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I want to take the time to congratulate Bellevue East as the overall State Champion and Large School State Champion at the Academic Decathlon State Finals! 

Photo Credit: Bellevue Public Schools 

Focus

Today (Monday) is the 47th day of the 107th Session. The all-day floor debate started last Wednesday (March 17th). 

I am proud to say that my priority bill, LB 389 passed out of Select File and onto Final Reading unanimously! LB 389 would cut burdensome red tape in the certification process for military spouses to teach in schools, which directly benefits families at Offutt Air Force Base. There are over 240 military spouses that work in the Nebraska education system. 

Additionally, LB 368 & LB 369 also passed out of Select File and on to Final Reading. LB 368 provides the Auditor of Public Accounts enforcement powers for the failure of political subdivisions to file reports. LB 369 provides the Auditor of Public Accounts access to working papers and audit files. In other words, this enforces the deadline for any audited city, state, or any other political subdivision to turn in a report related to an audit. Currently, there is no enforcement – in fact, some political entities still have unfiled reports due over a year ago because they know there is no punishment. It’s important for you to be able to see these audits, and that’s why I agreed to work on these bills.

To summarize, this means that 3 out of 7 of my bills have already passed through Select File! We have two additional bills that are waiting on General File, and we hope that those may be heard in the coming weeks.

Current Status of Bills: 

• LB 312, General File
• LB 313, General File
• LB 368, Final Reading
• LB 369, Final Reading
• LB 370, Referral 
• LB 389, Final Reading
• LB 619, Referral 

Bellevue First

One of the bills I am a proud co-sponsor of is LB 387 (Senator Brewer). This bill would exempt 100% of military retirement pay from Nebraska income tax. Senator Brewer already passed LB 153 last year, which exempted 50%. Now, he is looking to complete the job.

This bill will directly benefit the Offutt and Bellevue communities as it will attract retiring military veterans to stay in Nebraska. In fact, our state has lagged behind on efforts like these. This bill is a great way to not only encourage veterans to make a home in our wonderful state, but also to thank them for years of dedicated service to our country.

I had the honor to cosponsor Legislative Resolution 60 (Senator Brewer) honoring K9 Veterans Day. LR 60 recognizes the service of military working dogs (MWDs). MWDs are an important and essential asset to Offutt’s security, but they are also a prominent presence in our community police forces. Just like in our homes, these dogs help keep us safe.

COVID – 19

All statistics as of 10 PM on 3/21/2021

Confirmed cases in Sarpy County: 20, 205

Active cases in Sarpy County: 357

Deaths in Sarpy County: 107

For more information regarding COVID-19, visit:

https://www.sarpycasshealthdepartment.org/

Thank You for Reading!

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Stay safe, and stay healthy!