This week will be the last full week of the 109th Legislature’s First Session. We begin the week on Tuesday, May 27, which is Legislative Day 85 of the 90-day session. We have been spending four days a week in session, but we have been going well into the evening three days a week. It takes its toll, especially when bills are being filibustered. The schedule for Tuesday is relatively short since two bills will likely be filibustered for four hours each. The Speaker then has four days left to hear the remaining 59 bills on Final Reading and the 19 bills on Select File. Many are priority bills, and several are controversial.

This past week included the surprise scheduling of LB646, the brand bill. This bill was introduced on January 22. I was one of the original co-sponsors, hoping that the bill could be improved to provide fee reductions for registered feed lots (RFLs) in the brand area while preserving the integrity of the inspection process. Unfortunately, the bill took on a life of its own, so I removed my name on March 25. At that point, I began working with Senator Storer to oppose the bill unless meaningful changes were made to protect the brand.

The Governor was getting pressure from all sides, but in the end, his role was to serve as a facilitator. A meeting where all interested parties could have their representatives participate was held at the Governor’s residence to talk through their issues and hope to get a resolution. Although it was one of the more productive meetings I have been a part of, it still did not resolve all the issues. Given the limited remaining days in this legislative session, and the fact that no resolution had been agreed to, many thought the bill would not be back this session. To everyone’s surprise, the bill was scheduled for Select File debate this past Wednesday.

Sen. Storer and I were prepared to filibuster the bill so 33 votes would be needed to advance the bill. But since the bill was last on the agenda, we had all day to negotiate a deal to resolve the issues. In the end, the amendment I filed completely replaced the original bill and all the amendments with the proposed changes. The amendment did not make any changes to the current inspection process and only made changes to the fee structure.

As amended, the bill does the following:

Authorizes the Brand Committee to raise inspection fees from $1.10 per head to $1.50 per head; removes dairies from the inspection process; and lowers the annual capacity fee for RFLs from $1.00 per head to $0.50 per head.

In the end, the RFLs get reduced fees, and the cow/calf producers maintain the inspection process the way it is today. Not everyone is happy, but this seemed to be the right compromise. Remember, 2/3 of the state is located within the brand inspection area, but only 1/3 of the state Senators represent that same area. As a result, many Senators have no dog in this fight.

In closing, I want to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU to all Veterans and express my deepest gratitude to those who died serving our country. Memorial Day is the one federal holiday to honor those who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces! Let’s all remember the reason we celebrate this weekend.

It is a privilege to represent you in the Nebraska Legislature, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding issues that are important to you. I can be reached at 402-471-2729 or by emailing me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov.