We are a quarter of the way through this short session, but the days have been long.  Mornings are used for floor debate and afternoons for committee hearings. Since our first day of floor debate, we have focused on priority bills, some carried over from last year, and some newly designated by senators as their 2022 priorities. While most of our conversations have been lengthy, they have been mainly cordial, and I hope to see it stay that way.

Committee hearings have generated a lot of interest and testimony. The Judiciary Committee typically has the most bills and that has not changed in this session, with increased urgency to act on Corrections issues.  This session, due to the federal funds known as the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), the Appropriations Committee has followed suit with a large number of bills. 

The Legislative Fiscal Office released a list of the 86 bills requesting ARPA funds, along with 14 requests sent to other committees. A quick toting up of those 100 bills shows just over $3.7 billion in requests, out of the $1.4 billion available. Some of the larger bills include one by Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, which would direct $520M to go out in debit cards to people in the state of Nebraska.  Senators Wayne and McKinney have proposed around $420M for north Omaha neighborhoods which really struggled during covid. Sen. McDonnell’s “shovel ready” bill would grow with $100M in assistance in the Governor’s ARPA’s proposal. One item that caught my eye in the Governor’s plan was to fund the law enforcement training facilities in Grand Island with $47.7M. I have heard from a few of the local law enforcement agencies regarding the difficulty in hiring officers only to see delays in their ability to receive training at the training facilities.

Which brings me to a couple of important considerations as we look at ways to distribute ARPA funds.  There are strict guidelines for how the money is to be spent. Use of the funds must be related to Covid-19 prevention and mitigation of its effects, medical services, behavioral health care, and preventing and responding to violence.  Some of the entities which can be considered include households, small businesses with less than 500 employees, non profits, impacted industries such as travel, tourism, hospitality and similar industries, and public sector capacity  –  broadband and internet access, and vital services such as water and sewer projects. 

There are also some budgetary stipulations. First, the dollars have to be allocated by the end of 2024; and they must be used by the end of 2026. Secondly, if the federal government questions the proper and timely use of the funds, they must be repaid within 120 days and then an appeals process can take place. 

The Appropriations Committee heard nearly eight hours of testimony on Tuesday on just one bill, LB 1014, the Governor’s proposals for the ARPA money. More than 80 people testified and we finished up about 9:30 pm that night. We haven’t even started putting the puzzle together yet. Eventually, when the remaining hearings are finished, things will start to fall into place. Some issues will rise to the top. Others will be weeded out.

Two important bills were heard by the Education and Revenue Committees this week. LB 890 and LB 891, introduced by Senators Walz and Lindstrom respectively, which work hand in hand to make changes to public school funding. There was significant support from the schools for the formula portion of the bill. However the superintendent for Omaha Public Schools testified in opposition to both bills. I have been in conversation with senators on both the Education and Revenue committees to learn more. If the bills stay in current form, they will face challenges to get out of committee or to go on to have success on the floor. However, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, as with most higher level bills like this. It will be interesting to see what amendments or changes come out in the future on this major and recurring issue.

I encourage you to read through the funding bills or any other topics of legislation that concern you. You can contact me at mdorn@leg.ne.gov, call 402-471-2620, or send mail to District 30, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604.  The text of all bills and a complete schedule can be found at www.nebraskalegislature.gov