The Nebraska Legislature’s all-day hearings have come to an end and floor debate on bills ramps up this week. The Judiciary Committee, which I am a member of, will wrap up their bill hearings on Friday, March 12. Judiciary hears the most bills of any committee, so we have kept quite busy through the last day of hearings. 

As for my bills, LB91, which would change the testing interval for native seeds, will be heard on the Floor this week. Some of my other bills that have been advanced to General File and that I anticipate being heard on the Floor this session include: 

• LB242 – Under this bill, political subdivisions may commit dollars in current budgets to get to work building bridges right away but be able to pay for it in full later. This does not increase property taxes or give any additional spending authority to political subdivisions but allows them to pay for bridges over a longer period. 

• LB 324 – This bill makes it easier for the consumer to purchase individual packages of quality farm-raised meat directly from the producer or processor. It also allows the producer and consumer more flexibility when deciding where their meat is processed and creates the Independent Processor Assistance Program. 

• LB 306 – The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides federal financial assistance to those in need to offset the costs of heating and cooling. The bill would increase the annual income limit from 130% of the federal poverty level to 150%. This expanded eligibility would open up the program to 30,000 additional households in Nebraska, and cost Nebraska taxpayers nothing.

• LB 396 – This bill would expand the scale and reach of Nebraska-produced food by providing networking resources for Nebraska schools, local vegetable and fruit growers, and meat and dairy producers to increase the quantity of quality local food purchased by and served in our schools through the creation of a statewide farm to school program.

There is talk in the Legislature of a comprehensive tax reform plan. I will work with my colleagues on the particulars of that effort and make sure it is a package that would benefit Legislative District 32. In other Legislature news, it looks like there will be a Special Session in October on redistricting because of the delay in the census numbers being ready by the federal government.

If you have questions or concerns about these bills or others, feel free to contact my legislative staff at (402) 471-2711, or send me an email at tbrandt@leg.ne.gov. You can stay up to speed by subscribing to the Unicameral Update, free of charge, by sending an email to uio@leg.ne.gov or calling 402-471-2788.