2ND SESSION OF THE 107TH LEGISLATURE 

This was a very full week of Legislative duties. During our morning Floor debates we debated a number of Senator Priority Bills. The afternoons are filled with Committee hearings, of which I sit on the Revenue and Transportation and Telecommunications Committees. Many organizations hold gatherings during the evenings, giving Senators an opportunity to meet leadership representatives and learn more about all that is taking place in business and trade across the state. Any time in between those meetings, my staff and I strategize with stakeholders and leaders to hone my bills and perspectives on other legislation that has been introduced. I count it an honor to represent District 17. 

A Bill to Help Rural Pharmacies

LB767, which, advanced this week, was introduced by Senator Mark Kolterman of Seward, would establish licensure and regulation standards for pharmacy benefit managers — companies that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurers — by the state Department of Insurance. The bill will provide much needed regulation of PBMs, reduce pharmacy administrative costs and allow small pharmacies to better compete with larger ones. PBMs effectively have created a monopoly in Nebraska and are causing prescription drug prices to increase.

School District Property Tax Limitation

Albion Senator Tom Briese, sponsored LB986 to put a cap on public schools’ taxing authority. I co-sponsored this bill, which advanced to this week. I believe this bill is critical if the Legislature is to direct more state funding to schools in an effort to reduce an overreliance on property taxes to fund public education. Under LB986, a district’s property tax request — the amount of taxes requested to be raised through its levy — could not exceed its property tax request authority, which the state Department of Education would calculate each year. The resulting amount then would decrease by an amount equal to the increase in a district’s non-property-tax revenue, which includes certain state sources. If revenue from those sources decreases, a district’s property tax request would increase by an equal amount. This floating cap would ensure that any new state aid to public schools results in property tax relief. Requiring a vote of the people would give taxpayers an opportunity to say ‘no’ if the increases are inappropriate at that time or to approve an override if school boards have made a good case for that.

My bills this week:

LB1213 – would ensure that outside database providers contracted to provide educational research database resources to students in grades K- 12 make obscene and harmful materials unavailable; and to cause the Nebraska Library Commission and the State Department of Education to submit an annual report; and to provide a civil cause of action for failure in this area. K-12 students in schools throughout Nebraska are given access to curated databases for study and research on 100,000s of publications. The multinational companies who make billions on these school databases market K-12 versions of the databases as “age-appropriate” and safe for children. These databases contain obscenity – illegal under Nebraska law. Once these databases are accessed, the filters installed by the schools, and by parents on home computers, no longer have any effect. The schools and parents are all but helpless to protect their children from illegal obscenity that is so graphic it can truly warp minds. It is easy for a child innocently to stumble into graphic obscenity on these databases, without looking for it. Most people do not realize this situation exists. Even many schools and school districts are unaware.

The companies are well aware of the situation, and the technology exists to fix it with relative ease. Nonetheless, the companies do not generally filter/block obscene material, but rather just respond to a particular complaint and remove the specific link that has been accessed. There is no possible way for schools or parents to catch all such obscene entries in an ever changing database of 100,000s publications. LB 1213 requires all such providers of online materials and databases to filter/block materials obscene as to minors. 

LB1240- is a bill I am carrying for the Governor that would appropriate federal funds to the State Department of Education to provide Family-Directed Education Recovery Program. The recommendation includes $30 million in 2021-22 and an additional $30 million in 2022-23 for a three-year program to provide for low-income children and families. This three-year pilot program will provide direct assistance to children in K-12 for the 2022-2025 school years. For each school year, up to $20 million will be allocated to parents for educational expenses to address learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligibility for Nebraska children will be determined if a child is eligible for the federal free lunch program, and attends grades K-12 in a public, non-public, or exempt school. A child can receive up to $2,000 of benefit per school year for educational services that include but are not limited to; private school tuition, tutoring, digital learning subscriptions, exempt school curriculum, and other K-12 educational services. This program does not authorize the purchasing of computing devices or equipment, as other federal funding has been made available to make these devices accessible to children covered in this program. 

Newspaper for Kids

This week I learned of a new publication and reading program our community newspapers are providing to our local schools. KID SCOOP NEWS NEBRASKA was initiated last September as a partnership between community newspapers and students in grades 3-5. The Nebraska Press Association and its member newspapers have undertaken this program to try to help improve reading scores and to improve literacy in Nebraska. The youth oriented publication is delivered by local newspaper publishers and staff at the beginning of each month to the schools, at no cost. Each month 10,000 copies are delivered to 580 classrooms, in 91 districts across 23 counties. I received copies of several issues that I found absolutely fascinating and creatively laid. I congratulate the local newspapers for investing in the next generation of Nebraskans in such an impactful way,  I can’t wait to go through them with my grandchildren!

I always appreciate each of you who intentionally stays informed and engaged in the Legislative process. If you have taken the time to reach out to my office, please understand that with over 1200 bills being heard over the next 60 days, I am not able to personally respond to all of the emails and calls I receive. Have a great week!