The legislature finished up debate of general file priority bills last week and will spend the remaining legislative days of the session moving bills through the legislative process on select file and final reading. My own priority bill, LB902 was discussed by the legislature. LB902 is a public records bill which would protect personal information contained on forms for firearm purchase permits and registration from public disclosure. Law enforcement would still have access to such information. LB902 advanced to final reading.

Other bills of mine, LB1008 and LB909 which were selected as Committee Priority Bills were passed by the legislature on final reading. LB909 was amended to include my LB900 which is the annual update bill for the Department of Motor Vehicles and Nebraska State Patrol and ensures Nebraska remains in compliance with federal regulation and continues to receive federal highway funds. LB900 also amends commercial driver’s license provisions to allow an exception for drivers transporting diesel fuel and provides a special weight allowance for vehicles fuels primarily by natural gas.

The legislature passed the budget bills on final reading and the bills were signed by the Governor on April 4^th without any line item vetoes.

The legislature heard several property tax related bills and amendments on general file last week. LB947 and LB1103 were discussed on the floor.  Amendments to LB1103 which include pieces of LB1084 another property tax relief proposal were also debated. As of the writing of this article we still do not have a path forward for meaningful property tax relief. I continue to work to find compromise that will provide building blocks for us as a state to provide tax relief that is direct and sustainable.

Other priority topics discussed on general file include testing for autonomous vehicles in LB989, a faithful delegate bill addressing delegates for an Article V Convention of States in LB1058, adopting the Small Wireless Facilities Act in LB389 and LR1CA which would create a Constitutional amendment to require voter identification.

The legislature was visited this week by two high school students from Howells-Dodge. The students were visiting and learning about the unicameral as part of their sophomore pilgrimage. I enjoyed meeting with the students and discussing the legislative process.

Senator and Sophomore Students from Howells-Dodge

Nebraska Future Farmers of America (FFA) celebrated the 90^th annual Nebraska FFA Convention last week. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with students from District 23 at the annual FFA Legislative Breakfast and discuss the unicameral and issues facing Nebraska.

I introduced LR395, an interim study resolution to examine issues and needs of the emergency medical service system provided by volunteers in Nebraska. I look forward to working on this study over the interim to address impediments to rural emergency medical services and work toward identifying a plan for the future of such services. Many of our rural communities rely solely on the medical services provided by volunteers within our communities and LR395 gives us the opportunity to identify and address important issues related to these crucial services.