107TH LEGISLATURE INTERIM 

It has been so good to be back in the District and to able to catch up with so many of you.  In addition to working in the garden, Mike and I look forward to hosting family who will be traveling in from around the country.  The sweetest of times are when we have the delight of spending time with our grandchildren. 

On Tuesday this week I had the pleasure of attending the Wayne Area Right to Life gathering. Sandy Danek, President of Nebraska Right to Life also joined me and shared a pro-life update of where things are at on the Federal level. They asked me to give a review of new legislation in Nebraska and an update on the Nebraska Department of Education Health Standards. 

Before we step away from the First Session of this Legislative Term, I thought it would be beneficial to review some of the bills Governor Ricketts has signed into law that we have not covered before.

Highway Reporting Requirement 

LB579, introduced by Columbus Sen. Mike Moser, requires the state Department of Transportation to include in its annual report to the Legislature information detailing the amount of money spent to date on the state’s expressway system, the number of miles yet to be completed and expected milestone dates. The report also must include a statement of all state highway projects under construction and the estimated cost of each project.

Tax Incentive Program 

LB18, sponsored by Seward Sen. Mark Kolterman makes three changes to the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, a business tax incentive program that replaced the Nebraska Advantage Act. Currently, the act requires that all qualifying new full-time jobs be filled by individuals who reside in Nebraska. The bill removes this provision and instead requires that an individual in a qualifying job be employed in the state and be subject to Nebraska income tax on compensation received.

Microenterprise Tax Credit 

Under the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit Act, a business with five or fewer full-time employees can apply to receive a refundable tax credit designed to help decrease the cost of startup and expansion. The program, which offers a tax credit to approved microbusiness taxpayers for new investment or employment equal to 20 percent of the investment amount- up to a maximum of $20,000 – is set to expire in 2032. Total credits approved under the program are limited to $2 million annually. LB366, introduced by Albion Sen.Tom Briese, also strengthens reporting requirements and allows certain family members of a person who has received the maximum credit also to participate in the program – as long as ownership is not shared and the businesses are completely separate.

Residential Water Tax Eliminated

LB26, introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, exempts the gross receipts received from the sale, lease or rental of and storage, use or consumption of residential water services.

Tax incentives for nuclear energy firms

Under LB84, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, a renewable energy firm that uses nuclear energy to produce electricity will qualify for incentives under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act.

Special Committee on Flood Control, Water Resources Created

LB406, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Mike McDonnell, creates a special committee, consisting of at least seven members of the Legislature, that will study the need to protect public and private property, enhance economic development and promote private investment along the Platte River and its tributaries from Columbus to Plattsmouth.

The committee will conduct similar studies on the Lake McConaughy region and the region in Knox County that includes Lewis and Clark Lake and Niobrara State Park. 

The committee may hold hearings and request reports from federal, state, county, city and village agencies and natural resources districts on matters pertaining to the studies. It also may hold closed sessions to receive confidential information with a majority vote of committee members. With the Executive Board’s approval- the committee may enter into contracts for consulting, engineering and development studies. The committee will complete each study no later than Dec. 31, 2022, and will terminate on that date.

Statewide Farm-to-School Program

LB396, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, requires the state Department of Education to hire a coordinator to administer the program, which also may provide students with hands-on learning activities, such as farm visits, cooking demonstrations and school gardening and composting programs. The coordinator will partner with public agencies and nonprofits on a public engagement campaign and build a communication network that links farmers and schools. They also will encourage schools to develop and improve their nutrition plans using locally grown or processed food and provide technical assistance to school food services staff, farmers, processors and distributors regarding the demand for and availability of Nebraska food products.

Livestock Brand Act Changes

The Nebraska Brand Committee may use electronic devices, nose prints, retinal scans or DNA matches to identify. LB572, introduced by Hastings Sen. Steve Halloran, allows the committee to provide for electronic inspection of enrolled cattle identified by certain approved nonvisual identifiers. The committee will establish procedures for cattle enrollment that include providing acceptable certification or evidence of ownership and submit a report to the Legislature describing actions taken to implement electronic inspection. 

The bill creates an electronic inspection fee of no more than 85 cents per head and lowers the physical brand inspection fee to the same amount. The new fee schedule takes effect Oct. 1, 2021, and ends June 30, 2023. LB572 also increases fees for new brand applications and brand renewals and authorizes the committee to charge for actual mileage incurred by an inspector to perform a physical inspection.

Additionally, the bill requires the committee to provide a certified bill of sale and a certified transportation permit to qualified dairies that sell or move calves under 30 days of age out of the brand inspection area. Dairies first must provide required information electronically to the committee. LB572 also makes violations of several Livestock Brand Act provisions infractions enforceable by citation. The bill makes it a Class III felony to willfully or knowingly apply, remove, damage or alter an approved nonvisual identifier — or corrupt the information recorded on an identifier — if it is done to steal or falsely assert ownership of livestock.

Proposed Health Standards

I strongly encourage all Nebraskan’s to read the Standards and inform themselves about content that is being considered. I plan to spend the summer traveling to Legislative Districts across Nebraska, to hear concerns firsthand, so legislation can be enacted next Session to address these issues. Take some time to review the entire document for yourself and let the State Department of Education know what you think. A draft of the Health Education Standards are available for review at: https://www.education.ne.gov/healthed/health-education-standards-development/

You can submit a formal comment by emailing nde.standardsinput@nebraska.gov.

The most important step you can take moving forward is to contact your state and local school board members and representatives and share your personal perspective.

DISTRICT 17 COVID-19 

The number of positive tests reported for the periods June3, 2021 to June 10, 2021 in District 17 are as follow: 

Dakota County +7 (4140)

Thurston County: +1 (1189)

Wayne County: +0 (1162)

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 at 402-471-2716 or jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.