This morning I filed AM 1508 as an amendment to the proposed congressional redistricting maps.  Attached you will find a statewide map, as well as detailed maps of the boundaries in the two counties which would be split under this plan.  This proposal holds true to the traditional redistricting principles that have been laid out by the United States Supreme Court and were unanimously adopted by the Legislature through LR 102 earlier this session.

Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or comments as the redistricting process continues.

Mello AM1508 Congressional Proposal

Mello AM 1508 Douglas/Sarpy Congressional Proposal

Mello AM 1508 Johnson County Congressional Proposal

As a member of the Redistricting Committee, I took careful consideration to follow the legal guidelines which govern the redistricting process when considering other Senators’ proposals as well as developing my own. After studying and researching the traditional redistricting principles which have been laid out by the United States Supreme Court and were unanimously adopted by the Legislature, I proposed the attached boundaries for Legislative and congressional Districts.

Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or comments regarding the redistricting process thus far.

Mello Omaha Area Legislative Proposal

Mello Congressional Proposal

On Tuesday, January 26th, Senator Heath Mello visited the White House for a meeting about clean energy with other state legislators who are members of CLEAN (Coalition of Legislators for Energy Action Now).

In Photo(from left to right): Sen. Rodney Ellis (Texas), Rep. Joan Brady (South Carolina), Rep. Pricey Harrison (North Carolina), Rep. Jon Nelson (North Dakota),  Delegate James Hubbard (Maryland),  Rep. Mike Phillips (Montana),  Rep. Jeremy Kalin (Minnesota), Sen. Tim Mathern (North Dakota), Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx (Maine),  Rep. Cynthia Thielen (Hawaii), and Sen. Heath Mello (Nebraska)

Dear Fellow Nebraskans:

You may have read an article in the morning edition of today’s Omaha World-Herald regarding LB 1099, a bill that would establish a voluntary, fee-for-service recycling program. Unfortunately, this article was inaccurate and does not adequately describe what the proposed legislation changes.

LB 1099 proposes allowing the residents of the City of Omaha to participate in a voluntary, fee-for-service recycling program. This type of recycling program has been extremely successful in other municipalities, resulting in as much as a 300% increase in recycling collection rates.

This legislation is also beneficial for the City of Omaha because it diverts would-be landfill costs and provides retail coupons and rewards to participants who voluntarily join the program.

Let me be clear, this legislation does not allow the City of Omaha to impose a new garbage fee. I have stated numerous times that I do not support allowing the City of Omaha to impose a garbage fee, which would not change under LB 1099.

While LB 1099 was not accurately described in today’s Omaha World-Herald, I believe we can find common ground that a voluntary, expanded recycling program that saves property tax dollars for the City of Omaha and provides meaningful incentives to its participants is beneficial to the greater Omaha-area.

Working for you,

Senator Heath Mello