Governor Pillen called us back to Lincoln on July 24th with a proclamation for a special session on property taxes beginning on July 25th at 10:00 a.m. The first three days were spent introducing bills that fit into what the governor laid out in his proclamation. Public hearings began on Monday, July 29th. YOU are an important part of this process.

We here at the Legislature appreciate hearing all viewpoints on the bills that come before each committee. You are invited to participate in person or by submitting public comments online. Online written comments may be submitted for:

• Legislative Bills–go to nebraskalegislature.gov, proceed to Bills and Laws on the left side of the page, and enter the bill number.
• Amendments–via the calendar, once scheduled.
• Agency Hearings–via the calendar, once scheduled.
• Gubernatorial appointments–via the calendar, once scheduled.
• Second hearing on a bill–via the nebraskalegislature.gov and then select the bill number just as you did for legislative bills.

Steps for submitting public comment:

1. Go to nebraskalegislature.gov and select ‘Bills and Laws’ on the left side of the page.
2. Under ‘Bills and Laws’, click on “Search Bills”.
3. Under Search Bills and Resolutions, enter your Legislative Bill (LB) number and click the search icon.
4. Once you reach the bill page, under history, click on “submit comments online for LB”.
   1. Before submitting a comment there is a submission statement to read.
   2. The ability to submit written comments will become available when the LB has been scheduled for a hearing.
   3. To confirm your submission, a link from Nebraska Legislature with a subject line of Verify your Written Comment for LB# will be sent to the email you submitted. This step MUST be completed for EVERY comment submitted.
5. Enter your written comment. There is a limit of 500 words.

The deadline to submit and verify a comment for the hearing record is the day of the hearing by 8:00 a.m. Central Time.

If you would like more information on how to be a part of the public hearing process, go to https://nebraskalegislature.gov/committees/public-input.php. I would encourage everyone to participate in the public hearing portion of the bill process by showing up in person or submitting a comment online.

Update on lawsuit on LB574–Let Them Grow Act
Friday, July 26th, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled to uphold L. B. 574, the law that bans abortions at 12 weeks and gender-affirming care for minors. The law had been tied up in a legal battle after Planned Parenthood tried to block its enforcement earlier this year, claiming the bill violated the state’s single-subject rule.

The Nebraska Supreme Court wrote in its conclusion “After our review of the facts of this case and our historical legal precedent wherein we have rarely found violations of Nebraska Constitution article III, §14, we find no merit to Planned Parenthood’s argument that L. B. 574 contains more than one subject in violation of article III, §14. We affirm the decision of the district court.”

Governor Pillen weighed in shortly after the court’s ruling. “I am grateful for the court’s thorough and well-reasoned opinion upholding these important protections for life and children in Nebraska. I was honored to partner with faithful allies and leaders across the state to combine the abortion ban with protections for kids against irreversible sex change surgeries. We worked overtime to bring that bill to my desk, and I give thanks to God that I had the privilege to sign it into law. I immediately directed our state government agencies to swiftly bring these protections into effect.”

I am delighted with the ruling of the Nebraska Supreme Court. The challenge presented to the court was on children and health which falls under the title of the bill “Let Them Grow”. I am sorry so much time has been spent on LB574 as it went through the court system following its passing in 2023.

(Portions taken from Klinger, Sarah. (2024) “Nebraska Supreme Court upholds law banning abortion after 12 weeks, gender-affirming care for minors”. KETV Omaha [online] [Accessed 26 July, 2024] https://shorturl.at/qWA14)

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