107TH LEGISLATURE INTERIM 

In a world where things seem to be changing in many ways, I am finding myself thoroughly enjoying being back in the comforts of rural life, basking in the peacefulness and beauty as far as my eyes can see. It makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for, as a Nebraskan and an American.

I am going to continue a review of some of the bills Governor Ricketts has signed into law this Session that I have not covered with you before.

Joint Hearing for Property Tax Request Increases

Under LB644, introduced by Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, counties, cities, school districts and community colleges must participate in a joint public hearing and pass a resolution or ordinance before increasing their property tax request by more than an allowable growth percentage. The bill requires counties to notify affected taxpayers of the hearing by postcard, the cost of which will be shared by the political subdivisions seeking to increase their property tax request.

The hearing, which must be held on or after Sept. 17 and before Sept. 29, must be open to public testimony. Its agenda may include only the proposed property tax request increase. LB644 also includes provisions of LB189, introduced by Hastings Sen. Steve Halloran, that require a political subdivision’s governing body to make provisions in its next budget to pay a refund of real or personal property taxes. The measure also repeals a provision allowing political subdivisions up to five years to pay the refund. Under the bill, interest on refunds accrues at a rate of 9 percent on the unpaid balance beginning 30 days after the date when the county assessor certifies the amount of the refund based upon the final non-appealable order or other action approving the refund.

Inland Port Authorities

LB156, introduced by Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, allows up to five inland port authorities to be established in Nebraska. An inland port authority may be established in a metropolitan, primary or first class city or a county with a population greater than 20,000. A qualifying city and one or more counties that contain a qualifying city — or in which the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of such city is located – may form a joint inland port authority.

To be eligible, an inland port site must be at least 300 acres in area and meet two of the following criteria of being within:

• one mile of a navigable river or waterway;
• one mile of a major rail line;
• two miles of a major airport; or
• two miles of any federal interstate or any four-lane divided highway.

An inland port authority is authorized to engage in marketing activities, issue and sell revenue bonds and acquire rights-of-way and property. All authorities established under the bill will be administered by an appointed governing board. The bill prohibits inland port authorities from levying sales taxes and states legislative intent to transfer $5 million in general funds for the next two fiscal years to the Site and Building Development Fund to be earmarked for large, shovel-ready inland port authority projects.

Legal Framework for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration

Under LB650, sponsored by Norfolk Sen. Michael Flood, the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission will regulate facilities that inject carbon dioxide through wells into underground geologic formations for permanent or short-term storage. LB650 allows geologic storage only if a storage operator obtains a permit from both the Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Underground Injection Control program. Before the Commission issues a permit, it must hold a public hearing and consult with the state Department of Environment and Energy and the federal permitting authority. The Commission must find that the proposed storage facility would not endanger surface waters or underground drinking water sources and that the storage operator will establish a testing and monitoring plan to assess the location and migration of injected carbon dioxide. LB650 requires storage operators to pay the Commission two fees on each ton of carbon dioxide injected for storage, one to defray administrative expenses and another to defray expenses incurred in the long-term monitoring and management of a closed storage facility.

Statewide School Safety Reporting System 

LB322, sponsored by Gothenburg Sen. Matt Williams, requires the state Department of Education to establish a statewide, anonymous reporting system to support threat assessment teams with the goal of reducing violent incidents. The reporting system- the Safe2HelpNE report line — allows students, school staff, parents and community members to report information about concerning behavior or possible harm to people or property anonymously and free of charge by telephone, mobile app, website or email. The report line will be available to any public or nonpublic school that has a threat assessment team and maintains a current list of contact information for at least five team members designated to receive alerts from report line staff 24/7.

Report line staff immediately will alert the appropriate threat assessment team of any concern directly regarding a student, school staff member or school property or that is likely to impact a student, school staff member or school property. The bill requires parental notification within a reasonable period if a report regarding a student is deemed credible, unless such notification reasonably could be believed to contribute to the endangerment of the student or others. Any information or material in the possession of the threat assessment team will remain separate from educational records. 

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 June 10, 2021 to June 17, 2021 in District 17 are as follow: 

Dakota County +9 (4144)

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.