For Immediate Release – September 23, 2019 – 5:15 p.m.
Contact: Mark Kolterman (402)-641-8471

I was notified today that four licensed skilled nursing centers in Nebraska announced they are closing. These facilities are Crestview Care Center in Milford, Utica Care Center in Utica, both in District #24, and Mory’s Haven in Columbus, and Blue Hill Care Center in Blue Hill.

It is my understanding that these facilities have set a closing date of November 21, 2019, but will not officially close their doors until each resident is safely transferred to an appropriate facility or other setting that matches them in terms of quality, services, and location, while also taking into consideration the needs, choice, and best interests of each resident.

These four facilities, purchased by Azria Health last week, are notifying affected team members, residents, and family members of the closing, and have started assisting residents and their family members in finding a new facility for the residents. They have also started work to help their team members explore new employment opportunities.

Upon learning of these closures, I asked my staff to pull together a meeting with the Department of Health and Human Services so that I can better understand the process that is to follow in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. I also reached out to local economic development organizations to explore potential employment opportunities for those impacted by the closures. If you or a family member has been impacted by these closures and are in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at mkolterman@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2756. I will do everything I can to assist families as they transition the care of their loved ones to a new facility or assist employees as they look for new jobs.

The closure of these four facilities are a continuation of an unfortunate trend and will add to the volatility of access to long-term care services across the state. This closure will affect 205 state-licensed beds across the four facilities and will impact approximately 240 employees. As a former member of the Health and Human Services Committee, I was well-aware of the challenges faced by our local care centers – and am committed to working with my colleagues to find long-term solutions to address the increasing problem facing some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through these issues. Again, please reach out to me if I can assist in any way.

Senator Kolterman will be participating in two Legislative Forums sponsored by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce on Mon., September 30th.

Nebraska Chamber Forums – Seward
7:30am-9am
Seward Civic Center Basement
Contact: Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership, (402) 643-4189

Nebraska Chamber Forums – Henderson
Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Perks Cafe
Contact: Kelsey Bergen, (402) 723-4228

These events provide an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the legislative process, learn the issues and meet elected representatives.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation is holding a public information open house meeting on the proposed improvements to U.S. Highway 81 (US-81) in Polk County. The meeting will be held at the Viking Center, 118 East 3rd Street, Stromsburg, Nebraska on Tues., July 30th from 4pm to 6pm.

All interested parties are invited to attend.

This project is in the design stage. Public input is being sought. Please refer to the attached Notice of Public Meeting for more details.

Send comments or questions to:
Sarah Soula
NDOT Public Involvement
1500 Highway 2, PO Box 94759
Lincoln, NE 68509-4759
sarah.soula@nebraska.gov

For more information:
Wes Wahlgren
NDOT District 4 Engineer
211 N. Tilden St., PO Box 1488
Grand Island, NE 68802-1488
wes.wahlgren@nebraska.gov
308-385-6265

dot.nebraska.gov/projects/

Attachment:

NDOT Project – Notice of Public Meeting

The Clerk’s Office of the Nebraska Legislature is Now Accepting

Applications for Legislative Page Positions

The application process for selecting pages for the 2019 Legislative Session is now underway in the Clerk’s Office at the Nebraska Legislature. Legislative pages are local college students employed by the Legislature to respond to senators’ requests for assistance on the Legislative Floor, answer incoming calls to the Legislative Chamber, and possibly assist in committee hearings.

The deadline for submitting an application is Fri., September 28th at 5:00 pm. A letter of recommendation from your state senator is encouraged. College students from District 24 requesting a letter of recommendation from Senator Kolterman should contact our office at (402) 471-2756 or mkolterman@leg.ne.gov.

The page selection committee will meet in October to select individuals to fill those positions.

Applications are available at the link below (PDF) or from the Clerk of the Legislature’s Office, Room 2018, State Capitol, 1445 K Street. For further information on the application process, please contact the Office of the Clerk of the Legislature at (402) 471-2271.

Legislative Page Application 2019

Each morning during the legislative session, the Presiding Officer asks everyone in the chamber to rise for the opening prayer lead by the Chaplain of the Day. Over the years, leaders from many different faiths have served as the Chaplain. Last Monday, we were blessed to have Reverend Monsignor Daniel Seiker, Assistant Spiritual Director at the St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, lead us in prayer. It was very encouraging to have him join us in praying for the leaders of our State. I would invite any faith leader interested in serving as Chaplain of the Day to contact my office for additional details.

Last Tuesday, the Legislature commenced debate on the proposed adjustments to the State’s budget among others. Speaker Scheer introduced LB944 at the request of Governor Ricketts. It included the Governor’s 2018 mid-biennium budget adjustment recommendations for state operations, aid and construction programs, provides for transfers, and modifies intent language and earmarks accompanying appropriations approved last year during the 2017 Legislative Session. These adjustments are necessary to rebalance the two-year biannual budget due to increased child welfare costs, a lower federal Medicaid match rate, and a significant reduction in revenue forecasts resulted in a budget shortfall of roughly $210 million.

While I do not serve on the Appropriation Committee, I followed their progress closely since the start of the session. The Committee held numerous public hearings to develop their revised budget proposal and advanced LB944 out of the committee on a unanimous vote 9-0. While most of Tuesday was spent debating the revised budget on General Final, the Legislature adopted the amended version and moved it to Select File.

On Wednesday, the Revenue Committee met to consider a revised version of LB947, the comprehensive property and income tax reduction bill Senator Smith introduced on behalf of Governor Ricketts. In addition to retaining the state’s current property tax relief credit program, the revised bill adds a refundable state income tax credit starting at 2 percent of property taxes paid on agriculture land and would gradually rise to 20 percent. The total relief for agriculture land would eventually reach 30 percent. For homeowners, the credit would begin at 1 percent of property taxes paid and gradually increase to 20 percent. The maximum credit for homeowners will be $500. LB947 would also reduce the corporate income tax rate from 7.81 percent to 6.84 percent over two years. It also includes an additional $10 million for job training. At this point in the session with only 15 days left, we are waiting to see what, if any, major tax reform bill advances out of the Revenue Committee.

Even though I do not serve on the Revenue Committee, I have worked with my colleagues to lower property taxes. They are too high and impact every individual who owns property, from our retired senior citizens to our farmers and ranchers who depend on their land to make a living. In reality, there is no quick fix. The only way we will be able to achieve meaningful property tax relief is through building a broad coalition of Senators representing both urban and rural interests. This is necessary because my colleagues representing urban communities will tell you that they are looking for income tax relief. A package including both property tax and income tax relief has the best chance of becoming law.

As always, if we can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My door is open and I have made it a goal to be accessible to the constituents of our district. Please stop by any time. My e-mail address is mkolterman@leg.ne.gov, and the office phone number is 402-471-2756. Todd and Katie are always available to assist you with your needs. If I am not immediately available, please do not hesitate to work with them to address any issues that you may need assistance.

Our office received information from the Nebraska Department of Insurance regarding SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program) enrollment events.  See below for more information.

“Medicare Part D Open Enrollment is fast approaching.  Open Enrollment is the annual opportunity for individuals with Medicare to review their insurance options and make changes for the upcoming year. The staff and volunteers at Nebraska SHIIP (a division of the Department of Insurance) provide free, unbiased, confidential, one on one counselling sessions to educate and assist people with their Medicare comparisons.  Between October 15 and December 7^th, the Nebraska SHIIP routinely assists over 20,000 Nebraskans in comparing their Medicare Prescription Drug Plan and Medicare Advantage Plan options.   We highly encourage all individuals on Medicare to explore their options each year as personal medical and medicine regimes change. Plans also change each year. Beneficiaries that review their options yearly have few if any surprises when the New Year begins.

During this Open Enrollment season, SHIIP will host over 200 enrollment events across the state where Medicare beneficiaries will receive in-person Part D and/or Advantage Plan comparisons from one of our 370+ certified Medicare counselors. 

To learn more about the SHIIP Division, please feel free to visit the SHIIP website“

There is one SHIIP event scheduled in District 24. Appointments ARE REQUIRED for the event. See below for event details and contact information.

Thurs., October 19th
9am-3pm
Seward Library
233 S. 5th Street, Seward
1-800-234-7120

You’re Invited:

Gov. Ricketts & Sen. Kolterman to Hold Town Halls in Seward and York

Lincoln – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts and State Senator Mark Kolterman announced that they would hold town halls in Seward and York on Thursday, August 12, 2016.  The Governor and Senator invite the public to attend the town halls.

“Nebraskans are invited to join Governor Ricketts and Senator Kolterman at their upcoming town halls in Seward and York,” said Taylor Gage, the Governor’s Public Relations Director.  “This is a great opportunity to hear an update on how our state is growing, and also to make your voice heard.  The Governor and Senator look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can move our state forward together.”

Full details for the town halls to be held on Friday, August 12, 2016:

8:30 a.m.      Seward Town Hall, Seward Civic Center, 616 Bradford Street, SEWARD

2:30 p.m.      York Town Hall, Holthus Convention Center, 3130 Holen Ave, YORK

Questions should be directed to the Governor’s Office at 402-471-2244.

Senator Kolterman was elected as chair of the Retirement Systems Committee.

His office is now located in Room 2004B.

Please feel to stop by when you are visiting the Capitol!