We are officially at the halfway point of the session. Committees will hold their final bill hearings this week, and we will begin all-day floor debate on Monday, March 2. All priority bills were named this week, so it is unlikely that any bill not already on Select File or Final Reading without a priority designation will be heard, unless it’s attached to another priority bill. Any bills not passed into law will automatically die at the end of the regular session.

I am glad that I have already passed three bills and have a path forward on the rest. My priority bill this session is LB525, the Ag Data Privacy Act. It was passed out of committee 8-0 and should move quickly through the process since most of the ag groups have expressed support for the bill. The original bill was amended and replaced by AM2076, which was the result of all the work done over the interim.

In addition to passing bills I introduced, I continue to focus my time on watching bills that could be detrimental to the residents of District 42. This past week, a bill introduced by Senator Ben Hansen, LB1258, the Livestock Protection Act, was heard before the Agriculture Committee. The bill, among other things, would disband the Brand Committee and have the Department of Agriculture take over supervision of branding. The entire state would be subject to the Act, but branding and brand inspections would be totally voluntary. The true intent of the bill would be to totally gut brand inspection as we know it today. This bill came on the heels of Senator Ibach’s LB646 from last year, which would have effectively removed commercial feedyards in the brand inspection area from most of the requirements of brand inspection. Senator Storer and I led a filibuster to stop LB646 last year and worked to amend the bill to lower commercial feedlot fees, but require them to stay under all other requirements. The bill stalled on Final Reading last year and did not pass.

I believe that LB1258 this year was more of a Trojan Horse that was meant to be so objectionable that those opposed to LB646 would welcome its provisions as a more reasonable alternative. Thanks to the strong turnout of many in District 42 and throughout the Sandhills, LB1258 will likely not move forward.

Another bill heard that day was Senator DeKay’s LB1187, which would simply change the fee schedule for brand inspections by allowing the brand committee to raise the maximum inspection fee from $1.10 per head to $1.50, eliminate the mileage fee, and allow a per-stop fee. This bill is generally accepted by the industry and was prioritized by Senator Myron Dorn. Senator Dorn is serving in his eighth year and is a retired farmer and feeder near Adams, NE. Senator Dorn is a good Senator who sits next to me in the chamber. He is a good friend and a very levelheaded person.

Senator Storer and I have worked with him and industry partners to amend LB1187 to implement the original changes we wanted in LB646 last year. Senator Ibach is working to amend the bill to incorporate many of the original parts of LB646. LB646 has no priority, so the only mechanism to carry changes to the brand laws this year will be through LB1187. I have been working closely with Senator DeKay to strike a reasonable balance with this bill. I am hopeful that these changes carry the day when this bill gets to the floor. This issue has really caused a divide within the industry. Over the years, it always has. I do find it interesting that many unlikely groups have aligned to fight the Hansen bill. I hope we can get to a good resolution in the end.

I also want to mention that we had very good representation from District 42, who took the time to show up and testify. You made a difference. From my standpoint, I was unable to attend earlier due to chairing the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee that meets at the same time, but I did attend near the end of the hearing and was able to get a good debriefing from others in attendance. I heard that several committee members were less than respectful to many of the opposition testifiers. I want to apologize for them. It is their job to listen, and the hearing is the public’s way to voice their opinions.

It is a pleasure serving as your State Senator. I enjoy the challenge and will continue to do my best to serve the interests of District 42. Please continue to reach out to me about issues important to you at 402-471-2729 or by emailing me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov.