We are two-thirds of the way through our short session. The rest of the session is going to fly by, and we are all eager to get legislation passed that helps our districts and all Nebraskans.

My priority bill, LB 977, is a historic infrastructure investment for District 1. This bill would invest $15 million to Falls City for an upgrade to their electrical grid. Falls City has missed out on many economic opportunities because of its electrical grid, and many residents have had frequent power outages. During the pandemic, when everyone was at home, this issue only worsened. By investing in this upgrade, we will add redundancy and reliability for Falls City’s electrical system and provide the infrastructure necessary to draw new businesses to Richardson County. This will create countless job opportunities for our District 1 residents, and strengthen our economy. 

This week, LB 977 was advanced unanimously out of the Appropriations Committee and placed on the floor for General File. I am eager to keep working on this bill until it gets across the finish line. Our district deserves the same access to reliable, growth-oriented infrastructure as our large cities.

LB 887, my bill to expand Peru State’s master’s degree offerings, advanced to final reading without objection. The Appropriations Committee-approved budget also included $5 million to repair Peru’s levee, still damaged from the 2019 floods. This has been a very strong session in the Legislature for Southeast Nebraska.

The biggest news from our Legislature this week relates to our gun rights. Sen. Brewer’s Constitutional Carry bill, LB 773, faced an eight-hour filibuster from Thursday to Friday. On Friday morning, LB 773 received 33 votes to advance to the second round of debate. Once LB 773 received the necessary 33 votes to end the filibuster, three senators- Blood, Day, and McCollister- switched their votes from “Present, Not Voting” or “No” to “Yes.”

Fortunately, enough senators support our Second Amendment right to bear arms and voted to end the filibuster. We have a long few weeks in front of us, but I promise to you that I will continue advocating for our district and working to grow the Good Life in Southeast Nebraska.

As always, I welcome your input on issues important to you. Follow along on my Facebook and Twitter pages, both entitled “Senator Julie Slama” for more updates, or contact me directly at Senator Julie Slama, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln NE 68509-4604; telephone: 402-471-2733; email: jslama@leg.ne.gov.