Legislative Wrap-up by the numbers.

The 106th Legislature consisted of two very full Sessions in the midst of strong economic growth and small unemployment numbers in 2019 and going into 2020, the 2019 flooding and disaster relief efforts, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. During the two Sessions, the Legislature passed 389 bills that became law. Those 389 bills contained other bills amended into them as well- bringing the grand total of bills actually passed by the Legislature to 579. During the two year Session, Senators introduced 1,222 bills, along with 477 resolutions and 17 Constitutional Amendment Resolutions. We are all now working towards the 2021 Session. My office is reviewing constituent requests for potential legislation and meeting with constituents and other stake holders to determine the legislation I may introduce.

Re-opening schools and businesses.

Schools are opening. Students, teachers, and administrators are all navigating changes and modifications designed to keep everyone safe from the Coronavirus. There may be some “bumps” along the way but we can accomplish much when we work together. Our children need to be back in school. It is in our schools that our children find education for the future. It is in our schools that our children find encouragement and sometimes nurturing, stability, and food security they do not get elsewhere. Health Department officials are working with schools and monitoring the situation closely.

Meanwhile, last week Governor Ricketts announced that the entire state will be moved into Phase 4 of reopening on September 14, absent any alarming increase in hospitalizations. Phase 4 removes certain sections from Directed Health Measures (DHM) Guidelines and makes use of the practices “recommended.”

Removals from the guidelines include bars, restaurants, childcare facilities, churches, gyms, salons and barber shops and other salons, massage therapists, sports, and wedding and funeral reception venues. Indoor gatherings are limited to 75% of rated occupancy and outdoor gatherings are able to function at 100% capacity; both require social distancing measures and venues with capacity for 500 to 1,000 guests must present a re-opening plan through the local Health Department. There are currently 27 counties where Phase 4 is in place. None of those counties are within District 17. Although there are still some new cases being reported in District 17 counties, the healthcare system here, and throughout the State, is operating with plenty of capacity to accommodate any who need healthcare whether or not related to COVID-19.

USDA Grants still available

Specific to District 17, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported on August 28, 2020 that rural communities in Nebraska counties where there has been a FEMA disaster declared have utilized only $638,300 of the $2.2 million provided by USDA for disaster recovery. The grants are still available to qualified applicants. The grants are available through the Community Facilities Program at www.usda.gov.

These funds may be used for non-disaster projects also. A sample of the funded projects to date include emergency type (siren, firetruck, and ambulance), utility truck, new auditorium equipment, and renovations to essential community facilities.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, non-profit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in eligible rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. Dakota, Thurston, and Wayne Counties, along with the Native Reservations lying within Thurston County are included among the counties eligible for funds under the declaration. The USDA states that that grant applications will continue to be processed up to the expiration date or until the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. For more information contact the USDA at www.usda.com.

In Other news

Applications for Medicaid Expansion Programs began being accepted August 1, 2020. I plan to include updated information on the resources and application numbers in my next newsletter.

There are also a few initiatives that may be on the November 3 ballot. At this point, exactly what will be included is in than hands of the Nebraska Supreme Court. I will update District 17 residents on those developments next week as well.

As always, I invite you to contact my office by phone 402.471.2716 or by email at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov