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From National Public Radio’s story on right to repair:
BERLINER: The industry as a whole has fought against political efforts to force changes on manufacturers through what are called right-to-repair bills. Tom Brandt is a farmer and state senator who introduced Nebraska’s right-to-repair bill.
TOM BRANDT: So let’s say you’ve got a couple hundred thousand dollars and you buy a bright, shiny new tractor. You only own the hardware. Today that software is still controlled by the original equipment manufacturer.
BERLINER: Nebraska’s bill would change that. It would unlock software and allow farmers and independent shops to make the same repairs as dealers. An industry group, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, tells NPR these kind of right-to-repair bills, they permit illegal tampering and create safety and environmental risks. And that’s why states have rejected such bills in the past. But those right-to-repair bills, they keep coming.
From the Omaha World Herald on the veto override to LB306:
LB 306 was passed over the governor’s veto on a 32-15 vote. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, will provide federally funded heating and cooling assistance to more Nebraskans.
It raises the income limit from 130% of the federal poverty level to 150% and requires that a larger share of the federal grant be used to help weatherize homes of low-income Nebraskans.
Brandt said the change will make better use of the state’s federal dollars. Currently, he said, the state has enough money left each year to give supplemental aid payments for previous recipients. Under the bill, that money will be used to help more people.
I am excited to have reached the end of the 2021 Legislative Session. We will be adjourning sine die on Thursday May 27th. Senators are not done meeting for the year however, because, due to the covid-delay of census information being reported, the Legislature will reconvene in the fall for a special session to work out the new redistricting map for the next ten years. There is talk of the Legislature losing one rural seat and adding one urban seat which is what will be debated when we return.
Last week, many bills passed final reading and are heading to the Governor’s desk for a signature and the following are some of the bills that I supported and am looking forward to being implemented:
Three of my bills LB306 (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), LB324 (animal share program and processor’s assistance fund) and LB396 (farm to school network) passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. Two of my bills LB91 (changing the duration of native seed testing) and LB242 (allowing counties to pay for bridges on an installment plan) are on General File and will be on the legislative agenda in January. Two other bills of mine LB460 (allowing public power to lease fiber for broadband) and LB543 (right to repair farm equipment) are still in committees but I plan to work on them further next year.
Lastly, Senator John Stinner, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, provided us with some allocation funding estimates from the American Rescue Plan Act that passed earlier this year. Just a few of the school funding estimates include $310,418 for Deshler Public Schools, $441,998 for Thayer Central Community Schools, $517,929 for Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools, $173,917 for Friend Public Schools and $273,404 for Dorchester Public Schools. My legislative staff can provide more estimates for schools, counties, and villages if you are interested. They will be working hard during the interim so feel free to call, email or stop by.
Introduced by Plymouth Sen. Tom Brandt, LB324 allows the acquisition of meat through an animal share — an ownership interest in an animal or herd of animals created by a written contract between a consumer and a farmer or rancher — under certain conditions.
Among other requirements, the animal share owner, or someone acting on their behalf, must receive the meat, and the farmer or rancher must provide the consumer with a description of their livestock health and processing standards.
A farmer or rancher who offers an animal share must be a Nebraska resident and maintain a record of each animal share sold. The name and address of each individual with an ownership interest in the particular livestock must be presented to the processor prior to slaughter.
LB324 also creates an independent processor assistance program that, if funds are made available, will provide funding to certain federally inspected, state inspected or custom-exempt slaughter and processing facilities in Nebraska that employ fewer than 25 people.
Recipients may use the funds to pay for capital improvements, utilities upgrades, equipment, technology, building rentals, costs associated with increased inspections and educational and workforce training.
Lawmakers voted 48-0 to pass LB324.
From the Center for Rural Affairs:
The Center for Rural Affairs is applauding Nebraska and Iowa lawmakers for their unanimous approval of bills to assist small meat processors and livestock producers as they work to clear obstacles brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has tested and challenged both processors and producers across the country,” said Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center. “Seeing lawmakers from Nebraska and Iowa approve their respective bills on the same day shows a strong level of support for our small family farms and gives processors the tools they need to grow their businesses, create jobs and increase activity on our main streets.”
LB 324, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt, makes it easier for consumers to buy meat directly from producers or processors. It also creates the Independent Processor Assistance Program to help processors with expansion, modification, or construction of buildings; efficient packaging, processing, and storage equipment; technology to improve logistics or enable e-commerce; and educational or workforce training programs. Passage came on a 48-0 vote.
Hladik thanked Sen. Brandt and Rep. Ingels for leading the effort to address backlogs that began in 2020 when outbreaks of COVID-19 impeded work at many regional packing plants.
“When those plants paused, large-scale beef and pork producers turned to local processors to fill the void. This created a debilitating bottleneck at local meat lockers,” Hladik said. “Lawmakers have cleared the way to bring needed solutions for producers, local small business owners and consumers of quality beef and pork and we eagerly await the signatures of Govs. Ricketts and Reynolds.”
Starting with a covid-19 update, vaccines are available to all Nebraskans 12 and older either through their county health department, participating pharmacies including the Wal-Mart in Crete, and Public Health Solutions in Fillmore, Jefferson, Saline, and Thayer counties. The Pfizer vaccination is also available to children 12 years old and older. The vaccination rate in Nebraska is levelling off but we have not yet reached herd immunity. I encourage everyone to get a vaccine so we can get back to normal.
Moving to the Legislature, last week we heard debate on many revenue bills including Senator Friesen’s LB454, which would have created a School Property Tax Stabilization Program which would have directed state aid to rural school districts who use property taxes to fund the majority needs. The state aid would have equaled 50% of the difference of the property taxes paid over 70% of formula needs. The bill also would have reduced the assessed value of agricultural land for purposes of funding schools over a four-year period from 75% of actual value to 55% of actual value. I’m very disappointed that the bill failed to advance but I will continue to work with my colleagues to direct more state aid to school districts who are overly reliant on property taxes.
On a related note, I voted for Senator DeBoer’s LB132 which advanced to the second round and will create the School Financing Review Commission, amended to only include Senators on the Commission. The commission will conduct an in-depth review of the financing of public schools, including methods to offer alternatives to heavy reliance on property taxes and provide equitable education opportunities across the state. In a surprising turn of events, an amendment from Sen. Wayne to sunset the school aid formula TEEOSA received over twenty votes so I expect we’ll see that provision again in some form in the future.
As for property tax relief, in the proposed biennial budget, the Property Tax Credit Fund will go up by $63 million (from $275 to $300-313 million) over the next two years, which is the second largest increase in the budget. That is split up to $25 million in fiscal year 21-22 and $38 million in FY22-23. The second fund known as the Property Tax Incentive Act starts from a fixed amount of $125 million and will go up to almost $314 million the next two fiscal years, meaning your refundable state income tax credit should be two and a half times bigger next year. And the Homestead exemption will have a 3% increase each of the next two years which works out to an extra $3.2 million in FY21-22 and $5.3 million in FY22-23. In addition to all of this, when gambling starts in Nebraska, you can expect at least another 2-3% property tax relief.
Two of my bills – LB306 and LB396 – advanced to Final Reading (the third round) this week. LB 306 – The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – is my personal priority bill. LB 396, which would create a statewide farm to school program, was designated a Speaker Priority bill by Speaker Hilgers, who announced yesterday that the Legislative Session will adjourn sine die on Thursday May 27th.
LB396 has the overarching goal of helping Nebraska elementary and secondary schools—both public and non-public—have greater access to locally- and regionally-produced food. The hope is that this will promote healthy eating habits among children and improve our local agricultural economy by local schools purchasing from local farmers.
As Sen. Brandt noted during the legislative committee hearing and first round of legislative debate, far too often our schools are purchasing their food in bulk from out-of-state providers. This does a disservice to our local economy by sending our hard-earned dollars to other states. It also inhibits access to fresher fruits, vegetables, and meats which are healthier options for Nebraska’s students. Sen. Brandt has demonstrated that while buying locally can sometimes be perceived as more expensive, the truth is that the prices of buying locally, even when not in bulk, are competitive.
LB396 also has an educational component for students. The legislation is not merely about getting food on the table but it is also about helping students understand how that food gets to the table. The bill will help students with “hand-on learning opportunities, including, but not limited to, farm visits, cooking demonstrations, and school gardening and composting programs, and that integrate nutrition and agricultural education into the school curricula.”
Our schools thrive on community relationships, built upon a bedrock of local control and family engagement. Knowing the friends and community members who help our schools and communities thrive is critical to human flourishing. Pope Francis has often spoken on the theme of “alienation.” Whether the alienation is from our own family and friends who surround us or the land that we work around us, this alienation is contrary to our human spirit which seeks community with others and seeks to know God through the work of our hands.
LB396 also helps focus student attention on the basics of food production, gardening, composting, and nutrition. These themes, among many others, can help students gain a better respect for—as Pope Francis puts its—our common home. As the Holy Father states: “Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.” It is through this working together that we can have a better respect for environmental issues and gain a true sense of stewardship for creation.
LB396 passed with an overwhelming amount of support and we anticipate that it will continue to do so in the following rounds of legislative debate. In the meanwhile, I invite our families and farmers in our schools to think about how you might connect with your local schools to advance the work of LB396.
LB396 coverage in the Unicameral Update:
A Nebraska farm-to-school program would provide locally grown and minimally processed food to elementary and secondary school students under a proposal advanced from general file April 26.
Sen. Tom BrandtLB396, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, would require the state Department of Education to hire a coordinator to administer the program, which also could provide students with hands-on learning activities, such as farm visits, cooking demonstrations and school gardening and composting programs.
The coordinator would partner with public agencies and nonprofits on a public engagement campaign and build a communication network that links farmers and schools.
They also would encourage schools to develop and improve their nutrition plans using locally grown or processed food and provide technical assistance to school food services staff, farmers, processors and distributors regarding the demand for and availability of Nebraska food products.
Brandt said a localized food production and distribution system would increase the likelihood that current and future generations always will have plenty to eat.
“By providing a stable, reliable market for local produce,” he said, “farm-to-school enables Nebraska communities to start recapturing a portion of the 90 percent of our school food dollars that are currently leaving the state.”
Senators voted 43-0 to advance LB396 to select file.
CHRIS DUNKER of the Lincoln Journal Star
April 26, 2021
State lawmakers advanced a bill to create a statewide Farm to School network that would put locally grown vegetables, dairy and meat on school lunch trays.
The bill (LB396) from Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth would help connect school administrators and cafeteria managers with local farmers, gardeners and livestock producers to supply school lunches.
Brandt said the Farm to School program would create a “huge economic opportunity” for Nebraska farmers.
About 90% of the vegetables used in school lunches are imported from other states.
“I want to keep our food dollars in Nebraska, not send them to California,” he said.
In addition to providing a boost to local economies, allowing schools to source food from neighboring farmers could also create educational opportunities for students, Brandt added.
Both LB396 and an accompanying bill appropriating funds to hire a statewide coordinator for the Farm to School program at the Nebraska Department of Education passed on a 43-0 vote.
Greetings constituents and Nebraskans, here is a link to a ”Market to Market” PBS story that I was interviewed for on right to repair for farmers and independent mechanics. I have a bill, LB 543, in Judiciary Committee that works to address this important farmer and rural issue. Jeremey Davis of Firehouse Repair also spoke about right to repair and his shop in Palmer, NE for this story. He is a hard working guy who is looking for help getting repair tools. LB543, if passed, would save Nebraska’s economy millions in lost revenue streaming from farms and ranches to out-of-state corporations as well as lead to increased efficiencies on the farm should this bill pass.
At this time, I’m happy to report that covid-19 vaccines are available to all Nebraskans 16 and older either through their county health department, participating pharmacies, and Public Health Solutions in Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline, and Thayer counties. I extend my thanks to Public Health Solutions for all their work and their successful rollout of the vaccination drive. Getting your vaccine is not a reason to let you guard down as Covid-19 cases are trending upward with new variants present so I encourage you to abide by CDC’s updated recommendations for staying healthy.
Last week, the Appropriations Committee released the proposed biennial budget. It is an almost 300 page document and took up 2 days of debate. One of, if not THE most important, issue for my constituents is property tax relief so I would like to highlight that aspect of the budget.
The Property Tax Credit Fund will go up by $63 million (from $275 to $300-313 million) over the next two years, which is the second largest increase in the budget. That is split up to $25 million in FY21-22 and $38 million in FY22-23. The Property Tax Incentive Act, included as part of LB1107 enacted in August 2020, starts from a fixed amount of $125 million and will go up to almost $314 million the next two fiscal years, which is a two and a half times increase, meaning your refundable tax credit should be that much bigger. And the Homestead exemption will have a 3% increase each of the next two years which works out to an extra $3.2 million in FY21-22 and $5.3 million in FY22-23. In addition to all of this, when gaming starts in Nebraska you can expect at least another two to three percent of relief.
Another part of the budget I want to point out is the service provider rate increase. The single largest increase in the proposed budget is a 2% per year increase in DHHS and juvenile service providers amounting to an $83.5 million increase over the two fiscal years. This also includes funds for other DHHS programs including behavioral health aid, SCHIP, Medicaid and a few others. This will help our local nursing homes.
In a normal year, some of us would be scrambling to finish our taxes by April 15th but due to the coronavirus, the tax deadline for state and federal taxes has been extended to May 17th, which comes as a relief to some of us.
Finally, a notice to owners of unclaimed property. The 2020 Unclaimed Property Report is out. This includes items such as bank accounts, contents of safe deposit boxes, wages, insurance benefits, security deposits, stock dividends and other funds that remain unclaimed for three years or more. To check if you might have unclaimed property, go to nebraskalostcash.nebraska.gov or call 402-471-8497 or 877-572-9688.
Good news on the vaccination front, beginning last week, all residents of Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline, and Thayer counties who are 18 and older will be eligible to schedule an appointment for their Covid-19 vaccination with Public Health Solutions at 402-826-3880. This includes anyone 18 and over with or without high-risk medical conditions. I extend my thanks to Public Health Solutions for all their work and their successful rollout of the vaccination drive. Getting your vaccine is not a reason to let you guard down as Covid-19 cases are trending upward so I encourage you to abide by CDC’s updated recommendations to avoid being infected.
The Legislative Session passed the halfway point last week and we are now debating bills mornings and afternoons, mostly priority bills. I am happy to report that five of my bills are in General File and I anticipate some of them being heard on the Floor this session, including:
If you have questions 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.
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