The 102nd Nebraska Legislature, adjourned sine die on April 18, 2012.  Sine die is a Latin word for “without day”.  “A legislative body adjourns sine die when it adjourns without appointing a day on which to appear or assemble again.”

Senators introduced 1,172 bills, passed 271 last year and 187 bills passed this year. Four bills that were vetoed by the Governor were debated the last day of session.  Two bills were overridden; two bills were not overridden. In the 2011-2012 sessions, 558 bills were held in committee and will die since session adjourned. This was a productive session even with the vetoes by the Governor. In this shortened 60 day session, there were 173 resolutions adopted in addition to the bills that were passed.

The Governor signed into law my bill LB 928, which authorizes the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to provide permits for hunting mountain lions. The bill also establishes newly created “Hunters Helping the Hungry Cash Fund” a deer donation program to be administered by the Game and Parks Commission.

In last week’s newsletter, I highlighted bills from this past 2012 session that I was responsible for that passed into law. Here are some highlights of bills that I introduced that were passed into law in my previous years in the legislature:

Legislation that was enacted into law benefited people, cities and counties and state agencies. That legislation included an occupation tax to improve tourist facilities; military license plates funding for state cemetery development; livestock brands on the ribs; protection for the Nebraska Forest Service; discount hunting and fishing permits for deployed military personnel; exempt volunteer agriculture workers from Workers Compensation regulations; permit rotary flashing lights on motor vehicles used to transport railroad train crew members; authorize State Veteran’s Cemetery in Alliance; provided for the Gold Star license plate; allow countries to implement half cent sales tax for law enforcement; and appropriated grant funds for the Indian Commission.

Ten years ago I came to the legislature with an agenda to help the economy of Nebraska. I said then that tourism is the most economical way to jump start an economy. It doesn’t take a lot of infrastructure, you create simple site interests, invite tourists in, show them a good time, have places for them to spend money and then they return home to their own school districts, sanitary improvement districts or any other infrastructure system they have. I believe Nebraska can make big strides in the promotion of tourist attractions in the state, and the passing of my tourism bill LB 1053, to create its own cash funded agency is a big step in that direction.

Since this legislative session has ended and my term has ended, this will be my last newsletter. You can still contact my office during the interim and my staff can help you as my term doesn’t officially end until next January when the new senator is sworn in. You may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; send me an email at llouden@leg.ne.gov; or go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

LINCOLN – Greetings from the State Capitol! We adjourned the session on April 11 (Day 59), to wait and see if the Governor vetoes any bills. We will then convene on April 18 (Day 60) and conduct any overrides as necessary and adjourn sine die. The reasoning is that the Governor has five days to address legislation that comes across his desk. He can sign it and allow it to become law, he can veto it, or he can do nothing and the bill becomes law without his signature. Waiting to convene the 60th day until after the five day period is over, the Legislature will take up any motions to override, as well as finish up our legislative business..

After nearly a week after its passing, the Governor signed into law my priority bill LB 1053. The bill creates the Nebraska Tourism Commission, and transfers powers and duties from the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Economic Development to an independent, cash-funded agency. Travel and Tourism can now develop a statewide strategic plan to cultivate and promote tourism not just statewide, but to really market Nebraska on a national and even global scale to bring more tourism dollars into Nebraska.

I was pleased that my bill LB 928, which authorizes the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to provide permits for hunting mountain lions, passed on Final Reading with an Emergency Clause 49-0 and awaits the Governor’s signature. The bill also establishes a deer donation program to be administered by the Game and Parks Commission.

Here are other highlights of my bills from this past session:

LB 473 was passed and signed into law by Governor Heineman. This bill will Adopt the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Management Act and give counties the authority to control prairie dogs and imposes an affirmative duty upon certain landowners and managers to prevent uncontrolled spread of colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs.

LB 498 removes in situ mining from certain regulations related to the withdrawal and transfer of water from underground aquifers such as the one used in the Crow Butte mine near Crawford.

LB 800 would provide that the appraised value used for purposes of sales of educational land at public auction would be the value determined by the Board of Educational Lands and Funds.

LB 762 which was amended into LB 750, provides that in determining the value of a farm home site the sale of residential land located in a platted and zoned residential subdivision is not a comparable sale.

Another highlight of the session was passing a balanced budget which meets our constitutional obligation. And as Co-Chairman of the Revenue Committee, I’m proud of our committee’s work and feel that we contributed to keeping an eye on spending.

Even as the session winds down, I still appreciate your input. So please feel free to contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

LINCOLN – Greetings! We are down to the last three days of the session.  April 12 is the scheduled last day of session, and we’ve worked several late nights to get bills addressed before that date. One bill was vetoed by the Governor, but there were enough votes to override the veto.

I’m very pleased to announce that my priority bill LB 1053, that would create the Nebraska Tourism Commission, has passed on Final Reading with a 47-0 vote, and is awaiting the Governor’s signature!  This bill would transfer powers and duties from the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Economic Development to an independent, cash-funded agency.  As I’ve stated before, I have always been a supporter of tourism in Nebraska, and now with Tourism forming their own commission, this gives them a better opportunity to promote Nebraska on a larger scale.

Another one of my bills, LB 928, a Speaker Priority bill, advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment with the adoption of an amendment. LB 928 would authorize the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to provide permits for hunting mountain lions. The amendment to this bill establishes a deer donation program to be administered by the Game and Parks Commission. Under this program deer hunters may use the deer permit application process to donate money to the newly created “Hunters Helping the Hungry Cash Fund”. It also allows Nebraska hunters to donate the deer they kill to non-profit organizations that feed the hungry, or other institutions such as prisons.

The Building Maintenance Committee, of which I am the Chairman, met this week.  Also known as the 309 Task Force for Building Renewal, the Task Force allocates funds for the highest priority upgrades and improvements for the State of Nebraska’s existing facilities and utility systems throughout the state.  All significant State agencies are eligible for 309 Task Force funding except the Nebraska Department of Roads. Funding comes from cigarette tax and rent surcharges.

The 309 Task Force projects protect state investments in facilities, as well as the investments in the people, equipment, records, and data inside. The Task Force saves millions in future dollars by extending the lives of buildings, and preventing future expensive facility problems.  Steve Hotovy, the program administrator, gave an overview and summary of projects that have been completed or are currently underway.  I’ve enjoyed serving on the Building Maintenance Committee as this Task Force is a model for efficiency in state government as they use their funds wisely to make a difference.

Congratulations to the Alliance FFA team who received two wins at the State FFA convention in Lincoln.  The First was the FFA Food Science Team of Ashtyn Shrewsbury, Krista Carter, Hannah Kesterson and Connor Wright. The Team qualified to compete in Indianapolis in October at the National FFA Convention. The 2nd win was when Krista Carter was named the top individual in the State FFA Jr. Livestock Judging Competition. Best of luck to you!

Please let me know if you have thoughts, concerns, or questions on legislative issues and state government. You may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

LINCOLN – Greetings from the State Capitol! With only eight days left of this year’s session, we are continuing to work late nights and even starting earlier in the day. Currently we have 24 bills on Final Reading and 65 bills have been approved by the Governor and signed into law.

You’ve probably been following the controversial bill, LB 239 introduced by Senator Charlie Janssen of Fremont. We’ve received numerous emails and phone calls concerning this bill. LB 239 would require presentation of government-issued photographic identification to vote in elections. After eight hours of debate, a vote to end a filibuster failed by 3 votes 30-16. Supporters of the bill said that the bill was needed to ensure the honesty of the voting process and the bill would only be a minor inconvenience to voters. Opponents said the bill risked violating a citizen’s constitutional right to vote and it would particularly affect the poor, minorities, the elderly and students who might not have ID cards. They also said that there were no problems with voter fraud in Nebraska.

I chose not to vote on this bill because I felt the bill was poorly written. Although I believe in the premise behind LB 239 to require proper identification of registered voters at the polls, I do not support the bill as written. My concerns were not addressed and those concerns included, there was no decision made on the mechanism for scanning the ID cards at the polling places. If ID cards were to be used, how would they be verified for authenticity?  If a person could not afford to pay for an ID, would that interfere with their right to vote; the poll tax was repealed years ago. There was no decision made on who would pay for the ID cards at the polling places whether the state or the counties would cover the costs. If the scanning machines required a driver’s license for identification, could the information from the driver’s license be used for other purposes? The security of that information was not addressed.

LB 1053, my priority bill, advanced through the second round of debate to Enrollment and Review, which is the process of incorporating adopted amendments into a bill, reviewing the bill for technical and grammatical accuracy. This bill would create the Nebraska Tourism Commission and transfer powers and duties from the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Economic Development (DED). We’ve had several positive emails and phone calls of support for this legislation. If passed, a new commission would be created, and as I’ve stated before, this is landmark legislation and important for the tourism industry in the state of Nebraska.

My congratulations once again to UNL Sophomore Jordon Hooper from Alliance, who headlined the list of Nebraska academic All-Big Ten honorees. Hooper was named an AP honorable-mention All-American for her performance on the court in 2011-12. Hooper is the first UNL athlete in women’s basketball to receive this honor as a sophomore. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letter winners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Your input is important so please feel free to contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LINCOLN – Greetings! We finished the 13th week of session and started working late night sessions to get through all the bills that await our attention. In addition to the priority bills we have been debating, we’ve also been hearing bills on Speaker Flood’s Consent Calendar. The Consent Calendar is a portion of the agenda in which relatively noncontroversial bills are considered and quickly advanced to the next legislative stage. Usually, a bill on consent calendar can be debated for no more than 15 minutes. If any three members of the Legislature object to the bill being considered on Consent Calendar, they must advise the Clerk of the Legislature in writing. Such requests must be filed with the Clerk prior to the expiration of 15 minutes of debate.

My priority bill, LB 1053, was advanced to Select File with a 31 to 1 vote with little debate, but with good discussion. LB 1053 would create the Nebraska Tourism Commission and transfer powers and duties from the Travel and Tourism Division of the Department of Economic Development (DED). The purpose of the commission would be to administer general promotional activity, solicitation, and operating programs to attract visitors to Nebraska and further the use of travel and tourism facilities in Nebraska. This is landmark legislation for the tourism industry in the state of Nebraska.

The reason that I introduced LB 1053 is to grant the Travel & Tourism Division independence from the Department of Economic Development, where it currently resides, allowing them to work closer with the tourism industry and better serve their purpose of promoting Nebraska. I’ve always been a supporter of tourism in Nebraska, especially in western Nebraska. Travel and Tourism plays an important role in Nebraska’s economy, as tourism is the third largest source of outside revenue for Nebraska and an industry working on its own in many places. It has a self-sustaining budget funded by the lodging tax, and the Travel & Tourism Division should be allowed to operate independently of DED.

The Travel and Tourism division receives $3.9 million from the 1% lodging tax in Nebraska. They also receive approximately $900,000 from federal funds, plus there are some appropriations from the General Fund between $500,000 in some years, and $250,000 in this year’s budget. Therefore, they should be a cash funded agency. I believe it’s time for the Travel & Tourism industry to have its own commission to help promote Nebraska and mainly to coordinate tourism projects of county, city and private organizations statewide and on a national level. If passed, this would take effect on July 1, 2012 allowing for the immediate formation of the Travel and Tourism Commission.

As always, you may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; Telephone (402) 471-2725; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov. Please feel free to stop by my office for a visit on the first floor of the Capitol, in Room 1016.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LINCOLN – Greetings from the State Capitol! Today we finished Day 44 of this 60 day session of the Legislature. There have been 65 bills signed by the Governor, and I’m happy to report my bill LB 473, was included in that count. LB 473 would adopt the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Management Act.

The Revenue Committee, of which I serve as Vice Chairman, voted to advance LB 970 out of committee to General File with amendments. LB 970, introduced by Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue at the request of the Governor, would terminate the inheritance tax and change income tax rates in the amended form that advanced from the Revenue Committee. The amended LB 970 struck the inheritance tax language that was revenue for counties. We moved to allow lower wage earners in some tax brackets to receive a small tax cut of a few dollars. I voted not to advance LB 970 out of the Revenue Committee because the tax break for an individual was very small and the revenue loss to the state in the first year was over $8 million. The Appropriations Committee budget had $17 million extra dollars. The tax cut would deplete over one half of the surplus money that the Appropriations Committee had budgeted to finance bills that are pending in the Legislature.

Some of the budget recommendations include proposed funding for several capitol construction projects. There are several projects for the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) including $50 million to construct a Cancer Research Tower in Omaha which would leverage $100 million in private donations, and $15 million for the design and construction of an additional building at the College of Nursing in Kearney. $7.8 million is recommended for projects at Peru State College, and $6.7 million is recommended to construct and renovate Armstrong Gymnasium at Chadron State College.

A bill that generated a lot of discussion was LB 1072, introduced by Senator Steve Lathrop of Omaha, Chairman of the Business and Labor Committee, at the request of the Department of Administrative Services, Risk Management Division. This bill introduces the claims against the State that are required by statute to be reviewed by the Legislature. The State Risk Manager submitted a variety of claims against the State and certain write-offs for the Legislature’s review and the appropriation of funds. Several amendments were made to the bill that came through the Business and Labor Committee. The committee makes the decision on which claims need to be paid. The majority of the claims this time are from the Health and Human Services contractors for foster care.

Please let me know if you have thoughts, concerns, or questions on legislative issues and state government. You may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LINCOLN – Greetings! We finished the tenth week of session and with only 19 working days left in the 2012 Legislative session, priority bills are taking center stage. On March 7, 2012 there were 39 bills approved by the Governor including two of my bills, LB 498 and LB 800.

I’m pleased to announce that my bill LB 473, that would Adopt the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Management Act, has passed on Final Reading and is awaiting the Governor’s signature! This bill had become controversial and prompted several emails to my office and a couple of newspaper editorials.

I understand the concerns about LB 473, but this bill is trying to balance the property rights of people who enjoy having prairie dog colonies on their land, and those with large populations of prairie dogs directly affecting their livelihood and ability to make a living. As the bill reads, the definition of a prairie dog colony means the series of burrows and tunnels created by the black-tailed prairie dog where the prairie dogs live. The definition for a managed colony does not include the prairie dogs. Managing the colonies does not mean destroying the prairie dog.

LB 473 does not require eradication of the prairie dogs. There is no place in the bill that mentions using poison or a mandate that the management plan include killing the prairie dogs. It also does not limit the size in which the population needs to be reduced. Whether or not the county or landowner can effectively take the colony from an unmanaged to a managed colony without harming any of the prairie dogs, is their own prerogative. The bill requires that a landowner upon his, her, or its property to prevent the expansion of black-tailed prairie dog colonies to adjacent property if the owner of the adjacent property objects to such expansion.

LB 473 outlines the procedure needed to notify a landowner that is not managing the animals on their property. The reason LB 473 is called a management act is because some research has shown that black-tailed prairie dogs can be confined to an area by planting tall grass or brush type vegetation as a barrier. Fences can also be used to manage the prairie dogs, or plowing of the soil can destroy the prairie dog’s colony.

In closing I’d like to congratulate the boys basketball team from Papillion-LaVista for making it to the state tournament. Good luck Monarchs!

I would also like to congratulate UNL sophomore Jordon Hooper who was named to the All-Big Ten Women’s basketball first team by both the coaches and media. Hooper is a graduate of Alliance High School, and was a standout on the Bulldogs basketball team. Congratulations not only to Jordon, but to the Hooper and Brennan families as well!

Please let me know if you have thoughts, concerns, or questions on legislative issues and state government. You may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

LINCOLN – Greetings from the State Capitol! We are continuing to move through legislation as we began full day debate this week. Speaker Flood has informed us that we will be working some late nights as we proceed through these bills before this 60 day session ends.

One of my bills, LB 927, would allow a livestock brand to be an accepted form of official identification for cattle for purposes of animal disease traceability. The bill has advanced out of the Agriculture Committee.

I am pleased to announce that my bills, LB 498 and LB 800 were passed on Final Reading and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. LB 498 removes in situ mining from certain regulations related to the withdrawal and transfer of water from underground aquifers such as the one used in the Crow Butte mine near Crawford. LB 800 would provide that the appraised value used for purposes of sales of educational land at public auction would be the value determined by the Board of Educational Lands and Funds.

Another one of my bills, LB 829 would have created Alcohol Impact Zones. The bill would have allowed cities, counties or villages to petition the Liquor Control Commission to control the time of sale and or the sale of certain beverages in a designated area of public inebriation or illegal activity. This bill would have allowed for extra restrictions that could be placed on liquor license holders because of crime and alcoholism problems. Areas where inebriation and panhandling are prevalent usually have trouble sustaining reputable businesses. By creating an impact zone, some of these problems can be alleviated and a neighborhood could be more productive, and that was one of the important reasons for introducing LB 829. Unfortunately the bill failed to advance out of the General Affairs Committee.

My office received the 2012 Unclaimed Property Report from the Nebraska State Treasurer’s office. This is a notice to owners of abandoned property. The State Treasurer’s Office is holding more than $100 million in unclaimed property for over 350,000 residents. The average claim paid is $450. This report has been mailed out to newspapers and county seats across the state. My staff and I have looked at the report and there are several names listed in various counties in western Nebraska as well as in Sarpy County. So if you think you have some unclaimed property or know of someone who may have unclaimed property, contact the State Treasurer’s Office at 877-572-9688, 402-471-8497, or check out their web site at www.treasurer.org.

My congratulations to the girls’ basketball teams including the Hays Springs Hawks, the Gretna Dragons, and the Papillion-LaVista South Titans for making it to the state tournament!

As always, you may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; Telephone (402) 471-2725; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov. Please feel free to stop by my office on the first floor of the Capitol, in Room 1016.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

LINCOLN – Greetings! We began debate on priority bills this week, and public hearings wrapped up this week in the afternoons. On February 27 we begin all day floor debate. To date there are 104 Priority bills, 94 bills on General File, 48 bills in Select File, 14 bills have been Indefinitely Postponed, and 42 bills are awaiting Final Reading.

The proposed constitutional amendment, LR 358CA was introduced by Senator Carlson of Holdrege, and he has designated it his priority bill. In 2000 Nebraskans voted to implement term limits for the Legislature, and this proposed amendment would change that decision. If passed by the Legislature, LR 358CA would give the citizens of Nebraska the opportunity to vote on this proposal in the November election. If approved by the voters, term limits of a state senator would expand from two four-year terms to three four-year terms. There was lengthy debate on the proposal, and several amendments were filed. But the amendments were either withdrawn or not approved, and the proposal was advanced to Enrollment and Review Initial.

Another proposed constitutional amendment LR 373CA, introduced by Senator Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha, has received a committee priority. This proposed amendment would increase State Senators’ salaries from $12,000 per year to $22,500. The proposed amendment has not yet been debated by the full Legislature.

We’ve received a number of calls and emails concerning LB 933, sponsored by Senator Brad Ashford of Omaha. LB 933 would amend the law on excessive absenteeism to make the process less burdensome on families. When a child has missed more than 20 days of school in a year, the case would be reviewed by the school district and the county attorney to determine if any further action is necessary to address the child’s attendance. If the school district and the county attorney determine that further action is necessary to address the child’s attendance, then a meeting is called between the parents of the child, the school, and the county attorney at a location determined by the school.

Many constituents in the district feel that students are subjected to unnecessary truancy laws when the law does not apply to students who have long term health care issues. This is absentee issue rather than a truancy issue. While this bill has not yet been debated by the full legislature, I’m sure there will be much debate. This is more of a metropolitan issue than an issue in rural schools in Nebraska.

Your input is important so please feel free to contact me with your thoughts and opinions on the bills that are before the Legislature. Contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604, my telephone in Lincoln is (402) 471-2725; e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or stop by for a visit in Room 1016. Thank you for sharing in our legislative process.

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Senator LeRoy Louden
District 49

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LINCOLN – Greetings from the State Capitol. This the 29th day of session and we are nearly half way through this year’s session. Bills are quickly moving through Select File and the morning debates with 69 bills on General File; and 34 bills on Select File. Public hearings continue in the afternoons as Committees look to wrap up bill introductions by the end of next week. All day floor debate is tentatively scheduled to begin on February 27.

Two of my bills, LB 498, which would change water resources provisions relating to in situ uranium mining; and LB 800, which would change provisions relating to appraised value of school lands, were both advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment. This is the Enrollment and Review process that a bill undergoes after it is advanced from Select File. During this stage, the bill is engrossed and reprinted for Final Reading.

This week is the last week that a senator may designate a priority bill. If the bill is advanced out of committee it is guaranteed debate time on the floor before the end of this session. On February 21, we will begin debate on priority bills. During a short, 60 day legislative session, it is important that legislation have priority in order to be debated and passed.

LB 686 that was introduced would allow embryo transfer in bovines. There was considerable debate on the necessity of this bill. LB 686 provides an exception from the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act. I offered an amendment to the bill that inserts language that an owner may perform this procedure on their own livestock. That amendment was adopted.

We are continuing to receive numerous calls and emails from all over the state opposing LB 970, introduced by Omaha Senator Abbie Cornett on behalf of the Governor. The bill reduces individual income tax rates, widens the tax brackets, reduces the top corporation income tax rate, and repeals the county inheritance tax. The proposed income tax changes are to go into effect for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and the change in the inheritance tax applies to estates on January 1, 2013. The bill eliminates the primary income tax rate (currently 3.70%) and the factors used to compute the tax rates and replaces them with a set of brackets and tax rates.

The inheritance tax, levied on estate recipients, is used by counties to build rainy day funds. Many county officials across the state are concerned about losing this inheritance revenue, as it helps fund public programs and services, and counties would have to raise property taxes if this bill were passed. The Revenue Committee, of which I’m Vice-Chairman, is holding the bill until the Economic Forecasting Board meets later this month.

As always, you may contact me by mail at District 49, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509-4604; Telephone (402) 471-2725; go to the web site at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, or e-mail llouden@leg.ne.gov. Please feel free to stop by my office on the first floor of the Capitol, in Room 1016.

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Senator LeRoy Louden

District 49