Lincoln, NE – This week Senators chose their priority bills. During a short legislative session, priorities are particularly important since we have less time to debate all of the bills introduced. Each Senator gets one personal priority bill, Committees receive two priority bills and the Speaker of the Legislature is able to designate 25 bills he believes to be a priority of the Legislature. Senators and Committees had to choose their priorities by February 16th, while the Speaker will announce his priorities on February 21st.

I chose LB745 as my priority bill, which is a bill I introduced to have more accountability on occupation taxes. I believe cities use occupation taxes as sales taxes, which require a vote of the people. If my bill is passed, municipalities would be required to submit any new occupation tax to a vote of the people. A city would have to place the following information on the ballot; the proposed tax rate, the purpose for the tax revenue and a sunset date. This bill will not cap occupation taxes nor prevent cities from implementing these taxes, rather it will provide more transparency to the public in this process. My intention with LB745 is to make sure Nebraskans have an open, transparent process with regards to implementation of new occupation taxes just as we do with any new sales tax.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee has designated my bill, LB715, as one of our priority bills. LB715 deals with broadband service boundaries across the state. The state has experienced situations where a customer on one side of a boundary line receives high speed broadband with one provider, while the provider on the other side of the boundary line does not offer broadband to their customers. Although these two customers live in close proximity to each other, the one with inadequate service is being held hostage by an outdated statute from receiving broadband from the provider on the other side of the boundary line. This bill will rectify this situation and will hopefully help provide better broadband services to Nebraskans.

Another priority designation is LR358CA. LR358CA is a proposed constitutional amendment that will place the question of term limits for State Senators on the 2012 general election ballot. In 2000 Nebraskans voted to implement term limits for the Legislature, and this proposed amendment would change that decision. This bill would allow State Senators to serve three consecutive four-year terms instead of two consecutive four-year terms. The resolution was advanced from the Executive Committee on a 6-3 vote, and I voted to oppose the bill. I believe Nebraskans have already spoken on this issue.

A bill that will change State Senators salaries has also received a priority designation. This proposed constitutional amendment, LR373CA, would increase State Senators’ salaries from $12,000 per year to $22,500. I also opposed this resolution. Many Nebraskans across this state have not received a pay raise in several years, and I do not think it is appropriate for Senators to ask for a raise. When we decide to run for the Legislature, we do so with the understanding that this is a citizen legislature and we are aware of the salary.

A bill that I believe is important for rural Nebraska advanced this week, LB686. The original bill would have allowed for professionals with either a master’s or doctoral degree in reproductive physiology to perform nonsurgical embryo transfer in bovines. Currently, only a veterinarian can perform this procedure. Veterinarians across the state opposed the bill. The bill’s introducer, Senator Ken Schilz, agreed to a compromise amendment to allow only those individuals with a doctorate degree to perform this procedure. I supported the bill and it advanced to Select File.

As always, thank you for sharing in our legislative process, and I’ll visit with you again next week.

Deb Fischer
Senator, District 43

Lincoln, NE – Nebraska’s revenue situation continues to gradually improve. According to the latest general fund receipts report from the Nebraska Department of Revenue, net receipts for December were $316 million which is 2.6% above the certified forecast of $308 million. Receipts for the fiscal year are .7% above the certified forecast. This report verifies that Nebraska’s economy is on the upswing, but even with this positive news, there is still a projected $346 million shortfall in the next biennium.

Governor Dave Heineman’s tax relief proposal, LB970, was heard by the Revenue Committee on Thursday, January 26th. The Governor made a rare appearance in front of a Legislative committee in order to testify in favor of the bill. LB970 would lower income tax rates and expand tax brackets. The corporate income tax rate would be reduced from 7.81% to 6.7% which would match the top individual income tax rate. Finally, the bill proposes to eliminate the inheritance tax, which is the tax imposed on beneficiaries. County representatives testified in opposition to the bill because they use the inheritance tax to help fund their budgets or meet special needs without imposing an increase in property tax on their citizens. Let me be clear, I support tax cuts. I also believe we must take a long look at our revenue picture and make certain to balance our budget before making a final decision on this bill. This is a major proposal before the Legislature and I will make sure to continue to provide updates on this bill as the Revenue Committee determines how to proceed.

A bill that will be helpful to residents of District 43, LB473, passed the first round of debate this week. The bill will allow counties to implement management plans for controlling the prairie dog population. The county would also have the ability to inform a landowner there is a prairie dog problem and require the landowner to take action. I have heard from many residents of our area in favor of this bill and I voted to support it.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee heard a bill, LB803, that would require a driver involved in an accident that causes property damage or injury/death to furnish the responding officer their information and proof of insurance. A driver who does not have these documents available would be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor. In addition, the offender’s vehicle would be immediately impounded until proof of insurance is furnished. With the increasing number of illegal immigrants in the State of Nebraska, uninsured motorists have become an rising problem. Driving is a privilege not a right, and our laws must be followed for our personal and financial protection. I know of cases where people have been hit by an uninsured driver, and the financial burden it places on law abiding citizens is simply not right.

The Education Committee heard a bill earlier this month that would establish a new accountability structure for teachers and schools. LB870 would authorize the Board of Education to set performance and assessment indicators for students, which would be established by August 1. While schools are currently held accountable for students’ results on content area assessments, this bill would add additional measures including student growth, improvement and graduation rates. Schools would be required to report the data annually.

Another bill in the Education Committee is LB990 which would require all school classrooms to prominently display the United States flag and the State of Nebraska flag. Additionally, all students would be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance during the first class of the school day. The bill’s public hearing will be on February 7th and I look forward to hearing from you on this proposed legislation.

As always, thank you for sharing in our legislative process, and I’ll visit with you again next week.

Deb Fischer
Senator, District 43

Lincoln, NE – This was a busy week in the Legislature, we spend our mornings on the floor debating bills and committee hearings began in the afternoon. Thursday, January 19th, was the last day of bill introduction. Now my colleagues and I will be focused on providing each of the bills introduced this session with a public hearing.

This week, Chief Justice Mike Heavican addressed the Legislature in the annual State of the Judiciary speech. The Chief Justice provided a report on the Supreme Court’s programs with the elderly and children, and how the court’s budget is managed through technological updates. Last year a major issue across the state was reforming the adult guardianship system in Nebraska. The Legislature passed LB157 that provides more protections for our elderly, particularly since the elderly population is expected to grow dramatically in coming years. The court system is very involved in the child welfare process and has been diligently working with the Health and Human Services Committee to improve the state’s foster care system. Finally, the Chief Justice highlighted technological advances the court system has made in order to deal with budget cuts over the last several years. He mentioned the work of our county officials and staff who work tirelessly to ensure all Nebraskans have access to the court system.

An important decision was made this week by the federal government that will likely have a significant impact on Nebraska. President Barack Obama, based on a recommendation from the U.S. State Department, made the decision to deny the permit for the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline. The official reason given was that the February 21st deadline to make a decision was too short of a time line, particularly given the route change in Nebraska. I believe the reason for this decision was political in nature which is disappointing.

During the Special Session, my colleagues and I put significant measures in place to protect our natural resources. In that process, TransCanada agreed to move the proposed pipeline out of the Nebraska Sandhills. After the Special Session, Nebraska agencies quickly went to work to begin our environmental study. Right now the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and Governor Dave Heineman are trying to determine next steps. I will make sure to provide updates on this important issue as I learn of them.

There are several upcoming committee hearings that I think would be of interest to residents of District 43. On Thursday, January 26th, at 1:30 PM the Health and Human Services Committee will hold hearings for LB957 and LB961, two bills introduced to reform the child welfare system. I believe this is one of the biggest issues facing the Legislature this session and I would appreciate hearing from you about the proposed solutions. LB957 would create the position of Inspector General for child services. This position would be appointed for a term of five years and be required to investigate allegations of misconduct in the foster care system. LB961 would return case management of the child welfare system back to the state by September 1st. My office has received several calls and letters from constituents concerned about this issue and I encourage you to monitor the progress of these bills.

On that same day, the Revenue Committee, of which I am a member, will hear LB970 which is the proposal to terminate the inheritance tax and change income tax rates. I hope to see many citizens attend the hearing and share their thoughts on this important legislation. To follow the progress of these bills or any others you are interested in, please visit the Legislature’s website at www.nebraskalegislature.gov.

As always, thank you for sharing in our legislative process, and I’ll visit with you again next week.

Deb Fischer
Senator, District 43