I am grateful and humbled to again be part of the opening week of the Nebraska Legislature. It is a week of time-honored tradition even in the midst of a global pandemic.

With a prayer, the presentation of colors, and the swearing in of newly elected members, the 107th Legislature begins. The welcome looks a bit different this year because of COVID. Family members who usually accompany Senators at their seats will not this year. They will be able to attend and view the proceedings from the balconies. The dividers installed last year to prepare for the July return of the Legislature remain. Senators are socially distanced, and procedures concerning the actual workings of the Legislature may be modified as we begin to deal with “housekeeping.”

Time-honored traditions remain. The first order of businesses, like in opening sessions past, is adoption of temporary rules, election of Officers, election of the Speaker of the Legislature and election of Committee chairpersons. Senators may introduce Bills during the first ten (10) days of Session. If the current tentative schedule stands, that means January 20, 2021.

Watch for other differences this year as we work through the rules and legislation that addresses COVID challenges, a 2-year budget, re-districting following last years’ Census, and my own Bill to provide tools to keep the public and Nebraska’s law enforcement and other first responders safer.

My office will be experiencing change also. My Legislative Aide Cyndi will be leaving the office for another position within the Capitol. We in the office are happy for this next chapter in Cyndi’s career and will miss her.

Bills to be introduced:
Below is a list of some bills I will be introducing in the 2021 Session. As they are introduced and scheduled for hearings, I will provide more details in this column.

My First Responder and Public Safety Bill will address some of the concerns that emerged surrounding officer and public safety during riots this past summer. The bill will define and enact criminal violations related to rioting, inciting or recruiting, or participating in a riot, violence towards law enforcement officers, riot-related vandalism, and blocking public roads.

Erin’s Law will require that public schools provide students and staff in K-5 age-appropriate body safety and awareness education to prevent child sexual abuse. Erin’s Law has already been adopted in 37 states. I was approached by a constituent of District 17 to introduce this Bill. My office has visited with many individuals, professionals, and educators who support the Bill.

I also plan to bring the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act. This Bill seeks to limit pornographic material that may be injurious to children or that may promote human trafficking by requiring retailers of internet enabled devices to ensure that their products contain activated filters that block by default websites that are known to facilitate human trafficking or display child pornography, revenge pornography, or X-rated material prior to those sites being enabled by a user. The Bill also creates a grant fund available for organizations fighting human trafficking.

I will once again introduce the Public Comment at Open Meetings Bill. This Bill will require that members of the public be given the opportunity to speak at any public meeting that is subject to the Nebraska Open Meetings Act. This Bill had incredible support at last year’s pre-COVID hearing and I expect that same support this year.

Again, it is important to note that each bill must receive a hearing and amendments may be recommended by the Committee and/or added on the floor when the Bill is being debated. I will continue to provide an updated status for constituents on these and other bills as the Session unfolds.

COVID-19 State Response Update.
At his press briefing on January 4, the Governor announced that the number of available hospital beds throughout Nebraska remains strong. As of that date, there are 36% of patient beds available, 36% of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, and 76% of ventilators available.

The federal government has also responded by providing additional aid to individuals and businesses. Congress passed, and the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The Act provides new stimulus funding of $600 per person, including children to assist with economic damage and hardship caused by the pandemic. The payment is subject to the same qualifications and income limits of the checks received in early 2020. The Act also provides for Round 2 of Small Business Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and other programs to assist businesses themselves. PPP funding will be available for businesses that saw a 20% or greater decline in revenues in a quarter of 2020 as measured against the same quarter in 2019. PPP funding available for hospitality industry businesses has been expanded and there are grants available for theaters, museums, concert halls and other venues that have had significant drops in revenue. New application forms for the PPP funding are set to be available by mid-January and the deadline for applications currently appears to be March 31, 2021. Meanwhile, it is likely that compiling the monthly revenue records for each business for 2019 and for 2020 will be most helpful to the application process. For more information on the past and new funding can be found on the SBA’s website online at: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/grants

COVID-19 numbers in District 17
The number of positive tests reported for the periods December 24, 2020, and December 31, 2020 in District 17 are as follow:
Dakota County +67 (3600)
Thurston County: +36 (911)
Wayne County: +11 (933)

As always, it is of great importance that I hear from my constituents to effectively do my job as your voice in the Legislature. I encourage you to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me by phone at 402-471-2716 or by email at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov