Sen. Mark Christensen
Sen. Mark Christensen
District 44

Letter Back Home 1-20-12

January 25th, 2012

This past week has been consumed with the first half of the day in session and the second half of the day involved in Committee Hearings. Amongst all the hustle and bustle of the Legislature, I have managed to introduce twelve new bills in addition to my carry over bills from the 2011 session. In the letter this week, I will focus on three bills that I have introduced on behalf of District 44 constituents.

Legislative Bill 739 will authorize the Game and Parks Commission to transfer property to Chase County. I introduced this bill on behalf of the Chase County Commissioners and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Over the year’s the Nebraska Game and Parks has seen budget cuts, which has limited the number of employees that they can hire to take care of the smaller recreation areas. In order to preserve the Champion State Historical Mill Park and Recreation Area’s rich history, the Game and Parks reached out to the Chase County Commissioners. It was agreed upon that the park would be better tended for, financially and physically, under the care of the County. A hearing has been set for January 25th, in the Natural Resources Committee.

Recently, LB 786 was successfully heard before the Urban Affairs Committee. Due to the current statute, Section 19-613, the McCook City Council found itself in a quandary. Currently, the statute affecting only the city management form of government, states that a city council member “convicted of a crime” while in office shall forfeit the office. In order to prevent future predicaments affecting individuals that hold an office, I have amended the statute to clarify that a council member forfeits the office if convicted of a “felony or of any public offense involving the oath of office of the incumbent,” which is the standard for all other elected officials.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge LB 1126 which will provide and change extraterritorial jurisdiction of a village. While in the process updating zoning maps for a county in the district, a Zoning Administrator discovered that villages were not included in the current statute allowing changes to extraterritorial jurisdictions. My bill amends villages into the language and if passed will allow by majority of the vote its members the ability to request a cede and transfer of extraterritorial jurisdiction over land out to the next quarter section line. This bill is simple and straight forward and I have high hopes for it.

Please contact myself or my office if you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding any bills their hearings or their status. Senator Mark R. Christensen, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, 402-471-2805, mchristense@leg.ne.gov.

Posted in Uncategorized |

Senator Christensen Letter Back Home 1-13-12

January 20th, 2012

It is that time of year again! The 2nd Session of the 102nd Legislature has had its first full week of session with committee hearings set to begin the week of January 16th. It has been a slow start to the session, therefore I am looking forward to what the upcoming weeks will hold. I am happy to be back in Lincoln and look forward to representing my constituents in the 44th District.

Last week the Nebraska Legislature had the privilege of listening to Governor Heineman’s State of the State address. Among the Governor’s many challenges this year, he has proposed to focus some attention on fixing the child reform issue that has plagued our State for several years. As many of you know, my family has personally experienced the downward spiral of the state’s child welfare system with its move toward privatization. I was pleased to hear Governor Heineman acknowledge his interests in improving a system which has long had problems in the State of Nebraska. Improving the child welfare system in Nebraska should be a priority.

In addition, Governor Heineman has proposed several tax cut measures for Nebraska citizens, one of them being a cut on the inheritance tax. From what I’ve seen so far the tax cuts look like positive steps forward for Nebraskans.

Lastly, I would like to reflect on Senator Carlson’s Legislative amendment that he introduced, LR 358 CA, this amendment would allow Senator’s to serve three consecutive four year terms instead of two. I look forward to debating this amendment when it reaches the floor. Over the last five years I have recognized the extensive amount of time and experience one needs in order to tackle the important issues that need to be addressed. Two terms does not appear to be an effective amount of time for a senator to get the experience needed in order to pass quality legislation and make positive changes for the citizens of our state. Please let me know your thoughts on this issue.

I look forward to sharing my carry over and newly introduced bills in future letters and remember to contact myself or my staff if you have any questions or concerns. Mark R. Christensen, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509. 402-471-2805 or mchristensen@leg.ne.gov.

Posted in Column |

Letter Back Home

March 23rd, 2010

Senator Letter Back Home

101st Legislation, Second Session

03-22-10

The winds of change are a blowing in the Legislature.

Last week, LB 1048, which allows for the development of private wind and other renewable energy for export to other states advanced to the second round of debate on the floor of the Legislature.

The Natural Resources Committee amendment was adopted, which became the bill, and another amendment filed by Sen. Langemeier to allow new certified renewable export facilities to negotiate power purchase agreements with public utilities advanced with a 41-0 vote.  LB 1048 advanced to Select File with a strong 44-0 vote with my support.

Wind and renewable energy ideas have been in development for several years and it was good to see all the hard work payoff with enough problems resolved to begin allowing the investment and development in large-scale wind and other renewable energy generation for export.  I believe it will be good for rural Nebraska.

Introduced by the Natural Resources Committee, Legislative Bill 1048 provides a way for the exportation of renewable energy, like wind, without influencing public power and ratepayers.  It defines certified renewable export facilities as facilities that:

  • Use Solar, wind, biomass or landfill gas to generate electricity;
  • Are constructed and owned by a private entity; and
  • Have made power purchase agreements of initially 10-years or more for sale of at least 90% or more to customers outside of Nebraska

New facilities would apply with the Nebraska Power Review Board.  They can receive a conditional approval by meeting the definition of a certified renewable export facility, and provide public benefits like including economic development.  Final approval comes with a few more agreements and the new facility is determined to have no materially detrimental effect on rates paid by ratepayers.  In other words, it does not harm Public Power.

One of the major issues that had to be worked out was the authority of public power utilities to use eminent domain that was put in place when public power came into existence.  An approved certified facility would be exempt from eminent domain, but if they failed to meet the requirements, a motion could be filed with the Power Review Board to decertify them.  Such a facility would have a year to be certified again, or they would be open to eminent domain by public power.

LB 1048 would exempt real and personal property used directly in the generation of electricity using wind as the fuel source.  Instead, the bill establish a nameplate capacity tax of $3,518 per megawatt of energy produced for an approved facility, but exempt turbines owned by government entities, cooperatives, and net-metering customers.  This nameplate capacity tax would be redistributed to those who would have normally received property tax revenue.

Nebraska is one of the top 10 windiest states in the nation; we should be moving forward with wind development.  I believe this is a great step forward in promoting economic development while at the same time protecting public power.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this bill or any issue please call my office at 402-471-2805 or for more information you can view my legislative website at http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist44/.

Posted in Column |

Letter Back Home 3-15-10

March 15th, 2010

Senator Letter Back Home

101st Legislation, Second Session

03-15-10

All over Nebraska, the deer population has been increasing significantly for the past several years.  In many areas, the damage done to crops being eaten by deer and the damage to vehicles after hitting a deer is very costly.  That is why I am hopeful that Legislative Bill 836, introduced by Sen. Lautenbaugh, which makes changes to our game law to help decrease our deer population, will continue to advance through the Legislature.

The bill advanced last week from the first round of debate to Select File with a 34-0 vote.  The committee amendment, which replaced the introduced copy and became the bill, made several changes.

First, is allows the Game and Parks Commission to extend an existing deer hunting season for deer depredation.  Permits issued under this provision would specify which species of deer, what the bag limit would be, and the dates for the beginning and end of a depredation or extended season.  The bill would also allow any weapon legally used during a normal season to be used during a depredation season.

LB 836 would get rid of three current requirements under this same section of law.  It eliminates the requirement that the permits be issued beginning no less than three days from the season announcement, that only one deer per permit be allowed, and that landowners be reimbursed for half the cost of the permit for proof of a lawfully killed deer.

Second, a new requirement that income from depredation permits be used to help pay for abatement of damage caused by deer was included in LB 836.  The bill also provides for unlimited free permits for the taking of antlerless deer for immediate family of landowners who own at least 20 acres of farm or ranch land within any depredation area designated by Game and Parks.

I hope that these new provisions will help reduce the damage caused by Nebraska’s overpopulation of deer.

Finally, an amendment by Sen. Louden was adopted that establishes a depredation permit system for mountain lions that are killing livestock or poultry.  The commission is required to confirm that a mountain lion caused damage, and then they can issue you a free depredation permit.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this bill or any issue please call my office at 402-471-2805 or for more information you can view my legislative website at http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist44/.

Posted in Column |

LR 292 and LB 1102

February 22nd, 2010

Senator Letter Back Home

101st Legislation, Second Session

2-15-10

Last week, we began debate on priority bills.  Senators have until this Friday to designate one bill as their priority for this session.  This Friday is also the deadline to request speaker priority bill designations from Speaker Mike Flood.

This week, I would like to discuss LR 292, introduced by Sen. Fulton, and LB 1102 introduced by Sen. Giese.

Legislative Resolution 292 is a resolution, which memorializes the Congress of the United States to adhere to the principles of Federalism expressed in the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.

The Ninth Amendment states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”  The Tenth Amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Many people are very concerned about what they are seeing coming out of Washington, D.C. lately.  For example, the takeover of GM, the stimulus package that burdened the next generation with an enormous amount of debt, the bailout of banks, and most recently, this administrations attempt in their healthcare reform to take over a large sector of the economy and mandate health coverage, powers never given to them in the Constitution.

I see this as a very serious issue that needs to be addressed by the states.  This resolution is a good start on our road to restore the proper Constitutional balance between the Federal Government and the states.  LR 292 will be heard in the Government, Military, and Veteran Affairs Committee on the afternoon of Friday, February 19.

Legislative Bill 1102 is a bill that would allow what supporters call Instant Racing Terminals at current licensed horseracing tracks in the state.  The Judiciary Committee heard this bill last Wednesday.  These machines would allow you to bet on historic horse races in a video gaming format.  This is the third bill since 2005 to propose pari-mutuel wagering on historic horse races.

There are many concerns with this bill.  One being the expansion of gambling in Nebraska, which the people of Nebraska have defeated each time it has been put before them.  Another concern is the nature of these machines, which closely resemble video slot machines, with the ability to make two bets per minute.

In addition, other states, such as Maryland and Wyoming, have concluded that Instant Racing Terminals are not pari-mutuel wagering as they have been pitched.  My personal opinion is that they have a lot in common with video slot machines.  This brings into question what type of gambling we would really be expanding and, whether it is legal under our current laws.

However, the largest concern I have is how this will affect Nebraska families.  The addictive nature of video gaming is well documented, causing bankruptcies and the destruction of families.  It my opinions that the gambling industry preys on those who can least afford it and state legislatures use it as a way to tax those same people.  Video gambling is not what Nebraska needs.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding bills or any other issue, please call my office at 402-471-2805 or for more information.  You can view my legislative website at http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist44/.

Posted in Column |

In the News

February 22nd, 2010

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1611983.html

Senator thinks District 44 may enlarge

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lorri Sughroue
District 44, the Legislative District that includes McCook, may grow after the 2010 census.Districts are typically assessed after the census and because District 44 is down about 2.,600 people, it could gain a county to make up the difference, said Sen. Mark Christensen this morning at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative conference call.

But in which direction the district grows depends on how the redistricting maps are drawn, he said, a process that would occur after the next election.

In responding to a question, Christensen confirmed that the majority of state senators come from Lancaster county in Lincoln, along with Douglas and Sarpy from the Omaha area, because of population density.

Christensen said 27th Street in Lincoln divides the state’s population between east and west.

Basing the number of senators on population leaves the western part of the state, where cattle outnumber people, without a lot or representation.

To counter that, he jokingly described how the Unicameral could be broken up into two houses, one based on population and another on the number of cattle. “It would be a good split,” he reasoned.

In other Legislative activity, lawmakers advanced to select file a bill that would tighten penalties for minors caught in the possession of alcohol.

The amended bill limits the penalties to those 18 years old and younger and reduces the length of the driver’s license impoundment to 30 days for the first offense, 90 days for the second and one year for all subsequent offenses.

The amended version also does not make the penalties mandatory but allows the judge to decide each case.

Christensen said having a judge decide the sentence could weed out instances where someone may be arrested but not necessarily drinking.

He told of an example when a girl was called at home by her boyfriend to pick him up at a party and while there, the party was busted by the police.

The bill was introduced by Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff, who has made it his priority bill. This guarantees that the full floor will see the bill at some point this session.

As for his own priority bill, Sen. Christensen is waiting to see what happens with his bills before he commits.

Senators must name their priority bill by Friday, which doesn’t give him a lot of time.

Christensen said the Natural Resources Committee may make for its priority his bill LB 862, that amends language to allow NRDs to use an occupation tax.

Under the bill, Christensen said irrigators who do not have water would be exempt from paying the tax.

However, the amount of water each irrigator used would not be taken into account, either, so the tax would be equal but the amount of water pumped may not be.

The committee was not in favor of basing the tax on inches of water used, he said.

Christensen’s other bill about regulating sexually orientated businesses may be designated as a priority bill by another senator, especially if it’s stripped down to a zoning bill, he said.

Part of LB 443 restricts sexually orientated businesses to be located at least a quarter mile away from child care facilities, private or public school, public playground, public recreational facilities, a place or residence or churches.

As for the status of his “Castle Doctrine” bill, which would allow firearms to be used in protecting one’s home, the Judiciary Committee is still working on language, he said, although one senator has expressed interest in it if liability issues are clarified.

© Copyright 2010 McCook Daily Gazette

Posted in In the News |

McCook Gazette: Castle Doctrine

February 12th, 2010

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1610170.html

Christensen’s ‘Castle Doctrine’ still in committee

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Lorri Sughroue
A man’s home is his castle — whether the intruder has a weapon or not.That’s the feeling of Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial, who is hoping his bill, LB 889, dubbed the “Castle Doctrine” bill, will stay alive in the state legislature.

The bill would strengthen Nebraska’s self-defense laws. Under his bill, The Castle Doctrine would allow the right to use firearms when protecting yourself, family, and others while in your home, with the philosophy also extending to the place of work and vehicle.

But, the bill won’t go anywhere unless it advances out of committee.

Under current law, a person cannot use a firearm on an intruder who breaks into a private residence, unless there is a physical threat or the intruder has knife or gun. That doesn’t sit well with Christensen.

A person who breaks into a home should be considered a threat the moment the window is broken or the lock jimmied, whether or not the person has a knife or gun on them, he believes.

“How do I know if they have (weapons) on them, if it’s in the dark?” he said. “They don’t have to have gun or knife on them to be a threat.”

The bill is coming up against several senators in committee who are against it, he said this morning at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative conference call. To remedy that, language in the bill is still being tweaked to cover all possible interpretations of the bill.

Support is iffy out on the rotunda, he said, with some senators supporting it while others do not.

Christensen cited a case in Wisconsin where an intruder was shot at and wounded by the homeowner, then sued the homeowner and won damages in court.

He may designate the bill as his priority bill, or maybe LB 1033, which cleans up the conceal-carry law he introduced and was approved last year.

Currently, state law prohibits cities and villages from regulating the ownership, possession, or transportation of a concealed handgun by a concealed handgun permit holder.

LB 1033 would amend the law by adding “registration” after the terms “ownership, possession, or transportation,” and prevent cities and villages from requiring registration of concealed handguns of permit holders.

Since the passage of Christensen’s conceal-carry law, there has been confusion, specifically in Omaha, regarding the city’s handgun registration ordinance. Christensen said he would like to clarify the bill to answer questions about whether Omaha’s registration ordinance applies to concealed handgun permit holders, especially for a permit holder who resides outside of Omaha.

Lawmakers today will face several bills, he continued, including:

* LB 200, that would permit motorcyclists 21 years of age and older to operate their vehicles without wearing a helmet and require that motorcyclists and their passengers wear eye protection. Despite plenty of debate, there is not enough support to pass it, Christensen said.

* LB 258, that would stiffen the penalties for teens who are caught in possession of alcohol. The new penalties would include impounding the teen’s drivers license for 60 to 90 days for first offense, plus require attendance of an alcohol education class, AA meeting or MADD Victim Impact Panel. Christensens said he supports this bill

* LB 735, the Kelsey Smith Act, which will make a wireless carrier provide the best available call location information of a wireless communication device upon the request of any law enforcement agency, following a request for emergency services or in an emergency situation that involves the risk or threat of death or serious physical harm.

Currently, wireless carriers may voluntarily provide call location information, but are not required by state law to do so.

Posted in Press Releases |

Letter Back Home: Helmet Law

February 11th, 2010

Senator Letter Back Home

101st Legislation, Second Session

2-8-10

By Thursday of this week, we will have finished the 25th Legislative Day of a 60-day session.  The Legislature will have a recess day this Friday, allowing senators four days back home in their Districts, including Presidents Day on Monday the 15th.

Last week, the floor debate was dominated by LB 200, which would change motorcycle helmet requirements by allowing the freedom for operators 21 and older to choose to ride with or without a helmet.  The bill makes enforcement of this section a secondary action, similar to our seatbelt law.

Moreover, the bill requires eye protection for a motorcycle rider, which shall be glasses, a protective face shield, goggles, or a windshield on the motorcycle.  Lack of eye protection would be a primary action for law enforcement.

This is the second time since I have been down here that a bill to allow motorcycle operators the choice to wear a helmet has been debated on the floor of the Unicameral.  It is always a lively debate.

Last week, amendment AM1720 to LB 200, brought by the introducer, was adopted.  It required additional medical reimbursement insurance of at least $1 million upon the registration of the motorcycle.  In addition, the amendment put in place a five-year sunset on the helmet sections of the bill, so that an evaluation of the effects of allowing certain motorcycle operators the choice to wear a helmet or not could be studied.

A floor amendment to add a requirement for long-term care insurance for all operators was adopted then reconsidered after the body was further informed that such insurance would be too costly of a requirement for a large portion of operators.  A motion to bracket the bill (postpone debate) to February 9, prevailed, to workout concerns from interested parties.

While I understand and respect the views on both sides of the debate, I have come down on the side of freedom to choose the risks we take; we do this in so many other areas of life.  The costs of motorcycle accidents are still dwarfed by all other motor vehicle accidents.

Government’s primary job is to provide order and structure within society, to restrain evil, and protect people from harming others.  Helmets do not prevent accidents; they are the protection of last resort for an inherently dangerous activity.  Thirty states provide some form of helmet choice for adult or trained riders.  We are an island among our neighboring states, only Missouri has a mandatory helmet law similar to ours.  I believe it is reasonable to adopt some form of helmet choice and review it after five years.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding bills or any other issue, please call my office at 402-471-2805 or for more information.  You can view my legislative website at http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist44/.

Posted in Column |

February 5th, 2010

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1608254.html

River refund running slow

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Lorri Sughroue
A bill to refund property taxes collected in the Republican River Basin, taxes later ruled illegal, is not exactly dead in the water but may have trouble going anywhere.LB 898, introduced by Sen. Mark Christensen, called for refunding property or occupation taxes that have been declared unconstitutional and was heard in the Revenue Committee Jan. 29.

Additional property taxes allowed under the water bill, LB 701, were paid by property owners in the Republican River Basin. A lawsuit challenged the taxes as unconstitutional and Lancaster District Court and the Nebraska Supreme Court later agreed.

A similar lawsuit that challenges the occupation taxes on irrigated acres is pending in Lancaster County District Court.

Christensen said this morning at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative conference call that the committee who heard the bill wants to wait out the issue, to see what kind of ruling comes from the district court.

The three natural resources districts in the basin that collected the property taxes have asked for a declaratory ruling concerning the refund, from Red Willow County District Court.

Other water bills from Christensen that were heard in committee included LB 932, that would forgive the $8.5 million loan Republican River Basin NRDs borrowed from the state, and

LB 862, which allows any NRD in a river basin, where a majority of NRDs use well metering controls, would be allowed to issue riverflow enhancement bonds that could be paid back with proceeds from the current occupation tax.

In the hearing for the loan forgiveness, Christensen summed it up as “There wasn’t a lot of humor on the committee.” Christensen said he stressed that without using property taxes or occupation taxes in LB 701, there is no mechanism for the NRDs to pay back the loan.

Although that hearing may not have gone as he wished, Christensen said there was excellent discussion during the hearing for LB 852, that changes the closed class language.

Christensen said committee members were understanding of the situation and asked questions to get a full grasp of the situation, but he added, “one way or another the state pays,” if irrigation is shut down in the basin.

The state has given Republican Basin NRDs three options to use in years designated as water short, with Option 3 shutting down irrigators in quick response areas, those areas closest to the river and its tributaries.

The irrigation industry is vital in the Basin and Christensen said most of the wells under Option 3 are located near towns. This means the shut down would impact state and income taxes, even affecting state aid to schools in the area.

A hearing for another one of Christensen’s bills, LB 1052, will be Friday, Feb. 19 and he encouraged those who were interested to come down and testify.

The bill is modeled after a bill that directs sales tax generated at Omaha’s Qwest Center to be use to pay back debt. The same theory can be used to help the Republican River Basin in his district, he said.

LB 1052 would create the Agricultural Production and Economic Stability and Assistance Act and redirect the current state sales tax revenue generated within two and half miles of any river, stream, or tributary in the Republican River Basin to eligible NRDs.

These funds would be for managing water resources and the augmentation of water supplies for the economic stabilization of agricultural production.

Christensen said issues facing the Republican River Basin are just as important to the state as revenue from the Qwest Center.

Posted in In the News |

Letter Back Home: Abortion Pain Prevention Act

February 5th, 2010

Senator Letter Back Home

101st Legislation, Second Session

2-1-10

Is it February already?  Things always seem to go faster during a short 60-day session and this one is no exception.  By the end of this week, we will be done with a third of the 2010 Session.

Last Thursday, my LB 893 was heard in the Revenue committee.  It was another attempt to provide an additional process to get unconstitutional taxes back to the taxpayers in the district and for similar situations in the future.  It was modeled after last year’s LB 681, but limited it to unexpended funds and provided clearer language that taxes could also be refunded by satisfying a levy.  Several senators on the committee are not very supportive of the bill, so the chances of it advancing are unclear.  However, I will continue to work to find a solution to the tax refund issue.

This week I have four bills being heard in committees.  On Wednesday February 3, the Natural Resources Committee will be having a public hearing on LB 862 and LB 932.  LB862, the occupation tax fix, would change similar language that the district court said was closed class language during the litigation of the LB 701 property tax.  The new language would allow any Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) in a river basin, which a majority of NRDs use well metering controls would be authorized in LB 862 to issue riverflow enhancement bonds that could be paid back with proceeds from the current occupation tax.

LB 932 would provide forgiveness of the $8.7 million loan from the state that the NRDs received in 2008 to help pay farmers for the surface water they did not use to help get us in compliance with Kansas in 2007.  If compliance is a state issue and the NRD revenue sources are unable to be used or taken away, then the NRDs should not be obligated to repay the money.

On Thursday February 4, the Judiciary Committee will hear LB 889 and LB 1033.  LB 889 seeks to strengthen and clarify our self-defense laws by putting in place the Castle Doctrine.  LB 1033 would clarify the preemption statute for a Concealed Handgun permitholder by not allowing local registration ordinances, such as the City of Omaha’s, to apply to a Concealed Handgun permitholder.

Another bill introduced this year, which I support, is LB 1103, the Abortion Pain Prevention Act.  Introduced by Speaker Flood, it is a bill certain to cause controversy.  The bill seeks to prohibit late-term abortions and seeks to prevent Dr. LeRoy Carhart of Bellevue from making his clinic the primary provider of late-term abortions in the region.

LB 1103 would prohibit abortions of an unborn child at the gestational age of 20 weeks or later.  This is because substantial scientific evidence now exists that an unborn child can feel pain at this stage of development, and the state has a vital interest in preventing that pain.

Besides prohibiting abortions on unborn children twenty weeks or more in gestational age, it requires reporting.  It would require new reporting from abortion providers on the determination of gestational age, method used for abortion, reasons and methods of any emergency abortion or late-term abortion, and a requirement that Health and Human Services create an annual public report of this information.

In addition, LB 1103 would create new causes for unprofessional conduct, causes for civil action, injunctive relief, and criminal penalties for knowingly violating the act.

I definitely do not want to see Bellevue become the next “Wichita” of late-term abortions.  I hope we can move this bill out of the Judiciary Committee and get it before the whole Legislature to debate.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding these bills or any issue please call my office at 402-471-2805 or for more information you can view my legislative website at http://news.legislature.ne.gov/dist44/.

Posted in Column |

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