The First Session of the 108th Legislature is now over half way through the 90 day session. March 14th was the last day for senators and committees to declare their priority bills. Priority bills are considered ahead of all other bills during floor debate. The only exception is budget bills. Each senator is given one priority bill and committees are given two priority bills and the speaker’s office is given 25 priority bills.

The first Transportation and Telecommunications priority bill is LB683. The bill, with committee amendments, creates the position of state broadband coordinator and establishes the Nebraska Broadband Office whose director is to be appointed by the Governor. The main purpose of the Broadband Office is to administer federal funding for grants to deploy broadband. There are several duties assigned to the broadband office such as providing state advocacy of broadband issues on the federal level, coordinating broadband activity throughout the state, and developing a strategic plan, and developing an official Nebraska location fabric broadband access showing broadband availability.
The Second Transportation committee priority bill is LB412 introduced by Senator Geist. This bill allocates American Rescue Project (ARPA) funds that are eligible for broadband infrastructure projects in the Third Congressional District. This change would allow Capital Project grants to provide high-speed broadband service to an entire exchange area that includes cities of the second class or a village.

Two of my Transportation bills have been amended into LB412. The first is LB122, which is a bill to improve Nebraska’s One-Call Notification System Act. Currently, the Attorney General’s office is unable to address all complaints that are filed. Therefore, the AGs office focuses on the larger violations. LB122 creates a new process which requires all complaints to be filed with the State Fire Marshal. The bill also creates a new committee consisting of operators and excavators who will review, determine and assess the claims. Any violation where penalties are less than $10,000 will be addressed by the committee and any violations over $10,000 will be handled by the Attorney General’s office.

The second of my bills amended into the Committee Priority is LB722. This important bill will help sustain our broadband networks into the future. In Nebraska, companies receive Nebraska Universal Service Funds to help maintain existing networks. Unfortunately, there are still large areas of the State where there is no access. However, there is a potential for over $600 million in state and federal funding to build out these unserved areas. These grants could create a situation where two companies are being subsidized to serve the same area. LB722 ensures this does not happen and creates a process where only one company will be subsidized.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

This past week the legislature debated LB753 introduced by Senator Linehan at the request of the Governor. It allows individual and corporate taxpayers to qualify for a non-refundable tax credit, not to exceed 50% of their state income tax liability, equal to the amount the taxpayer contributed to a certified scholarship-granting organization.

The scholarship organization then distributes scholarships to low-income families if the family decides a private school best fits their child’s needs. This bill lays out qualifications to be a certified scholarship-granting organization and the requirements for how to distribute the funds to ensure that only certain students who can’t afford private school may apply. The bill advanced as amended to select file after eight hours of debate.

On Thursday March 9th, we resumed debate on LB376, a priority bill for the General Affairs Committee. As the bill is a committee bill it does include several bills from the committee which amends the liquor control act. After an 8-hour filibuster, the bill was moved to select file as amended. The Speaker has indicated he plans to continue on priority bills until we take up the budget for debate. The deadline for senators to declare priority bills for both senator personal priority and committee priority was March 14th.

On March 6th the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard testimony on LB234 introduced by Senator Walz. This bill would require railroad companies to report to the Public Service Commission and Nebraska State Patrol on blocked railroad crossings. These reports include the number of complaints received along with dates and locations of blocked crossings, and actions taken by railroad companies to resolve the complaint. The bill would have the Public Service Commission compile the data and provide a report to the Department of Transportation and the Transportation and Telecommunications committee no later than December 1st of the reporting year.

On March 7th, I attended Wahoo Elementary School’s Dr. Seuss Breakfast as part of their celebration of Read Across America Week. I enjoyed getting to meet my student host and her family while having breakfast and a tour of her classroom.

Read Across America week is a motivational and awareness day that calls all children and youth in every community across the United States to celebrate reading. It encourages everyone to read wherever they are. The annual national event kicks off on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, March 2nd. I would encourage everyone to help the children around you discover the joy and fun in reading throughout the year.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

We finally got to some real debate on the floor of the legislature. On Wednesday March 1st, we began floor debate on LB77 and its committee amendment. I have spoken on this bill in a previous article but as a reminder this is the constitutional carry bill that has been introduced by Senator Brewer. The Legislature passed this bill to Select File with AM640 which provides some penalties for crimes committed with a firearm or deadly weapon.

On Tuesday, we began floor debate on the General Affairs Committee Priority bill LB376. This bill with its amendments makes numerous changes to the Liquor Control Act currently in statute. First, it allows liquor control commission to have better oversight and track alcohol products being imported to the state. Further, it also allows holders of farm winery licenses to obtain an additional license to serve other alcoholic beverages and not just wine. Last, the bill raises the limit for the number of events an organization may apply for a special designated license, which allows an organization to temporarily sell alcoholic products when hosting events, from six to twelve a year while also allowing alcohol companies to sponsor these events.

On Tuesday, the Department of Veterans affairs had their budget hearing before the appropriations committee. Part of their budget included increased pay for workers. My testimony was asking to ensure these increases do not overly burden our veterans residing in the facility. I’m not opposed to increasing staff salaries but want to make sure we aren’t hurting those who’ve given themselves for our country in the process.

On March 9th, the revenue committee held a hearing for Senator Erdman’s epic option consumption tax bill LB79. This bill works in conjunction with LR6CA and LR7CA to achieve the epic consumption goals. The epic option consumption tax goals are to impose a tax on the sale of new goods and services. Used goods may never be taxed and no goods or services could be taxed in more than one way. All state taxes except the consumption taxes and excise tax would be repealed. Finally, groceries would be exempt from the consumption tax. This is just one of the tax options introduced on the floor this year.

On Monday March 6th, the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard LB31 introduced by Senator Jacobson. This bill requires any train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight being operated unless it has a crew of at least two individuals.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

It’s been a non-productive week at the legislature with respect to moving non-controversial bills on general file to select file. Floor debate has seen very little discussion on actual bills as a filibuster by one Senator against another Senator is keeping the body from debating on and moving bills. Committee hearings continue during the afternoons.

Last week, the State of the Judiciary address was given by the Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael G Heavican. Chief Justice Heavican started by noting the 1,600 vacant judicial positions across the state they have been working to fill by increasing the compensation, hiring and referral bonuses, and “updating educational opportunities to improve skills and encourage advancement to leadership positions.” He also noted the technology updates for the supreme court and they are continuing to improve e-filing options, and improvements to audio and video technology in the courtrooms.

The Chief Justice also acknowledged the successes of our probation system stating our national acclaim for low recidivism rates. Interesting information cited was the cost for a year on probation is $5,500 as opposed to $42,000 for incarceration. The final issue he addressed was the issue of Mental health in the justice system. He noted there is a 6-month backlog at the Lincoln Regional Center for evaluations. He assured that regular meetings are occurring with the Department of Health and Human Services in order to address this issue.

On Friday February 24th, my bill LB566 was heard before the Executive Board. This bill provides the ability of the Natural Resources committee to conduct a study examining the economic impacts of our electric grid’s increasing reliance on intermittent energy generation sources. This study evaluates three main areas. First, the short- and long-term costs and risks of replacing dispatchable energy with intermittent energy. Second, the economic benefits of maintaining coal, nuclear, and natural gas. Last, the study would examine whether the current trajectory of increased reliance on intermittent renewable energy is sufficient to meet the energy needs of Nebraska.

Additionally, this past week the hearing for LB606 introduced by Senator Albrecht was held on February 24th. This bill provides aid to pregnancy support centers to assist underserved women by providing services at no cost. Services offered under this bill include pregnancy testing, pregnancy and prenatal care, parenting and life skills classes, child care, along with many other detailed services. In a time where Nebraskans are struggling with paying for basics, this bill offers a potential aid.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

The Legislature has begun morning floor debate. The majority of our time last week was spent on approving Gubernatorial Appointments to a variety of boards, commissions or departments. Committee hearings are still ongoing but only in the afternoons.

The Transportation and Telecommunications committee heard several bills in the afternoon this past week. LB199, introduced by Senator Brewer would provide an authorized driving privilege card for Ukrainian refugees settled in Nebraska. I have received several calls and emails sharing your thoughts with me on this bill. While I support the intent of this bill and the need for the Ukrainian people to get this driving privilege. There are some conflicts with federal law that need to be addressed before this bill can move forward.

On Wednesday February 15th, my bill LB569 was heard in the Government, Military and Veteran Affairs Committee. This bill prohibits members of any county board or planning commission, along with their immediate family members, from having a financial interest in any new contract for the siting, development, or construction of any new electric generation facilities. This doesn’t impact any current existing contracts. I brought this bill after several instances across Nebraska in which elected county officials have voted to approve electric generation contracts that happen to be on their land or the land of one of their immediate family members. As elected officials we have a duty to be impartial and not enrich ourselves or family members using the capacity of our office.

The Natural Resources Committee heard public testimony on LB281 introduced by Senator Jacobson. This Bill provides funding for non profit organizations for the purpose of rebuilding the 4-H camp in Halsey, NE. The 4-H camp was destroyed in the Bovee Forest Fire in 2022 which burned 19,000 acres of forest and grassland along with the camp. Several people came to the hearing in support of the bill and told their stories and memories they made at the previous 4-H camp.

LB575 the Sports and Spaces Act, was heard before the Education committee on Monday February 13th. This bill requires males and females to participate in sports and use locker rooms that correlate to their biological sex. This bill is in compliance with Title IX and does not prevent anyone from participating in sports. Some of the testifiers spoke to the fear that they could miss out on championship and scholarship opportunities should this bill not pass. We need to ensure every child has an equal and fair chance of furthering their athletic endeavors.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

We are now 30 days into the First Session of the 108th Legislature. The Capitol has been full of people coming to testify in hearings. I enjoy seeing Nebraska’s second house participating in the legislative process. Floor debate officially began in the morning on Monday on several bills that have been voted to general file.

Two bills that I introduced were heard in their respective committees this past week. LB569 prohibits members of any County Board or planning board or their immediate family from being party to contract for the development, construction, or management of any new electric generation facility. Around the state there have been several instances where these board members or their families have directly benefited from contracts involving electric generation facilities which the boards themselves approve. As elected officials we should not be in the business of using our office to enrich ourselves or our family.

The second bill LB568, was heard before the Natural Resources committee. LB568 establishes the Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act which would consist of a 12-member working group who would study the workforce needs of the nuclear and hydrogen industries and collaboratively develop educational courses to train and develop a workforce here in Nebraska.

As you are all aware in January Governor Pillen announced his executive order on the creation of the Broadband office and its responsibilities. On February 7th, The Transportation and Telecommunications heard LB683 in the committee. It establishes in state statute the responsibilities of the Broadband office that were set up under the Governor’s executive order. The Broadband office will take over the responsibility of creation and maintenance of a state broadband map. They will also be responsible for the deployment of broadband utilizing federal funds to reach unserved and underserved areas.

In addition to the Broadband office, the Transportation and Telecommunications also heard LB412 introduced by Senator Geist. This bill helps to clarify that ARPA funds for broadband deployment in the 3rd congressional district can be utilized to deploy broadband in areas outside the cities or towns that do not currently have broadband service or unreliable broadband services.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

This week finds us wrapping up two weeks of full day public hearings ending on February 10th. We start floor debate on bills that have been voted out of committee on February 13th. These general file bills will be debated until noon each day. Hearings will still be held in the afternoon through March 24th, Then full day floor debate will begin. You can keep track of the committee schedules on the legislature’s website and click the hearing schedules in the center of the page.

My bill, LB425 was heard before the Natural Resources committee on February 9th. LB425 increases the permit fees for nonresident hunters for numerous permits such as deer, fishing, and turkey permits. LB425 also provides Game and Parks the discretion on permitting nonresident hunters during special depredation seasons following feedback from landowners after last year’s depredation season.

In the 2022 elections, the citizens of Nebraska voted to approve a constitutional amendment to require voters to present an I.D. Since this amendment to the state constitution was approved, the Legislature must now decide how we will implement voter I.D. laws. There are five bills being considered, LB 228, 230, 535, 675 and 742. Of the five only LB535 has been heard in the Government and Military, and Veteran Affairs Committee. Many of you have contacted my office regarding voter ID legislation and I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts.

For those who are interested, you can track bills online through the Nebraska legislature has a bill tracker website. You need to sign up as a new user with your email and create a password. This will give you the ability to track up to 15 bills through the process. The BillTracker system automatically scans up-to-date legislative information on a daily basis, and automatically notifies you by email if there are any status changes with any bill you add to your bill list. This bill tracker can be found at https://www.nebraska.gov/billtracker

I know that often there can be struggles when it comes to government agencies. Mistakes get made or maybe the way our state statute is written can be unclear to those who are attempting to provide, or use the resources available to them. In these cases I want you to be aware that there is an option for you to reach out to get some additional help. The office of the Ombudsman is available to investigate citizen complaints and works as an impartial agent to resolve disputes between citizens and state agencies. If you need help you can find more information at https://nebraskalegislature.gov/ click the “Legislative divisions” on the left side of the screen and click “public council/ombudsman.”

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

As we prepare to start week 6 of the legislature, we have several bills being heard in committees. We started committee hearings January 23rd, with half day hearings. This week we begin full day hearings which will continue until February 9th. Full day hearings mean that morning hearings start between 9-9:30 and the afternoon hearings start at 1:30. After bills have had an opportunity to hear public testimony during hearing each committee sets a time to hold an executive session.

When an executive session occurs the senators on that committee discuss and vote on whether each bill will be sent to the general file. If a bill goes to general file, it will be scheduled for debate on the floor by Speaker Arch’s office. Priority bills are typically scheduled first. These bills are given priority by a senator, committee, or the speaker.

Once priority bills are scheduled the rest of the bills are traditionally scheduled based on the order they are placed on the general file; some consideration is also given to the amount of time needed for debate. For example, a bill that is more contested will require more time for debate than one that has complete agreement but needs an amendment. Debate on bills on general file is scheduled to begin on Monday February 13th.

One of the bills that I have introduced this year is LB288, which was heard by the Transportation and Telecommunication committee on January 26th. The purpose of this bill is to improve the online insurance verification system. This bill would be an asset to law enforcement. It allows them to check the status of an individual’s insurance on the scene of traffic stops or accidents.

In light of the overturning of Roe V. Wade this last June; This year’s walk for Life held special significance. The walk was held on Saturday January 28th on the north steps before we walked down to the UNL Student Union. This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. John Bruchalski; a former abortion provider who shared his life-altering encounter that led to his change in perspective on life. It is always encouraging to be around others who celebrate life.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

The Legislature has completed the process of introducing bills for this session. A total of 812 bills and 31 Legislative Resolutions or Constitutional Amendments have been filed. Now the committee process will begin as every bill that is introduced will receive a hearing, unless the bill is withdrawn.

The Committee hearings will be held during the afternoons through January 27th. After that hearings will be starting at either 9:30am or 1:30pm. This year the Legislature offers a new option for those who would like to publicly testify but due to disability are unable to attend in person. This option allows you to provide testimony at committee hearings and unlike the comment option it allows you to upload up to 5 documents in support of your testimony as you would have the option to do when testifying in person. These documents must be in PDF format and submitted by Noon on the business day prior to the hearing.

To use this option, you must find the committee schedule and click “ADA Accommodation Testimony” Confirm you qualify under ADA, this is a self-verify with no documentation required. All boxes must be filled in, you do not need to upload exhibits. You must be representing yourself for the ADA testimony. Please be sure you are entering a valid email address; you must verify through email or no one will see your testimony.

I will try to highlight a couple of bills each week. I’ve introduced 16 bills this session, one is LB568 that creates the Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act. The bill creates a working group that will assess and determine the workforce training needs in advanced nuclear and hydrogen technologies. It will also create a grant program for colleges to apply for in the development of these new programs.

I’ve cosponsored LB77, a constitutional carry bill introduced by Senator Brewer. The bill will be heard in the Judiciary committee on January 26th at 1:30pm. This is Senator Brewer’s priority bill. The bill will authorize the concealed carry of handguns without a permit in Nebraska.

Finally, as the end of January is fast approaching and tax season is beginning. I wanted to remind everyone to make sure and check the Nebraska Department of Revenue’s website for your Nebraska Property Tax Credit. The credit is available for both school district and community college property taxes paid. The current form and information for 2022 tax year is scheduled to be up by January 31st. Information on this tax credit and how you can claim this credit can be found at https://revenue.nebraska.gov/about/nebraska-property-tax-credit

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov

Things are starting to pick up in our second week of session. We’ve approved the committees and continued to introduce legislation. As of January 13th, over 490 new bills have been introduced. More are expected as we approach the deadline for new bill introduction on January 18th.

Hearings for all committees will begin on January 23rd, you can find the schedule for these hearings on the legislature’s website https://nebraskalegislature.gov/ on the Left side of the screen click “committees” then “hearing schedules.” You can then view upcoming hearings by week or select a range to view.

If you’ve found a hearing or bill you would like to make a comment on. There are several options for adding your comments on the record. You can attend the hearing in person or make a comment online. Information on how to participate in these hearings can be found on the Legislature website listed above. Click the “committees” and “public input options” on the left side of the screen.

During my time in the Legislature broadband service has been a primary project of mine. I want to thank Governor Pillen for starting the Broadband Office. Along with some federal funding that is coming to the state and several new bills being introduced, it will help to increase high speed access to unserved and underserved areas of Nebraska. The FCC has created a map to help target the areas where the federal funds will be best used and where services are needed.

The rules committee met on Jan 12th to discuss 58 proposed rule changes suggested and released its report to the rest of the legislative body and full debate on the motion to adopt the permanent rules will begin on January 19th. Thank you to those who have reached out to my office to share your opinions on the rule changes and those who came in person to put their thoughts on the record. I appreciate the feedback.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov