The majority of this week has been spent debating Senator Linehan’s priority bill, LB753 as Amended by AM338–Adopt the Opportunity Scholarships Act and provide tax credits, which has moved on to the Enrollment and Review process. We will have four more hours of debate once it reaches Select File.

Highlights of this bill include:

• This bill does NOT take money from public schools. This bill is a small part of Governor Pillen’s comprehensive Education and Tax Package. Included in this package is an increase for ALL public school’s special education expenses. The Governor’s package also includes $1,500 per student for ALL public schools; equalized and unequalized. This will be considered a resource, and in the case of many equalized schools, will simply replace equalization. However, for unequalized schools, it is a significant increase in state funding. This will BENEFIT ALL small, rural public schools and most mid-sized schools like Seward.
• To ensure the sustainability of this new funding, the Governor and the Legislature are placing one billion dollars in the Education Future Fund. They have also committed $250 million per year for the next four years to the Education Future Fund.
• Private schools DO ACCEPT children with special needs. Twelve percent of students in private schools in Nebraska have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or special needs. Under LB753, private schools would need to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Private schools have accountability.
• In Nebraska, private schools must be approved (guided by Rule 14) or accredited (under Rule 10) by the Nebraska Department of Education. Teachers in approved and/or accredited schools MUST hold valid Nebraska teaching certificates or permits from the Department of Education. Accredited schools must have the same teacher endorsements as public schools. Private school administrators MUST also have the same certificates as those found under Rule 14 for public school administrators.
• Private schools have academic and testing accountability. Approved private schools must administer whole-grade norm-referenced tests, Accredited private schools must administer whole-grade norm-referenced tests and also give a national assessment test at least once at the high school level.
• Approved and accredited private schools MUST have the same core curriculum as public schools. They must have reading, social studies, science, math, career and tech education, world language, visual and performing arts, and health/physical education. These schools also need to meet the mandatory Americanism curriculum. Many of the same Rule 10 and 14 standards for graduation have to be followed by private schools.
• Most importantly, the point of LB753 is to give parents and students the choice to attend the school that best serves their needs.

Bills to Watch

• LB376 is back to the top of agenda for debate. This bill will change provisions relating to the importation of alcoholic liquor into the state under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act.  It is one of the two General Affairs Committee’s priority bills. It has been amended many times trying to get support for those who are opposed to this bill to get their support.
• Following the debate and vote on LB376, we will move on to LB775 which is a bill to make necessary changes and additions to the Nebraska Gaming Act. First, this bill updates the definition of “Licensed Racetrack Enclosure”. It also grants the commission the authority to recommend necessary changes and updates to all laws administered by the commission, to the Governor and the Legislature, to carry out their statutory responsibilities. Secondly, the bill grants the commission the authority to create an adjudication subcommittee of the commission to investigate and respond to violations of the Racetrack Gaming Act.

I always appreciate hearing from constituents and seeing them when they come to the Nebraska State Legislature. If I am on the floor, I do not leave to visit with constituents as I need to hear the debate and make a decision about the bill being debated as I am first up to hit my button when the bill comes to a vote. If you would like to see me when visiting the Legislature, please call my office and set up a time to meet with me.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

The majority of this week has been spent debating Senator Brewer’s priority bill, Constitutional Carry (LB77), which has moved on to the Enrollment and Review process. We will have four more hours of debate once it reaches Select File.

This week, I will have four bills being heard in committee.

• LB443–Change provisions under the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Act–This bill would provide for termination of total disability benefits at age 72, unless an employee is injured after age 67, in which case total disability benefits would cease after five years from such compensation having initially been paid. This bill would exempt spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis and severe brain or closed-head injuries and total or industrial blindness from the limitations on the duration of total disability benefits.
• LB635–Database Bill–This bill would ensure that vendors and providers of digital and on-line resources (databases) to school children in K-12 grades filter and block materials illegally obscene and harmful to minors and verify to the schools or Nebraska Library Commission that they have done so and to cause the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Department of Education to submit an annual report.
• LB638–K-12 Cybersecurity Bill–This bill adopts the Nebraska K-12 Cybersecurity and Data Protection Act; provides a statewide system of best practices to address prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery to assist schools relating to cybersecurity and data protection within the Nebraska K-12 school system.
• LR24CA–This bill will eliminate the State Board of Education and have the Commissioner of Education be appointed by the Governor.

Bills to Watch

• LB753 (Opportunity Scholarships Act) is a priority bill from Senator Lou Ann Linehan. This bill would create the Opportunity Scholarships Act. Under the Act, individual and corporate taxpayers would qualify for a non-refundable tax credit equal to the amount the taxpayer contributed to a scholarship-granting organization. No taxpayer may receive tax credits in an amount exceeding 50% of their state income tax liability. The credits are available for tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2024, and are initially capped annually at $25 million dollars. Credits are awarded in the order in which they are received. We begin debating this bill on the floor this week for eight hours.
• After LB753 has had eight hours of debate, we will return to debating Senator Lowe’s priority bill, LB376. This bill creates a brand registration for the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission and will allow the Commission to more accurately and correctly identify alcoholic products being imported into or produced in Nebraska. There are several more hours of debate on this bill ahead.

I would like to congratulate the Pender Pendragons Girls Basketball team on beating Oakland-Craig for the Class C2 State Championship. What a great way to end a wonderful season!

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

We are over one third of the way through the 90-day session. It has been a busy week of debating bills on the floor and listening to those coming to testify at public hearings on bills in the Education and Revenue Committees.

Bill Updates

• LB442–Livestock Friendly County Funding–has been voted out of committee to General File to be debated on the floor. It did come out of the Agriculture Committee with an amendment that directs the transfer of $2 million from the general fund to the Livestock Growth Cash Fund on July 31, 2023 or as soon thereafter as administratively feasible.
• LB626–The Heartbeat Act–has been voted out of the Health and Human Services Committee to General File to be debated on the floor. On Friday, February 24th, I made this my priority bill for this session.

Priority bills will begin being debated this week.

Bills to Watch

• LB376 is a priority bill from Senator John Lowe and is up for floor debate on Tuesday, February 28th. This bill creates a brand registration for the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission and will allow the Commission to more accurately and correctly identify alcoholic products being imported into or produced in Nebraska. This bill came out of the General Affairs Committee 8-0.
• LB77 (Constitutional Carry) is a priority bill from Senator Tom Brewer and will be coming up for floor debate this week. This bill would authorize concealed carry without a permit in Nebraska. Restrictions currently codified within the Concealed and Gun Permit Act relating to place and manner of concealed carry would be made to apply generally to any person carrying concealed and not to permit holders only. The crime of carrying a concealed weapon would still exist for minors and for persons who are prohibited from possessing dangerous weapons. I cosponsored this bill. 
• LB574 (Let Them Grow) is a priority bill from Senator Kathleen Kauth. This bill would prohibit the performance of gender altering procedures for individuals under the age of 19, provide for definition of terminology, and allow for civil action to be brought against violators of the act. I cosponsored this bill.

On February 28th, we are on day 35 of a 90-day session. For the rest of this session priority bills will be heard, then bills pertaining to the budget, and then any other bills that made it out of committee to General File. 

When these bills come to the floor and I sign on to them, I am confident they will not be amended in a way that will change the bill. I make my decisions about bills after the full floor debate. There is much work to be done in the days ahead.

Road repair updates

I have heard from many constituents over the past few weeks about concerns on road conditions and need for repair. I visited with the Nebraska Department of Transportation about these concerns and here is the update I received from their office. These projects are scheduled to begin this year or will resume work not completed in 2022.

• Highway 9–Bridges are scheduled to be done this spring and then resurfaced.
• Highway 75–Macy Wetland Bank to be repaired.
• Highway 77–N94 to Winnebago is out for bids for resurfacing; Walthill to Winnebago will have a box culvert replaced so there will be a detour planned for that project; Lyons to Walthill had maintenance done in 2021 and was crack sealed in 2022 with continued maintenance being done.
• I-129–South Sioux City Bridges are on the plan to be repaired and resurfacing done once the bridge work is completed.
• There is also a project in the works for 2024 for Highway 9 to be expanded two feet on either side.
• Potholes will continue to be worked on as weather permits.

One note–there may be delays to these projects based on weather conditions or other factors.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

It has been a busy week with a change in our daily schedule. We have been having floor debate over appointees and bills that have made it out of committee in the morning. In the afternoons, we have been holding our committee hearings to make sure all bills introduced receive their public hearing.

Next week, I will have three bills up for public hearing.• LB605–Art Therapy Bill–This bill will amend sections of the Uniform Credentialing Act and Mental Health Practice Act to provide for licensing of qualified art therapists as Licensed Mental Health Practitioners and Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioners with a credential as a Certified Art Therapist.

LB606–Pregnancy Help Act–This bill encourages increased private contributions to pregnancy help organizations in Nebraska through the creation of a tax credit. Pregnancy help organizations serve under-supported pregnant women by providing services to them at no cost that include pregnancy testing, pregnancy and prenatal care education, counseling, food, clothing, housing, transportation, parenting and life skills classes, child care, licensed medical care, referrals to additional community services and material help, personal relationships, and strong local support networks, all of which are crucial for their physical, emotional, and familial well-being.

LB637–Open Meetings Act–This bill will require that members of the public be afforded the opportunity to speak at any public meeting subject to the Open Meetings act.

On Tuesday, February 14th, I had the opportunity to meet with Leadership Wayne when they came to visit the capitol. I met with a wonderful group of future leaders in the morning and then we had a meeting with Governor Jim Pillen in the afternoon. It is always wonderful to meet with my constituents at the capitol and see what is going on in my district.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

Over the coming weeks, we will have many four day work weeks to follow along with three day weekends. Over the past 3 weeks we have heard over 300 bills. As we move forward in the legislative session, we will move into floor debate in the mornings for bills that have moved from their respective committees to General File and have committee hearings in the afternoon for bills still needing a public hearing.

In the Revenue Committee, I have heard the bills that Governor Pillen is proposing in a package. These bills will be passed out of committee and sent to the floor on General File. These bills will be a benefit for ALL Nebraskans as they keep us competitive with other states around us and help bring tax cuts to families and businesses through individual tax credits, corporate tax credits, social security tax cuts, and more. Here is a little bit about each bill in the Governor’s tax package.

• LB589–Adopt the School District Property Tax Limitation Act–This bill would cap school district revenue growth. District property tax request authority would then be determined by subtracting non-property tax revenue from the total revenue limitation. This cap would NOT apply to property tax revenues required to pay bonded indebtedness. Non-property tax revenue would NOT include special education funding.
• LB641–Change provisions relating to the taxation of Social Security benefits–This bill seeks to speed up the schedule for reduction of Federal Adjusted Gross Income equal to a percent of social security benefits received from 60% in 2023 to 70% and from 80% in 2024 to 100%.
• LB754–Reduce individual and corporate income tax rates–This bill will gradually lower the top tier tax rate for individuals to 3.99% by tax year beginning January 1, 2027 and each tax year thereafter. It will gradually lower the corporate income tax rate for all earnings in excess of $100,000 to 3.99% by tax year beginning January 1, 2027 and each tax year thereafter.
• LB783–Eliminate the levy authority of community college areas–This bill will eliminate the property tax levy authority of community college subdivisions. Community Colleges would receive their funds through the state.
• LB804–Change corporate income tax rates–This bill would cut the top corporate income tax rate to 5.84% by taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023.
• LB806–Change individual income tax rates–This will would cut the top individual income tax rate to 5.84% by taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2023.

On February 2nd, I attended the NE Chamber banquet and sat with the group from Wayne. I enjoyed visiting with Luke Virgil, Wayne Area Economic Development; Wes Blecke, Wayne City Administrator; and Chele Meisenbach, Ameritas. I would like to congratulate those that received awards from the NE Chamber.

Tuesday, February 7th, I had the pleasure of greeting Lexi Bodlak, State FFA president and the other FFA officers while they were visiting the capitol. They sat in on the Agriculture Committee’s morning hearing where I introduced LB442–The Livestock Friendly County Funding where I asked for money to be transferred into the Livestock Growth Act Cash Fund administered by the Department of Agriculture. The grant program was set forth in §54-2803.

Finally, I plan to introduce a Legislative Resolution (LR) congratulating Jack Schlickbernd of Wayne, NE for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout through his community service project. Jack was inspired by his love of baseball and his desire to honor veterans and chose to install a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Seat of Honor and other major league stadium seats at Paul Eaton Field in Wakefield, NE. Congratulations, Jack.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

This week was the first week of full day hearings. It made for some long days. Many bills were hot topics and had many testifiers coming to share their viewpoints for or against the bills being heard.

Bill Updates:

• LB535 (Voter ID) was heard on February 1st. Due to the voters supporting a change to the Nebraska Constitution in November, the Legislature is tasked with trying to figure out the best way to determine what type of photo identification will be acceptable. Senator Julie Slama introduced LB535 laying out the requirements for a valid form of photographic identification, including such document must:
  • Be issued by the U. S. government, the state of Nebraska, or a Native American tribe or band recognized by the U. S. government;
  • Show the individual’s name, which must conform to the name on the individual’s voter registration record;
  • Show a photograph or digital image of the individual to whom the document was issued; and
  • Not be expired, if an expiration date is included.
  • Senator Slama brought an amendment to the hearing that would replace the bill. Among the changes included in the amendment is a requirement that a voter wishing to vote by mail present their photo ID to a notary public, who then would stamp the envelope requesting a vote by mail ballot. The state would cover the cost of the notary’s services. (portions of this taken from Unicameral Update http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=33264)
• LB626 (The Nebraska Heartbeat Act) was heard on February 1st as well. It was a long six hour hearing. This will be my personal priority bill and I feel confident that it will pass out of committee and go to the floor for debate.

Upcoming Bills:
This upcoming week I have three bills being heard in committee.

• LB442 (Livestock Friendly County Funding) will be heard in the Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, February 7th at 9:30 a.m. This bill proposes legislation to allocate $2 million dollars from the general fund to the Livestock Growth Act Cash Fund administered by the Department of Agriculture to provide funding to counties who participate in the Livestock Friendly County Program. Dakota, Thurston, and Wayne Counties are considered Livestock Friendly Counties and would potentially benefit from this program if this bill moves out of committee.
• LB636 (Natural Gas/Propane Bill) will be heard in the Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, February 8th at 1:30 p.m. This bill allows Nebraskans to continue to choose the energy utilities of their choice.
• LB440 (Bonding Authority bill) clarifies that the special tax (building fund) under §79-10,120, could not be used to build a new school building, add additional footage to an existing school building, or purchase sites upon which new buildings will be located. School districts looking to use the building fund to build new buildings, add additional square footage to an existing school building, or purchase land for the site of a new building, must receive approval through a vote of its citizens at a general or special election under §79-1098.

We have now completed 22 days in our 90 day session. There is much work to be done as we continue moving forward in this legislative session.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

This week found me very busy with my first committee hearings. I serve on the Education Committee which has hearings on Monday and Tuesday followed by the Revenue Committee hearings on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Committee hearings began at 1:30 p.m. and three bills were heard on each day we met.

This next week finds me introducing LB626–Nebraska Heartbeat Act to the Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday, February 1st beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Nebraska Heartbeat Act would provide babies who have a heartbeat protection under the law from abortion. The Nebraska Heartbeat Act would require that a doctor, before proceeding with any abortion, first perform an ultrasound in accordance with standard medical procedure to listen for a fetal heartbeat. If a heartbeat is present, an abortion may not be performed. There are exceptions in this bill for rape, incest, or a medical emergency. This only affects intrauterine pregnancies which excludes ectopic pregnancies (outside of the uterus), IVF procedures (embryos are created in a lab outside of the lab), and miscarriages (no heartbeat present using an ultrasound). The Nebraska Heartbeat Act is about one thing: protecting babies who have heartbeats from elective abortions. A heartbeat is a universal sign of life. We also know that abortion stops a beating heart. We envision a Nebraska where EVERY life is celebrated, valued, and protected.

The other bill I am introducing in the Revenue Committee is Governor Pillen’s priority bill LB820—The Agricultural Valuation Fairness Act. This bill goes before the Revenue Committee on Friday, February 3rd at 9:30 a.m. in Room 1524. This bill was introduced during Governor Pillen’s State of the State speech on Wednesday, January 25th.  LB820 is a structural reform of property valuation for agricultural and horticultural land for tax purposes in Nebraska and changes the tax valuation from market based valuation to an income potential valuation. The bill implements an Agricultural Land Valuation Committee to establish appropriate capitalization rate limits. The total value of all agricultural and horticultural land can NOT increase more than 3.5% statewide. Nebraska is an outlier in how it values its ag land. States such as Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota utilize an income based assessment to value their ag land.  Agricultural land values are once again expected to face double-digit increases across the state. Implementation of this bill for 2024 will limit those increases to 3.5%, potentially reducing agricultural land valuations by $7.5 BILLION. The total valuation of agricultural land in Nebraska is $89.4 BILLION. 

The public can testify at a Committee Hearing. You need the Legislative Bill (LB)  number, the date of the hearing, and the room it is being held in. When you have that information, you can travel to the State Capitol and testify in person or you can submit written testimony. Go to nebraskalegislature.gov/bills—under search current bills enter the bill number. Click on Submit Comments Online. The deadline to submit your testimony is clearly set and the instructions are easy to follow. Additional information can be found at nebraskalegislature.gov/committees.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

Well this week found us finishing Day 12 of Session. It has been a busy 12 days. Bill introduction was completed on Wednesday and we adopted the Permanent Rules on Thursday. Now it is time to get ready for Committee Hearings and moving my bills forward.

I introduced 13 bills this session. Some of the bills I introduced I brought back from last session as I felt it was important to continue working to move them forward. Now that bill introduction has taken place and permanent rules have been adopted, we are ready to move forward with the work we were elected to do. Until Permanent Rules were successfully advanced, we couldn’t move forward to committee hearings.

There were 812 bills introduced and 30 Constitutional Amendments. Here is a list of the bills I introduced:
LB 440—Change provisions relating to certain school taxes and special funds
LB 441—Change provisions relating to obscenity
LB 442—State intent to transfer funds to the Livestock Growth Act Cash Fund
LB 443—Change provisions relating to compensation for total disability under the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Act
LB 605—Change provisions of the Mental Health Practice Act ot include protections and requirements for certified art therapists
LB 606—Adopt the Nebraska Pregnancy Help Act and provide tax credits
LB 626—Adopt the Nebraska Heartbeat Act
LB 635—Provide requirements regarding access to digital and online resources provided for students by school districts, schools, and the Nebraska Library Commission
LB 636—Prohibit political subdivisions from restricting certain energy services
LB 637—Require members of the public to be allowed to speak at each meeting subject to the Open Meetings Act
LB 638—Adopt the Nebraska K-12 Cybersecurity and Data Protection Act
LR24CA—Constitutional amendment to eliminate the State Board of Education and provide for the Governor to appoint the commissioner of Education
It was also my pleasure to introduce Legislative Resolution 25 extending sympathy to the family of former Senator Pat Engel. Every week I will introduce the bills I am carrying and provide more information about them.

There are a lot of bills that I did not sign on to or will not speak on until they come to the floor for debate. Please feel free to call or email my office to let your voice be heard. I would also encourage you to participate in the committee hearings by coming in person to testify or submitting written testimony or comments through the Nebraska Legislature website (nebraskalegislature.gov). In order to have comments or testimony in the record, you must go through the comment portal once a hearing has been scheduled. If you are submitting testimony or comments, you will be asked for a good email address as you will be asked to verify your comments. If you don’t verify your information, your comment or testimony will not be in the record. You must submit written comments or testimony by noon the weekday before the hearing. If a hearing takes place on a Monday, then your testimony or comments will need to be submitted by noon the Friday before.

On Wednesday, January 25th, Governor Jim Pillen will give his State of the State address and will introduce his priority bills for the upcoming year. I am pleased to carry the Agricultural Valuation Fairness Act for Governor Pillen. In this bill, we will be implementing the Agricultural Land Valuation Committee to establish appropriate capitalization rate limits. This committee will determine assessed values using the income-based approach and these valuations will be implemented by county assessors. The assessed values determined by the Committee will be developed using income and expense information from the USDA, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, landowner surveys made available to the committee, or other sources that yield reliable information. This bill will go into effect in 2024 and will be capped at 3.5% per year.

As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.

Happy New Year from Lincoln, NE. Last week the 108th session began with voting for Committee Chairs where I was selected to be the Chair of Committee on Committees. This is a position where I oversee Standing Committees and the members from the three caucuses to fill those committees. There was much discussion and debate over these committee assignments, but the final report was approved by the Legislature. I will be serving on the Revenue, Education, and State-Tribal Relations Committees and am Vice Chair on the Education Committee.

I would like to congratulate Taylor Nelson from Jackson, NE for being recognized as one of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers. He is seeking solutions that will lead to greater farming efficiency with technology to get work done faster, better, and with fewer workers. I watched a video of him demonstrating on a John Deere Autonomous tractor which, through GPS and other technology, operates remotely without a driver. Congratulations again, Taylor!

This week I held a press conference to unveil pro-life legislation which I plan to introduce next week in the Nebraska Legislature called the Nebraska Heartbeat Act. I was joined by a physician, a national expert on embryology, and a leader of one of Nebraska’s largest pregnancy help organizations. Other members who attended my press conference were Nebraska Right to Life, Nebraska Family Alliance, Nebraska Catholic Conference, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. Statewide polling states that most Nebraskans prefer a heartbeat bill and reject extreme policies. We understand that abortion stops a beating heart. Every woman and child deserves love. We envision a Nebraska where every life is celebrated, valued, and protected.

One of the other bills I plan to introduce next week is the Pregnancy Help Act. This act will give a tax credit to those who donate money to help Pregnancy Help Organizations such as ASSURE and other Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Pregnancy Help Organizations are available to help those who find themselves pregnant and don’t know what to do or where to turn. These organizations help women at all stages of pregnancy and even after the baby is born by providing baby supplies, job training, helping find a place to live, and even a vehicle.

It has been a busy first eight days of session. There is much work ahead of us to be done and I look forward to working together to keep Nebraska STRONG.
As always, I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions by contacting me by calling (402) 471-2716 or emailing me at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.