Recently, there has been a lot of debate about bills regarding the second amendment and what occurred during the committee hearing on one of those bills. As we know, people across the state are very passionate about their Second Amendment Rights, and as we expected they showed up in large numbers to defend that right. I applaud these passionate citizens on taking the fullest advantage of their civic duty to come and wait in line for hours just to get 90 seconds to express their beliefs. At no time, was anyone in the Capitol in danger. State Patrol was aware of the large presence of people coming to testify and acted accordingly with an increased presence of security. I stand in strong support of our Second Amendment rights and will continue to ensure these rights won’t be violated.

The Legislature also continued debate on priority bills last week. LB931, introduced by Senator Halloran and prioritized by Senator Hughes, would expand maximum weight and length exemptions for grain transporters seeking to transport grain from a storage location to the market. Furthermore, LB931 would also allow single-axle trucks to exceed the maximum weight limit by up to 15% for the purpose of transporting grain up to 70 miles from storage to the market or factory. LB931 was advanced to Select File.

Another bill that was advanced to Select File was LB1042, introduced by Senator La Grone. LB1042 would allow those with a Nebraska Educational Savings Plan Trust (NEST) account to deduct contributions from an employer to their account for income tax purposes. The bill also provides a deduction limit of $5,000 for married couples filing separate tax returns and a limit of $10,000 for any other return. Furthermore, employer contributions may not be used when determining the income of a person who is applying for a state program.

My bill, LB832 which was designated as a Speaker Priority Bill, was advanced to Select File. LB832 would provide criminal and civil immunity to those who break into a vehicle to rescue a child that is imminent danger. It is important that all parents understand that they too could accidentally leave a child in their vehicle.  A child can die when his or her temperature reaches 107 degrees F. Vehicular heatstroke can happen when outside temperatures surrounding a vehicle are as low as 57 degrees F.  Additional information may be found at ncs.org/heatstroke.

Finally, I want to thank Alana for inviting me to the Wahoo Elementary Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast. The breakfast was delicious and I enjoyed chatting with students and celebrating Dr. Seuss’ 116^th birthday.  Reading is very important in the development of our children and it improves their performance in school.

I appreciate hearing from constituents on issues affecting District 23 and encourage you to contact my office on legislation at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov.