It has been a busy and productive week at the Capitol. On January 20th, the Legislature completed its 10-day process of new bill introduction. As of the time I am writing this, 486 bills have been introduced for the 2021 session. I have introduced several bills that impact broadband deployment outside of cities, towns, and villages, prescription drug monitoring, motor vehicle insurance verification, and veteran vehicle registration.

Next week we will move into committee hearings, these hearings are open to public testimony and enable Senators to become more informed on proposed legislation. With new COVID safeguards in place there will be changes to how we conduct hearings. The new hearing procedures and schedules along with other legislative information may be found on the homepage of the Nebraska Legislature website at  https://nebraskalegislature.gov/calendar/hearings_range.php.

Governor Ricketts presented his State of the State address to the Legislature last Thursday. In his speech he detailed his top priorities for 2021, and addressed his proposed budget for this biennium. One of the Governor’s proposals was to allocate $20 million in each of the next two years to expand broadband access in rural areas of Nebraska where it is needed.

He also highlighted an initiative I have co-sponsored to continue efforts to make Nebraska the most welcoming state for military personnel, veterans, and their families. This initiative (LB 387 introduced by Senator Brewer) would exempt 100% of military retirement income from federal adjusted gross income.

Governor Ricketts also proposed limiting growth of property taxes imposed by local governments to 3% in an effort to control property taxes which have been spiraling out of control over the last decade.

I support all three of these measures. Expanding access to rural broadband, making Nebraska a better place for veterans and their families, and property tax relief will continue to be priorities that I have in the Legislature.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the legislature was in recess to honor his legacy of fighting against racial discrimination. It is imperative that we all strive to continue his work of creating a more just and equal society.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Nebraska. Since 2015, with the creation of the Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force involving law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers, and community partners, the state has made leaps forward in how it combats human trafficking. I meet with the northeast regional task force members.  The Attorney General’s website contains important information and posts annual reports on this issue, which can be found at ago.nebraska.gov/combating-human-trafficking.

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.