May 3, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

The first session of the 103rd Legislature has passed the 70 day mark, and with less than 20 days left there is still much to discuss on the floor. Next week we will be focusing on the budget bills that were voted out of the Appropriations Committee on Monday. I am looking forward to discussing the various aspects of the proposed budget that will fund the state for the two upcoming fiscal years. I have enjoyed my time on the Appropriations Committee this year and anticipate a lively debate on our committee’s work.

On Tuesday, the Legislature debated LB354, which a bill I introduced to restructure the Nebraska Corn Board. The bill would make significant changes to the Corn Board, including adding a referendum option to raise the checkoff rate, allowing board members to be elected, permitting a right of refund on checkoff monies paid, and finally, to remove the Corn Board from state government. Debate on LB354 lasted most of the afternoon and no vote was taken on the bill. I, along with the Agriculture Committee, will be working to make some changes to enhance the bill’s goals of putting more control of the Corn Board’s operations into the hands of corn growers throughout the state. I believe LB354 serves an important purpose and will be beneficial to further develop and market our state’s agricultural economy.

Bills that have been placed on consent calendar have made it to the final stage of the legislative process, called final reading. After the bill is read for its “final” time, a vote is taken to pass or reject the bill in its entirety. Those bills that pass final reading then go to the Governor for his signature or veto. One of my bills, LB59, has made it to the final reading stage and I am looking forward to sending this piece of legislation to the Governor for his approval. LB59 would raise the percentage of business a crop insurance agent can undertake with family and business interests from 10% of the agent’s total business to 30% of an agent’s total business. This would allow crop insurance agents to do more business with family members and would remove some of the disadvantages small, rural crop insurance agents face with a 10% cap in place.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

April 26, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

The Legislature has had another busy week of floor debate on a variety of pressing issues. On Monday, we began our discussions on LB407 which makes changes to the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act, abbreviated as TEEOSA. The state uses the TEEOSA formula to determine funding levels for Nebraska’s public education. LB407 would make several changes to the TEEOSA formula to help make education funding more equal among the urban and rural counties throughout the state. The bill also ensures that the funding level proposed by the TEEOSA formula this year can be sustained by the state’s budget. The discussion on the bill was lengthy and I anticipate further debate on the bill.

As I mentioned last week, the Speaker created a consent calendar for a number of bills that are deemed to be non-controversial, but important, pieces of legislation. One of my bills, LB59, was placed on consent calendar and advanced on Wednesday to the final step of the legislative process. LB59 raise the percentage of business a crop insurance agent can undertake with family and business interests from 10% of the agent’s total business to 30% of an agent’s total business. This would allow crop insurance agents to do more business with family members and would keep agents in compliance with the Federal Crop Insurance Act. I look forward to taking this bill through final reading in the next few weeks.

My office had the privilege of hosting six high school juniors and seniors from District 40 for our Student Senate Program on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our students and a group of students from District 47 spent two days in Lincoln meeting with state officials, observing the Legislature in action, and debating the pros and cons of repealing the state’s death penalty. My staff and I were incredibly impressed with the students and their passion for state politics. I hope to continue this program next year for additional students who are interested.

Next week another one of the bills I introduced, LB354, will be debated on the floor. LB354 will make significant changes to the Nebraska Corn Board. It would give grower members the opportunity to vote for their board members and would allow growers the opportunity to ask for a refund of checkoff dollars they pay to the Corn Board. LB354 also gives grower members the ability to raise the checkoff rate through a referendum and would take the Corn Board’s operations out of state government. I am looking forward to bringing this bill to the floor and am anticipating a robust debate on these proposed reforms.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel free to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

April 19, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

There are about seven weeks left of the first session of the 103rd Legislature and many important issues are being brought to the floor for debate. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Legislature debated LB577, which is a bill brought by Senator Campbell to expand Nebraska’s Medicaid program. Several amendments were proposed, including an amendment that would allow the Legislature to amend or repeal Medicaid expansion if federal funding ever dropped below the 90% promised by the Affordable Care Act. The discussion on LB577 lasted for over ten hours and no vote was taken on the bill.

The Legislature also debated LB579, which is a bill introduced by Senator Karpisek to hire six new state patrol officers to increase the number of officers dedicated to enforcing the Nebraska Liquor Control Act. I understand why Senator Karpisek brought this bill and I appreciate wanting to ensure that the Liquor Control Act is adequately enforced. However, I am hesitant to place into statute a requirement that the State Patrol hire a certain number of officers and dedicate those officers to a certain kind of task. I want the State Patrol to have the flexibility to determine the best way to use its resources in an efficient and effective manner. I also know that this bill has monetary obligations attached to it that, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, concern me as well.

The Speaker has dedicated this Friday’s agenda to consent calendar. Consent calendar is a special agenda set by the speaker that contains generally noncontroversial bills that are debated for a shorter period of time and are advanced through the process quicker than those bills on the regular agenda. LB59 was placed on consent calendar by the Speaker and I look forward to the debate on this bill. LB59 would raise the percentage of business a crop insurance agent can undertake with family and business interests from 10% of the agent’s total business to 30% of an agent’s total business. This would allow crop insurance agents to do more business with family members and would keep agents in compliance with the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

Next week, I am excited to host six high school students from Dixon, Cedar, and Holt Counties for District 40’s first annual Student Senate Program. These students, along with students from District 45, will be participating in a two-day program that will introduce them to various aspects of our state government. They will be observing the Legislature’s debate on the floor and engaging in their own mock debate as well, among other activities. I look forward to hosting these students and their sponsors.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 and at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

After a long weekend break, the Legislature has continued this week with full day floor debate. On Tuesday morning, we started debate on my priority bill, LB57. LB57 would place oversight mechanisms into statute that requires the Nebraska Environmental Trust to approve transactions involving real property purchased with Trust dollars. It also requires that Trust grantees who ever sell or transfer land to the federal government find a way to replace the lost property taxes created by removing that land from the county property tax rolls. This will help counties recover lost revenue when they have land purchased with Trust dollars that is subsequently sold or transferred to the federal government.

The debate on LB57 lasted eight hours and the Legislature had a robust discussion on the merits of the bill. My intentions behind introducing this bill are twofold: first, I want to enhance the accountability of the Nebraska Environmental Trust board and the money they give to organizations who apply for Trust grants. Furthermore, I want to make sure that counties are not losing valuable property tax income generated from properties that are purchased with a Trust grant and later taken off county tax rolls. This kind of situation has impacted counties throughout the state and those counties have lost thousands of dollars in property tax revenue each year.

LB57 was voted to advance to the next step in the legislative process and I look forward to continuing the debate on this bill and working with interested parties on potential amendments between now and select file. I am also anticipating that LB354, which is a bill I introduced to restructure the Nebraska Corn Board, will be placed on the agenda soon. Additionally, the Appropriations Committee is continuing to work on ironing out the budget proposal for the next biennium and the budget in its final form will be introduced within the next few weeks as well. The Appropriations Committee meets at various times throughout the day to give members the chance to be present for floor debate, while still allowing the Committee ample time to go over the final components of the budget.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel free to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

The first session of the 103rd Legislature is officially past the halfway mark.  This week we are wrapping up committee hearings and starting next Wednesday, the Legislature will begin full days of debate.  My priority bill, LB57, is on the agenda and will be debated on the floor within the next few weeks.  LB57 is a bill that would expand the oversight authority of the Nebraska Environmental Trust when its funds are used by grantees to purchase real property.  It also provides for county reimbursement for lost property tax revenue when Environmental Trust-funded property is ever sold or transferred to a federal land management agency.   I look forward to the debate on this bill and am optimistic that it will advance.

 Another one of my bills, LB354, was selected as a priority bill for Senator Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha.  LB354 is a bill to restructure the Nebraska Corn Board.  It will allow grower members to elect their board members and would create a right to a refund on any checkoff dollars paid by a corn grower.  LB354 would also allow corn grower members to raise the checkoff through a referendum.  This bill would make significant and important changes to the Corn Board and would provide additional accountability and oversight to the Board as a whole.  This bill has received a lot of support thus far and I am anticipating a good, thorough debate on this bill.

While the rest of the Legislature’s committees wind down this week, the Appropriations Committee will continue to work on the state’s budget over the upcoming weeks.  The Committee has been holding hearings for various state agencies to come and explain their spending requests and overall budgets.  On Tuesday, the University of Nebraska System testified and made the case for the state to increase its allocation to allow for a two-year tuition freeze for its students.  While I believe that higher education is an important investment that students should consider upon graduating from highschool, I believe it is just that: an investment.  We guarantee an education to our children from kindergarten through high school, and I think we need to take a hard look at the money we take away from K through 12 education to fund Nebraska’s Universities. 

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40.  Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

The first session of the 103rd Legislature is almost to the halfway mark. This week on the floor we wrapped up a lengthy debate on horseracing and advanced a constitutional amendment on that subject to select file. We will also begin debate on bills that senators have prioritized this session. I have decided to prioritize LB57, which is a bill that would expand the oversight authority of the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) when its funds are used by grantees to purchase real property. It would also provide that counties would be reimbursed for lost tax revenue when NET-funded property is ever sold or transferred to a federal land management agency.

This week I introduced three bills to the Judiciary Committee, including LB204, which is a bill that creates stricter requirements for reporting cases of animal abuse. Any observed incident of animal mistreatment, cruelty, or neglect would have to be reported within 24 hours of witnessing the abuse. The bill creates penalties for individuals who try and gain employment at an animal facility with the intent to disrupt the operations of that facility. The purpose of this bill is to prevent applicants from misrepresenting themselves to get jobs that would allow them to cause economic harm to an animal facility’s operations.

Additionally, I introduced LB247 and LB355 to the Judiciary Committee on Friday. LB247 would allow judges additional flexibility when it comes to ordering parents to pay child support for a child who is placed with a state agency or is ordered to undergo medical or psychological treatment. LB355 would change the age of majority from its current nineteen years old to eighteen years old. Nebraska is one of only three states that has an age of majority over eighteen years old. I believe that if you are able to vote, enlist in the military, and make other major life choices at eighteen, you should have the all of the rights afforded to adults in Nebraska as well.

Another one of my bills, LB354, was voted out of the Agriculture Committee on Tuesday and was selected as a priority bill for Senator Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha. LB354 is a bill to restructure the Nebraska Corn Board. It will allow grower members to elect their board members and would create a right to a refund on any checkoff dollars paid by a corn grower. LB354 would also allow corn grower members to raise the checkoff through a referendum. This bill would make significant and important changes to the Corn Board and would provide additional accountability and oversight to the Board as a whole.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel free to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at 402-471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

On Monday, I introduced LB168 to the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee. LB168 would allow limited liability companies the opportunity to subdivide and create series limited liability companies within their overall business structure. The Committee had a lot of good questions about series LLCs and why Nebraska should allow for this kind of business model. I believe that our state needs to be proactive about generating business and economic opportunities and I hope that the Committee advances this bill to the floor for further debate.

The Legislature held makeup hearings on Tuesday for those hearings that were cancelled due to the snowstorm. I introduced LB598 to the Natural Resources Committee, which would raise the capacity limits for those systems that can participate in Nebraska’s net metering program. I was also fortunate to meet with a social studies class from Hartington Public Schools on Tuesday and was impressed with the questions they asked and the overall discussion we had about state and national issues.

Next Wednesday I will be introducing LB204 to the Judiciary Committee. LB204 creates stricter requirements for reporting cases of animal abuse. Any observed incident of animal mistreatment, cruelty, or neglect would have to be reported within 24 hours of witnessing the abuse. The bill also creates penalties for individuals who try and gain employment at an animal facility with the intent to disrupt the operations of that facility. The purpose of this bill is to prevent applicants from misrepresenting themselves to get jobs that would allow them to cause economic harm to an animal facility’s operations. I believe this is a very important bill and I look forward to its hearing next week.

Another one of my bills, LB597, was voted out of the Agriculture Committee and will move to the floor for further debate. LB597 would change some of the statutes governing county agricultural societies, allowing county agricultural societies to purchase equipment and lease their property. I look forward to introducing this bill on the floor and am optimistic about its progress.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40. Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at (402) 471-2801 or a tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

February 15, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

Committee hearings and floor debate have continued throughout this fifth full week of session.  On Monday, we saw the first round of bills complete the legislative process, which were then signed into law by the Governor.  As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have been attending meetings with my fellow Committee members every afternoon to go over the proposed state budget and various agency spending requests.  The Appropriations Committee will begin to hold hearings on appropriations bills soon and I look forward to the work this Committee will continue to bring over the next few months.

This week I had a hearing in front of the Natural Resources Committee on LB57.  LB 57 requires that the Nebraska Environmental Trust approve any use of its funds given to grant recipients to buy and sell property.  The Nebraska Environmental Trust would also have to approve any transfer of property purchased with the Trust’s funds to the federal government and provide a sum of money to the county to make up for any lost property tax income.  The intent of this bill is to provide the Environmental Trust with additional oversight mechanisms so it can ensure that its state funds are being used appropriately.  LB57 will be put to a vote by the members of the Natural Resources Committee soon and I hope this bill advances to the floor for further debate.

Next Tuesday, I will be introducing LB59 to the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee.  LB59 would raise the percentage of business a crop insurance agent can undertake with himself or herself, immediate relatives, or employers and employees from 10% of an agent’s total business to 30% of an agent’s total business.  The idea for this bill was brought to me by an individual who owns his own crop insurance agency and wanted to see these percentage requirements raised to meet both what the Federal Crop Insurance Act allows and what most other states allow.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40.  Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at (402) 471-2801 or a tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

February 8, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of District 40,

This has been a busy week for both my office and the Legislature as a whole.  Four of the bills I introduced had hearings, including LB354, which is a bill that would restructure the Nebraska Corn Board.  Right now, the Corn Board is a state agency.  Its board members are appointed by the Governor and the participation in its checkoff program is mandatory.  LB354 would allow for the Corn Board’s board members to be elected by corn growers and would provide a refund option for those who have to pay the half-cent assessment to the state.  This bill will give the Corn Board additional accountability to its members and will allow it to operate more efficiently.  Everyone who testified at the hearing supported this bill and I hope to have it advance to the floor for further debate.

Another one of my bills, LB246, had a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.  LB246 would create an inmate copayment program.  An inmate would have to pay $10 for any self-initiated, non-emergency visit to a health care provider.  This would help deter inmates from abusing the free health care services they receive while incarcerated in a state or county correctional facility.  Thirty-eight states and the federal government already have inmate copayment programs and I believe Nebraska should follow the fiscally responsible models these programs have set across the country.  Sheriff Matchett of Holt County brought this idea to me and came to help support the bill at the hearing.  It generated some interesting discussion and will be up for a vote in the Judiciary Committee soon.

There were two hearings held this week on LB405 and LB406, which are the two bills that put forth the Governor’s proposed tax policy.  Those bills would eliminate the individual and corporate income tax and would also eliminate certain sales tax exemptions.  On Wednesday, the Revenue Committee’s hearing lasted for nine and a half hours, during which they listened to both proponents and opponents to the Governor’s tax plan.  Many of you have called and emailed me with your concerns about these bills.  I share your concerns and I will work to ensure that agricultural interests and the interests of our district are thoroughly contemplated when discussing this issue.

Next week there will be a hearing on LB57,  which is a bill I introduced to give additional oversight to the Nebraska Environmental Trust over its projects.  LB57 requires that the Nebraska Environmental Trust approve the use of its funds to buy and sell real property acquired by Environmental Trust grant recipients. The Nebraska Environmental Trust would also have to approve any transfer of property purchased with the Trust’s funds to the federal government and provide a sum of money to the county to make up for any lost property tax income.  I look forward to the hearing on this bill in front of the Natural Resources Committee on Thursday.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of Legislative District 40.  Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent and serve you at (402) 471-2801 or a tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson

February 1, 2013 Legislative Update

Dear Residents of the 40th District,

On Monday, the Business and Labor Committee held a hearing on LB58, also known as the Workplace Privacy Act. LB58 is a bill I introduced to prohibit employers from gaining access to the private social networking accounts of their employees and job applicants. Overall, the hearing went well and generated much discussion on the issue of privacy on the Internet. The Business and Labor Committee will hold a vote to determine if LB58 moves out of committee and on to the next step of the legislative process.

Next week I will have three bills up for hearings in three different committees. LB248, which is a bill to create a seasonal employment exemption for unemployment benefits, will go before the Business and Labor Committee on Monday. LB354, which is a bill to restructure the Nebraska Corn Board, will be heard by the Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Judiciary Committee will debate LB246, which is a bill to create an inmate copayment program that would charge inmates a $10 copay for each self-initiated, non-emergency visit to a health care provider.

The Legislature will also have hearings on Governor Heineman’s tax proposals next week. LB405 and LB406 are the two bills that have been introduced on behalf of the Governor to eliminate the individual income and corporate income tax, in addition to eliminating sales tax exemptions. Many of you have reached out to me to voice your concerns about the impacts these changes would have on the agricultural community in Nebraska. I share many of the same concerns. I know how important the agricultural industry is to this State and I want to ensure that its interests are thoroughly contemplated when discussing this issue.

Finally, many constituents contacted my office about the speed limit on U.S. Highway 20 between Nebraska Highway 9 and Nebraska Highway 12. The speed limit had been set at 55 miles per hour and many of you had thought that speed to be too low for the area. I have been in frequent contact with the Department of Roads on the issue and recently received a letter from the Department stating that it will be raising the speed limit on that segment of U.S. Highway 20 to 60 miles per hour.

I enjoy hearing your comments or feedback on issues that are important to the people of District 40. I will be holding a meet and greet on Saturday, February 2, at 2pm at the Bloomfield Community Center to meet with you and answer any questions you may have. Please feel welcome to call, write, or visit the office that is here to represent you at (402) 471-2801 or at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.

Best Wishes,

Senator Tyson Larson