Since this will be my last column of 2023, I want to start by expressing my appreciation for all the support I have gotten throughout the year. This job has become an enormous time commitment, but I am truly honored to serve as your State Senator. I take this job very seriously and will never forget that I am here to serve all the constituents in District 42. Your ongoing input continues to keep me focused on the issues that are important to you.

As you know, the 2024 session begins on January 3 and is scheduled to end on April 18. However, we will only be in session for 60 of those days. The Speaker has allocated only 47 days for actual bill debate, and 24 of those will be morning bill debate and afternoon committee hearings. This leaves a very limited amount of time to take a bill from start to finish if the bill is newly introduced in this session. Because of the limited time to move bills, I have pared back the number of bills I plan to introduce and will focus my time on getting each bill on a path to passage.

At this point, I have six bills that carried over from the last session. LB148 is no longer needed since it dealt with allowing the western part of the state the opportunity to proceed with a racing and gaming application without waiting for the economic impact studies to be completed. Both are now scheduled to be completed very soon. LB628 makes technical changes to professional limited liability companies. This bill made it to the final reading (the last round of debate) last session, but due to the constant filibusters, we ran out of time to get it passed. I fully expect it to be passed early in the session since it is still on final reading.

LB149 would rebase the rates paid to providers of mental health services under the medical assistance program, and I believe will be incorporated into an appropriations bill. LB69 is a bill that would require life insurers to notify a third party upon request should a life insurance policy be at risk of lapsing due to nonpayment of premium. This bill has strong industry objections and may struggle this session. I shared last week that LB32, my Medigap bill, has taken much of my time this past summer to craft a compromise amendment that the health insurers can agree to. It is my intent to get it added to the committee priority bill this year. Finally, LB31, which requires two-person crews in all trains and light engines, will be my priority bill and my primary focus.

I currently have seven other bills I plan to introduce early in the 2024 session. They deal with several issues important to residents of District 42. The first bill makes technical changes to existing law to restore grants for preparing low-income rural housing projects in the third Congressional District. North Platte would receive $1 million of the $10 million of ARPA funds included in this program.

I also will be introducing a bill that makes needed changes to the Homestead Exemption for the property of disabled Veterans and taxpayers over the age of 65. The bill would allow disabled Veterans to receive a homestead exemption equal to their percentage of disability. It would also raise both the maximum income and the maximum home value to allow those over the age of 65 making less than the average state household income to be eligible if their home value does not exceed 3 ½ times the average home value in the county of $300,000, whichever is greater.

I also will introduce legislation at the request of the Farm Bureau to provide coverage for ag producers who have limited options for health insurance. In addition to this, I will be sponsoring a bill requested by the Nebraska Hospital Association that increases the federal dollars coming to Nebraska for the Medicaid program. This should not only increase funding to rural hospitals but also reduce the State of Nebraska’s Medicaid costs.

I also will be working with Senator Eliot Bostar and Senator Tom Brewer to introduce a bill that makes needed changes to the county veterans service fund allocations to allow for veterans who did not serve during a time of conflict to be eligible for needed assistance.

This is an ambitious agenda, but I am optimistic that I can get many of these initiatives across the finish line if we can keep the session moving.

I look forward to continuing to hear from you regarding issues that are important to you. It is a privilege to serve as your State Senator, and I will continue to give my full effort to make a positive difference for the District and the State. You can reach me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or by calling my legislative office at 402-471-2729.