy/Cass residents born in 1951 or before are eligible to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination.

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 born in 1951 or before. Appointments made for non-residents or those outside the age range will be canceled by the individual clinics.

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.

Nebraska DED Impacts Report
The Nebraska Department of Economic Development just released its annual Key Programs and Impacts report. They produce this report with the goal of showing how Nebraska’s taxpayer dollars are efficiently being put to use to try and help grow the state.

You can view the report at the DED’s official website here.

Utility Scammers
For whatever reason, the springtime is also a time of year when OPPD and other utility companies report that customers start getting calls from scammers who are posing as workers for companies like OPPD and others. This is actually a long-running scame happening all across the country. Aggressive callers try to convince customers they owe money. They often instruct customers to use a pre-paid debit, gift or Green Dot card to settle up. Callers threaten to disconnect service if customers do not pay.

Even more dastardly is that these scammers are reported to be using “spoofing” software so that the number that comes up on someone’s caller ID looks as if the call is coming from a utility company.

Callers claimed they’d need to come out and replace a meter, which the customer would have to pay for. They provided a toll-free number for the customer to call back in order to make the payment. However, OPPD never charges for a meter replacement.

The other scenario gloating around recently is that customers will get a call that shows up as “NPPD,” with scammers pretending to work for Nebraska Public Power District. In those calls, customers have been told their power will be turned off within 30-minutes if they do not pay up immediately. It’s important to note that this is not how utility companies operate. These companies never cold call someone looking for payment.

If you do receive one of these calls, hang up as soon as you realize what it is. If possible, make note of the number that called you and report that to your utility company. If you receive one of these calls, you and should independently reach out to your utility company to sort out the situation.