As we are pushing the last few weeks of the First Session of the 108th Legislature, we will soon begin debate on the budget bills for this biennium. As these bills are Speaker Major Proposals, Speaker Arch will determine how long we will debate each bill before cloture is invoked.

Last week, we advanced a number of “A-bills” which accompany several bills already discussed that have been passed to Select File or Final Reading. A-bills provide the necessary cash transfers for their companion bill if they have a fiscal note. Until the budget has been passed, any bill which has a companion A-Bill will be held on Final Reading.

On Tuesday, we took up debate on Select File of LB191 introduced by Senator Halloran. This bill was replaced by committee amendment AM1363. This amendment includes LB267, LB460, LB639, LB671, LB666, LB427, and amended provisions of LB249. I will touch briefly on a couple but for more information please see the Nebraska Legislature website.

LB267 prioritizes resources for the protection of critical infrastructure utility workers in the event of a civil defense emergency, disaster, or other emergencies that pose a severe threat to human health. Specifically, the prioritized resources include personal protective equipment, medical screening, testing, preventative health services, medical treatment, and the administration of vaccines.

LB460 requires that the Department of Health and Human Services reimburse the costs for mental health examinations or resilience training that is not covered by a first responders employer. Our first responders risk their lives every day and sometimes witness horrible situations. Ensuring these individuals have the necessary resources to take care of their mental health so they can continue to provide the crucial services that protect Nebraskans every day.

LB427 removes the requirement that out-of-state contractors pay a one-time fee of $25 for when they come into the state to work. The bill further removes the requirement that they pay a fee of $25 for each contract they receive that is at least $10,000.

LB671 amends the Nebraska Worker Training and Support Cash Fund to allow the fund to be used for the retention of existing employees. Currently, the fund may be used to provide training opportunities to expand the Nebraska workforce by increasing the pool of highly skilled workers.

For over 150 years we have been celebrating Arbor Day, Nebraska’s own holiday. It is estimated that more than a million trees were planted on our first Arbor Day back in 1872. Though the holiday has passed, I encourage you to continue celebrating by planting a tree in your area.

For additional or more specific information on bills please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov.