The main focus of the week at the Legislature was debate on the state’s budget. As the budget package moved through the required steps for passage, we used the intervening time to advance a number of other measures. 

LB 41, a bill I introduced to add townships to the list of political subdivisions who are entitled to receive a monthly payment of their funds from the county treasurer, passed on Final Reading this week with a vote of 46-0. I appreciate Gage County treasurer Laurie Wollenburg bringing this to my attention. Once it is signed by the Governor, it will become law three calendar month days after the end of the session.  

Discussions about the budget were very different than we once feared, especially with the effect of Covid. About 18 months ago, revenue started to come in ahead of forecast. When covid hit a year ago, our numbers were still very strong. Revenues took a dip for about two to three months, then once stimulus programs began and our economy picked back up, the revenue numbers went back up. This is partly because Nebraska’s economy is somewhat shielded, since we are not dependent on tourism or oil and gas, and have a strong agriculture influence on the economy. Despite the pandemic, by January of this year we were back to a normal revenue stream. At the state level, the economy stayed strong.

Most would agree that CARES and ARP stimulus funding have also played a part in strengthening our state economy. In the Appropriations committee, we continue to examine where we will be three to five years from now without stimulus money coming in. While we are having those discussions, we are thankful to be in the situation we are today, instead of having decreased revenue and being forced to look at budget cuts.

I would encourage you to read the entire budget on the legislative website by clicking on the link:  Appropriations Committee Proposed Budget (4/1/2021). This includes an explanation of each expenditure, which is a little easier to read than the actual bill.

Much of our debate about budget bill LB 383 focused on the state’s corrections system: programming for inmates, mental health, overcrowding, and the proposal to build a new prison. The Appropriations committee set aside $115 million in a Capital construction fund earmarked for a proposed 1500 bed prison. We did not give approval for the allocation (spending) of any of those funds. However, amendments divided that sum into: $18 million for use at the Lincoln Correctional Facility, $14.9 million for acquiring easements on property and design for a proposed prison, and gave the appropriation for those two projects. Another amendment introduced by Senator Wayne set aside $15 million to be used for programming for those already incarcerated. This was put into a separate fund with only $200,000 allocated. So of the original $115 million set aside, $62 million remains in sequestered funds to be used if a prison is built, and if not used, returned to the general fund.

Some senators felt LB383 meant a new prison would be automatic but it really just puts some procedures in place to be ready if a new facility is built in the future. Nebraska received a federal grant for a study of the prison population, facilities and sentencing reform which will be done by next year. The goal was to do a few things right now, like at the Lincoln center; but we are not going ahead with the okay to build a new prison until the report is done. The study and the advance planning work will help answer some questions.

On Thursday I had a good conversation with Larry Kahl, the COO for Health and Human Services. In the ongoing study that includes the Beatrice State Developmental Center (BSDC), he reported the stakeholder meetings have wrapped up. They did conduct a separate meeting with Trevor Lee, director of NGage, and Angie Bruna with the Beatrice Chamber and appreciated that input. I have offered to be involved in every step of the process, and reiterated that in addition to the facilities at BSDC, our greatest asset is the dedicated staff and the love and care they show for the individuals who live there, especially during covid.

One bill generating a lot of interest this past week was LB 271, offered by Sen. Adam Morfeld. This bill was requested by the Lancaster county attorney’s office, and is structured after an effective program in South Dakota. It allows qualified individuals with a ticket for a DUI to be able to continue to drive to work, if they agree to participate in a very restrictive program that requires being tested every 12 hours or using a continuous alcohol monitoring device. Failing a test would result in some strict penalties, additional fines, or possible imprisonment and so on. 

The benefit of the 24/7 sobriety program is that instead of holding someone in jail for a month or two until trial, they have the option of getting back to work in that time period. It is designed to help those people who are productive employees, who want to change what they did and what happened. It also helps them remain in the workforce and have some financial resources in place to get through this. The program is designed to keep people sober, as opposed to just stopping them from driving drunk like other programs or devices do. The start up costs of about $100,000 will be completely funded by Lancaster county. The bill advanced on a 34-4 vote.

We deal with many more bills and topics each week than we can cover here. So we welcome your questions and input. Contact me at mdorn@leg.ne.gov or call 402-471-2620.