Speaker Scheer announced last week that the Legislature will re-convene on July 20^th after temporarily suspending the 60 day session due to COVID-19. There are currently 17 days left of the legislative session which will be spent debating any remaining priority bills, budget adjustments and most importantly property tax reform. With the new schedule the Legislature is set to adjourn sine die on August 13^th.

Last week, President Trump officially announced the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which is intended to provide direct assistance to farmers or ranchers whose operations were directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program has $19 billion in funds that will be distributed to eligible producers whose commodities suffered a 5% or more decline in prices or those who incurred losses due to disruptions in the supply chain. Additional information and the application can be found on farmers.gov and your local USDA Farm Service Agency office will begin accepting applications on May 26^th.

The Nebraska Game and Parks recently announced that they will begin opening our state’s parks. Roughly 35 parks will be open to all forms of camping, on a first come first serve basis, and other recreational activities. Larger parks such as Branched Oak and Lake McConaughy will be reserved to RV Camping. Should you decide to visit one of these parks, health guidelines, to include the number of people at each campsite and social distancing will continue to be followed. For more information on which parks are open go to outdoornebraska.gov.

On June 1, Phase Two DHHS restrictions will be relaxed in 89 counties across the state, including all of District 23. Under the new Directive Health Measures gatherings will be limited to either 25 people or 25% occupancy depending on which is greater. Furthermore, these measures will affect travel quarantine, sports, rodeos, school gyms, bars and restaurants, childcare facilities, gatherings, salons, barber shops, massage therapy services, tattoo parlors/body art facilities, weddings and funeral receptions.  For the announcement of the new Phase Two directives go to Governor Ricketts website.

These new DHM’s come as we begin to move into the summer months and outdoor activities increase.   It is important to continue to take necessary health precautions and follow your counties DHM’s.  As these statewide directives are being relaxed it is also important to watch for updates on your counties Public Health Departments webpage and familiarize yourself with your local city ordinances.  Your counties public health department is available to answer questions regarding specific activities.

DHHS has a website with a wealth of information regarding COVID-19, specific DHMs for your counties and how to protect yourself from the virus. This information is provided in multiple languages such as Spanish and Somali to help keep our non-English speaking members of our communities informed. The website can be found at http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx.

We continue praying for everyone affected by this challenge.  We are empathetically here to listen to your concerns and encourage you to contact my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov if you have questions or need assistance.