The Legislature has been called by the Speaker to reconvene on Monday July 20, 2020.

Some of my colleagues have called for remote voting for the remainder of the Legislative session. I oppose the idea. We were each elected by our constituents to be present and to go into the “line of fire” on their behalf. I stand ready to do just that. Yes, we should and will act responsibility and thoughtfully in how we navigate the remainder of the session, exercising appropriate precautions. At the same time, we are called to keep constituents safe and aid in the recovery of our economy. We are the voice of the people, for the people, and I stand ready to defend the people of Nebraska, our great State, and our Country.

That is not to say that completing the session will be quick or easy in other aspects either. There are 17 days left in the session. We are told to expect to be in session five days a week for two weeks, July 20-24 and July 27-31, followed by four days August 3-6 and three days August 11-13. Many sessions will be scheduled into the evening and perhaps nighttime hours.

It is unlikely that all bills will be heard, and may even be difficult for the Legislature to consider all bills designated as priorities earlier in the session. There are 46 priority bills on final reading alone. These include 12 Speaker Priority bills, 12 Committee Priority bills, and 22 Senator Priority bills. Final reading of a bill is the last stage of debate that a bill must pass before going to the Governor for his consideration. This is not always as a fast process. Full and fair debate is essential, especially when Bills have other bills amended into the original. For instance, the 12 Committee Priority bills also contain 29 other bills amended into them and the 22 Senator Priority bills also contain another 25 bills amended into them. That means that on final reading alone, there are actually 100 bills being considered. That is a big order for 17 Legislative days. Add to that the importance and commitment of lawmakers to address the Property Tax Relief Bill LB1106 and the ImagiNE Nebraska Act business incentive bill LB720, which I expect to take center stage fairly early on.
In light of the economic impact of COVID-19 and the anticipated decreases in revenue, the Speaker has asked that the authors of bills that will likely impact the General Fund Budget re-visit their bills before the Legislature reconvenes to see what changes, if any, may need to be made.

I am looking forward to moving ahead with the People’s business. Before COVID-19, I had already received calls and emails from constituents letting me know their views on different bills. Hearing from constituents is important and lets elected officials know what they think in order to govern more effectively. I invite and continued calls and emails from my constituents.

On another note, as mentioned last week, the USDA announced the provision of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and the application process for direct payments to ag producers began May 26. There are payments available to eligible producers in the areas of traditional crop payments like soybeans, corn, wheat, and sorghum, livestock, dairy, and specialty crops. Information about the various commodity categories for assistance, eligibility, and the process to apply can be found in a number of places, including the USDA at https://www.farmers.gov/cfap, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at https://nda.nebraska.gov/COVID-19/index.html, and a Zoom video from Nebraska Farm Bureau at ahttps://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=682850435595153&ref=watch_permalink

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov or by calling my office at 402.471.2716.