Weekly District 30 Update – 3/14/25

State Senator Myron Dorn

March weather the last week has seen record high temperatures for March and then drops down to relatively normal March temps. In the legislature, it is much the same. We have moments when issues arise that raise temperatures a bit but then things settle back to normal.

Senators, Committees, and the Speaker have designated their priority bills, and those bills tend to be more substantive, more controversial. Senators are allowed one priority bill, committees designate 2, and the Speaker designates 25 which usually tend to be non-controversial. When these bills start to come to the floor for debate, that is when we may see ‘temperatures’ rise inside the legislative chamber. This year I have selected one of Senator Jana Hughes bills. LB 712 which would place a 40% tax on the wholesale price of electronic nicotine delivery systems. This bill is part of a package to her LB 303 would adjust the school funding formula to reduce the maximum levy lid from $1.05 to $1.02 and make other adjustments. Funds are needed to pay for these adjustments. The end goal being property tax reductions. I do not have an issue with taxing electronic nicotine delivery systems, much of which are targeted toward our youth. The bill is still in the Revenue Committee and is projected to bring in $34 million in revenue.

I had three bills heard before the Appropriations Committee on March 11th. LB 54 would implement an 11% increase to reimbursement rates for providers of developmental disability services. Currently the base hiring rate is a little over $15 an hour whereas the Beatrice State Developmental Center’s starting wage is over $21 an hour. This disparity makes it difficult to hire and keep quality people care for the intellectually disabled people in our state. This would cost the state $25 million dollars and draw down approximately $28 million in federal dollars.

Next was LB 55 and would appropriate $1,500,000 for FY2025-26 from the Hospital Quality Assurance and Access Assessment Fund for the medical assistance program to provide reimbursement to mental health providers who do not practice in a hospital and who provide services to Medicaid-eligible participants who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. Since the money would come for this specific fund, the state General Fund would add an additional $333,000 to this reimbursement.

The last bill I introduced that day was LB 57 and would appropriate funds to the Department of Health and Human Services, for Medicaid assisted-living facility rates. The funds shall be used to increase the current Medicaid assisted-living facility rates. A rate study contacted by the department in 2022 indicated urban rates were higher than rural rates even though the cost of care is the same and LB 57 would provide parity between the urban and rural rates. The requested rate would be enhanced to cover the increase in costs for FY 2025-26: $88.24/day and in FY 2026-27: $91.78/day. Increasing these rates would eventually cost the state $7 million a year. Considering our aging population or as referred to at the hearing, the ‘silver tsunami’, we need these facilities to stay open.

As you can see, my focus is on provider rates for a number of different providers. It is the state’s responsibility to take care of those who have used all their financial resources and are now dependent on Medicaid. I try to remember the adage, “but for the grace of God, there go I.”

On a lighter note, both of the competing day-light saving bills have advanced to Final Reading. LB 34 would seek to keep day-light saving time year-round when the federal government would permit such a move, the other, LB 302 would keep standard time year-round. I voted in support of LB 34 and no on LB 302. I like more sunlight in the summer months. We will see which one succeeds when the bills are voted on Final Reading. A note of interest is that if both bills pass on final reading, the last bill to pass will be the one that takes effect, providing the Governor signs the bill.

For more information on the Nebraska Legislature, the link is: nebraskalegislature.gov   

Here you can find all the information on bills, hearing schedules, information on senators, legislative divisions, and legislative reports etc.

My contact information is mdorn@leg.ne.gov and 402-471-2620. As always, I appreciate hearing from you.

Sen. Dorn participated in the name change ceremony

at Homestead National Historical Park on Wednesday.