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Sen. Carol Blood
District 3
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May 15th, 2021
The session continues to move forward and we officially have only eight legislative days until we adjourn Sine Die.
With so little time left, you can expect that we’ll be quite busy over the final two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, I will provide you with an update of the bills passed most likely to effect district 3.
One issue that needs to be taken care of in preparation for a special session that will likely come this fall is the adoption of the resolution that will help govern how we go about our work in redistricting.
To that end, there will be a hearing on that resolution, LR134 on Tuesday, May 18 at 8:00 AM in room 1524.
I feel LR134 is a fair and flexible way for us to make sure that our redistricting efforts support districts that are roughly the same population while making every citizen’s vote equal and to ensure maximum opportunity for all our voters to have the ability to elect representatives from their own community as has been stated in multiple court decisions. I hope you feel the same as I do and I am hoping for a strong showing of support at this hearing.
This will give us the testimony we need to back us up when it is brought to the floor for debate.
If you feel as I do about how important an issue it is please consider coming in to testify or to witness the hearing. We want it to be about the people, being we don’t split communities, foster dysfunction, or dilute the vote of our citizens. You can help me make this so.
I will continue to update you on the redistricting process as we meet during the interim on this issue.
For a full list and additional information about all the bills I’ve introduced and cosponsored, you can click the link here.
Nebraska Passport Program Returns
The Nebraska Passport program is back for another year!
The program has officially begun and will run through September 30. It features 70 attractions that are organized into 10 different categories:
- Visual Treats
- Parking Spots
- Aroma Therapy
- Now Hear This
- Growth Opportunities
- Grub and Cuisine
- Shoptimum Values
- Childish Things
- Branching Out
- Time Travel
You can either hit all of these spots whenever you want and however you want, or you can sign up for the 10 themed tours that include many of the passport locations.
Anyone interested can pick up a passport book from any of the places supporting the program, or you can download the official app and collect the stamps digitally.
For more information and a list of what locations are involved this year, check out the official Nebraska Passport Program site.
C’Rona Comix On Display
If you’re still having difficulties explaining to the little ones the complexities of living through a global pandemic, there’s a new book out that might help. C’Rona Pandemic Comics is a collection of short comics and essays geared towards helping youth understand how to navigate a still-changed world.
Each story focuses on different themes:
- The biology of the COVID-19 virus
- The relationship of wild animals, particularly bats, to the pandemic
- the impact of the pandemic on tribal communities
The stories and illustrations were created by a varied group of storytellers, artists and experts in their field. Anyone who would like to buy a copy of the book can purchase it through the Nebraska Press site. As an added bonus, there are several storyboards on display in the middle of the first floor of the Capitol Building. Come check out some of the stories and illustrations while they’re here.
Bryan Pays A VisitI was very pleased to get a visit this week from the JAG Career program from Bryan Middle School in my district. I got to learn a bit about what kind of aspirations they had. I was asked to share my story about when I decided to be a Nebraska State Senator (I was in 4th grade), and I encouraged all of them to become advocates for issues important to them and to use that activism as a stepping stone one day to potentially run for public office.
I would like to thank Angie Bacon for giving me the opportunity to meet and speak with these great kids. I love having bright young minds to encourage them to run for office in the future. You can’t be it, if you never see it! Thanks for coming to see me, future leaders!
Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual observance to shine a spotlight on mental health and reduce the stigma surrounding it so that people feel empowered to seek out help if and when they need it.
The social isolation and loneliness that has come with the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to rising rates of anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms, as well as increased risk behaviors among teens and adolescents. And similar to COVID-19 itself, not all communities or populations have been impacted equally:
- Adults in households with kids younger than 18 are more likely to experience anxiety and/or depressive disorder symptoms than adults in households without kids. This is especially true for women in households with kids, more so than men.
- Black parents are more likely to report negative impacts of the pandemic on their children’s education, their ability to care for their children, and their relationships with family members.
- Black adults and Hispanic or Latino/a/x adults have experienced greater rates of anxiety and/or depressive disorder symptoms than White adults.
- Early research shows increases in suicide attempts among adolescents ages 10-19; prior to the pandemic, suicide was already the second leading cause of death for this age group.
- Young adults (ages 18-24) have reported starting or increasing substance use during COVID-19, as well as having serious thoughts of suicide at around two times the rate of adults.
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District 3
Room #1021
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
Phone: (402) 471-2627
cblood@leg.ne.govCommittee Assignments
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Sen. Carol Blood
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2627
Email: cblood@leg.ne.gov
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Business and Labor
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