Flooding and Declarations of Disaster

Not news to Nebraskans is the record flooding our state has seen this past week, including Offutt Air Force Base.
A few reminders to keep you and yours safe:

• Stay away from areas that are under evacuation orders
• Do not drive or walk through moving flood waters
• Avoid flood waters, toxins are most likely present
• Heed road closure or other cautionary signage
• If flood waters rise around your vehicle, abandon and move to higher ground.

NEMA Help
As recovery begins, knowing where to turn for information can be overwhelming. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) website is continually updating information. You can access that information here.

NEMA has established a hotline for questions from those affected by flooding. That number is: (402) 556-2476

For information on debris clean-up, contact the Crisis Cleanup Hotline at (402) 556-2476.

Farmers who have lost machinery or livestock should report to the Farm Services Agency office. County office contact information can be found on the the agency’s website here.

Nebraska Strong
It’s not just a hashtag, it’s a way of life. Nebraskans and people though out the country are offering assistance. All donations  – monetary, goods and services, volunteers – are being coordinated through Nebraska 211. 
To access Nebraska 211 within Nebraska, Dial 211.
Outside of Nebraska, call (866) 813-1731.

Free Legal Help for Flood Victims

As individuals and communities respond to this emergency and begin the possible long road to recovery, it is very important to be aware of many common legal issues that may arise during or after a disaster.

Legal Aid of Nebraska’s Disaster Relief Project offers free legal assistance to victims of state-declared disasters, through a network of volunteer lawyers across Nebraska.

The Nebraska Art Teacher’s Association presents Student Art on Display at the Capitol

Artists:
Top L-R:
Artist:  Julia Wight                        Artist: Daisy De Santiago
Grade: 10                                    Grade: 12
Title: East’s Garden                     Title: Watercolor World
School: Bellevue East High         School: Bellevue East

Bottom L-R
Artist: Alexandria Thompson        Artist: Peter Lauterbach
Grade: 12                                     Grade: 12
Title: Singing the Blues                 Title: The Girl in Line
School: Bellevue West                  School: Bellevue West

Legislative Resolutions
This past week I introduced a Legislative Resolution 39 to recognize Madison DeMeo for her generosity to our community. The Nebraska Legislature and I are very proud of Bellevue’s very own, Madi.

Supporting Public Education
I had the pleasure of meeting with constituent supporters of public education as they visited the Capitol on Omaha Education Association (OEA) Action Day. We support all students and teachers!

                                  Unicameral Youth Legislature

More Bill News   
The Governor has signed LB12, LB115,LB7, LB11 and LB8 into law. That means the only bills we have left that are waiting in the General File queue are LB6, LB9, LB13, LB15, LB138, LB137 and LB594. We are having a productive session and I am hopeful that we will continue to move items through in a timely manner.

APPLY FOR A BOARD OR COMMISSION
It’s that time of year again when there are all kinds of boards and commissions in the state that are looking for dedicated citizens to serve. These positions are appointed by the governor and range in topics from Juvenile Justice to Geology. 

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please visit to the Governor’s website here. You will be able to find a listing of every board that has an opening, as well as a brief synopsis of what is involved. You can also find an application here. Our state is a better place to live and raise our families when our citizens step up and get involved.

MEET OUR TEAM
Dee Austin-Administrative Aide

Senator Carol Blood, District 3
Oliver VanDervoort-Legislative AideWe are here to serve the residents of District 3 and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.Did you know that there is a long list of items available for free to the public relating to the Nebraska Legislature? Here is a list of only a few that you might find interesting. If you are receiving this email digitally, you should be able to link to the information from your newsletter.

1. Unicameral Update
2. About the Legislature
3. Unicam Kids
4. Inside Our Nation’s Only Unicameral
5. Poster of Nebraska Senators
6. Membership & Committees Card
7. Lines of Government

For hard copies of these documents, please call my office at 402-471-2627 and we will be happy to place one in the mail to your home address.

Fantasy Sports Contest Act Hearing
The start of this week was busier than most as we had the final two committee hearings for my bills. LB137, otherwise known as the Fantasy Sports Contest Act will make companies like FanDuel and DraftKings have to register and pay a registration fee in order to operate in Nebraska. 

These companies are already here and already doing business in the state. My bill would make sure we’re not the “wild west” of Fantasy Sports and we have some way to regulate and get a little revenue from these types of companies while making sure no one is behaving unscrupulously. 

Hearing for the Nebraska Children’s Hearing Aid Act

Earlier in the day, LB15  went in front of the Banking and Insurance committee. Otherwise known as the Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act, this would make it easier for parents to provide their children with hearing aids by making it a requirement for health insurance companies to cover them in certain circumstances. I believe this is incredibly important for the children of the state of Nebraska.

Prior to the hearing for LB15 a Press Conference was held to announce the bill and to hear from sponsoring Senators, families affected by hearing loss, and speech and hearing professionals in support of the bill.

Sponsor Senators present from L-R: Senator Matt Hansen, Lincoln, Senator John McCollister, Omaha, Senator Blood, Senator Megan Hunt (front) and Senator Sue Crawford, Bellevue.

A Visit from Future State Senator Bailey Mooney 
For the second year in a row, high school student Bailey Mooney of Bee, Nebraska, came to the Legislature to spend the day shadowing myself and staff. Bailey is a senior at Seward High School where she participates in Debate, and enjoys all things Nebraska Legislature. In the photo below, Bailey is showing off her photo featured in last week’s Unicameral Update announcing the dates for this year’s Unicameral Youth Legislature. The Youth Legislature, in which Bailey is an Alum, is a summer program where student senators learn the inner-workings of the Legislature through simulation. I predict that someday the Unicameral will include a Senator Bailey Mooney. 

If you know a high school student you think would be interested in taking on the role of a state senator at the Unicameral Youth Legislature this June 10-13, please have them call 402-471-2788, or visit www.nebraskalegislature.gov/uyl 
The deadline for registration is May 15, 2019

More Bill News
As far as bills that have already been heard and are winding their way towards passage, LB11, LB7, LB12, and LB115 were all passed on final reading over the last week and were sent to the governor. He has signed LB12 and I expect the other three will be the law of the land soon enough!

LB8, my medical director flashing lights will be joining the quartet quickly. It was placed on final reading on Wednesday and will hopefully get a final vote next week. LB9, my Digital Ledger Technology bill was voted out of committee earlier this week as well. It’s now on General File and I look forward to the debate in front of the full legislature.

Suicide Prevention Outreach sponsored by the America Foundation for the Prevention of Suicide
Advocating on behalf of family and friends in need of necessary mental health care, and for those who are caregivers, our guests shared their stories and spoke of their support for legislation to help ease the burdens faced by those in need of assistance.

L-R: Senator Blood, Linda Jensen, NAMI and OTOC, Papillion, Sarita Troia Penka, NAMI and OTOC, Omaha, and Jennifer Alquicira, NAMI at UNO, Omaha

A Naval Command
On a lighter note, it’s always a pleasure to meet visiting dignitaries when they visit the legislature. I was honored to be able to meet and talk briefly with Commander Alex Baerg of the USS Nebraska. Commander Baerg was joined one his visit by his wife, Nicole. 

Birthday our Way
It was also an honor to take in the “Birthday Our Way” celebration last week. This is a celebration of birthdays of people with developmental disabilities put on by the Nebraska Association of Service Providers.

USSTRATCOM Strategic Fellows Luncheon
The USSTRATCOM Strategic Leadership Fellows Program is a graduate-level leadership development program for civilian employees of the military and is based at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s College of Business Administration. Following lunch at Selleck Dining Hall on the campus of UNL, the Senators in attendance shared information and answered questions regarding their respective districts, the legislative process and current legislation being considered. Attending from the Legislature: myself, Speaker Jim Scheer of District 19 and Senator Tom Brewer of District 43.

L-R: Speaker Scheer, Senator Blood, Senator Brewer (back with yellow shirt)

End of the Week Update
My bills have now all had their committee hearings and focus will move to getting them passed on the floor. However, hearings for various other bills will be going on for a few more weeks. If there are any bills you see that are scheduled for a hearing in any committee, always remember you have a say in what decisions the committee may make and how legislature may vote on the bill.

APPLY FOR A BOARD OR COMMISSION
It’s that time of year again when there are all kinds of boards and commissions in the state that are looking for dedicated citizens to serve. These positions are appointed by the governor and range in topics from Juvenile Justice to Geology. 

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please visit to the Governor’s website here. You will be able to find a listing of every board that has an opening, as well as a brief synopsis of what is involved. You can also find an application here. Our state is a better place to live and raise our families when our citizens step up Save & Closeand get involved.

MEET OUR TEAM
Dee Austin-Administrative Aide

Senator Carol Blood, District 3
Oliver VanDervoort-Legislative AideWe are here to serve the residents of District 3 and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.

Did you know that there is a long list of items available for free to the public relating to the Nebraska Legislature? Here is a list of only a few that you might find interesting. If you are receiving this email digitally, you should be able to link to the information from your newsletter.

1. Unicameral Update
2. About the Legislature
3. Unicam Kids
4. Inside Our Nation’s Only Unicameral
5. Poster of Nebraska Senators
6. Membership & Committees Card
7. Lines of Government

For hard copies of these documents, please call my office at 402-471-2627 and we will be happy to place one in the mail to your home address.

The final push begins for the bills I’ve introduced this year. Next Monday the hearing for my final two bills takes place.  Last week, we also had two committee hearings starting with my Meat Labeling bill, LB 594 in front of the Agriculture Committee.

This bill is all about truth in food advertising that refines Nebraska’s complaint-driven system for people who see something like a package of “BBQ shreds” that don’t have any meat in them who feel as though the labeling is misleading or confusing.

The original draft of the bill embraced only meat products. After meeting with the Attorney General’s office, we decided to bring an amendment that broadens the scope to all food packaging. We also removed the USDA definition of meat in the bill since it is already defined at the federal level. By doing this, I believe it will serve the consumers of this state without being too restrictive. As long as a company isn’t intentionally misleading consumers, they’ll never run afoul of this bill, should it eventually become law.

At the end of last week, a bill you may remember from our last session, LB9  was presented to the Government committee. Should it become law it would prohibit cities, counties, and villages from taxing or regulating distributed ledger technology. This is a technology that is usually associated with cryptocurrency but is used in a variety of transactions including banking, agriculture, insurance and real estate. My bill avoids potential piecemeal ordinances on the technology. It also sends a clear message that Nebraska is a place where companies that use DLT can feel comfortable doing business without unnecessary hurdles. There was no opposition to the bill and I expect it to get out of committee soon.

Next Monday, LB15 will go in front of the Banking and Insurance committee. The bill referred to as the Children of Nebraska Hearing Aid Act , would make it easier for parents to provide their children with hearing aids when needed by making it a requirement for health insurance companies to cover them in certain circumstances. I believe this is incredibly important for the children of the state of Nebraska. Hearing plays an important role in a child’s language development and learning. Early intervention is key to that child’s success.

While I expect these bills to get out of committee with very little problem, there are other bills that have already had their hearing and are headed towards passage and becoming a law. LB11, my interlocal agreement for nuisances bill was officially placed on Final Reading late last week. That means it needs just one more vote before it goes to the governor’s desk for his signature. LB115, my advanced enrollment for military dependents has also been placed on Final Reading. It’s my hope both will go through this final step at some point this week.

I was also happy to see LB13 advance out of the Revenue Committee so we can debate the bill on the floor. This bill will make sure that any woman who is in the process of breastfeeding their child, will be exempt from indecent exposure laws in Nebraska. While we already have breastfeeding laws in place, they do not specifically exempt women from indecent exposure. This bill would make sure breastfeeding mothers in Nebraska are completely protected and need not worry about who they offend while providing nutrition their child.

My bills will have all had hearings right around this time next week; however, hearings will be going on for a few more weeks. If there are any bills you see that are scheduled for a hearing in any committee, always remember you have a say in what decisions the committee may make and how legislature may vote on the bill.

APPLY FOR A BOARD OR COMMISSION
It’s that time of year again when there are all kinds of boards and commissions in the state that are looking for dedicated citizens to serve. These positions are appointed by the governor and range in topics from Juvenile Justice to Geology.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please visit to the Governor’s website You will be able to find a listing of every board that has an opening, as well as a brief synopsis of what is involved. Our state is a better place to live and raise our families when our citizens step up and get involved.

YOU ARE OUR SECOND HOUSE
Our office LOVES to see our District 3 residents come and testify on the bills they feel passionate about. We also understand that with work, weather and other responsibilities that testifying in person may not work out for everyone. We offer the following information to guide you, if you are new to the process. We cannot stress how important it is for you to use your voice, because you ARE Nebraska’s second house.

If you would like to send your information via email, be sure to send it to the senator who chairs the committee, include your name and address and ask within the body of the email that it be included in the official record. Feel free to copy our office on any emails.

If you are unable to attend, you may send a letter or email expressing support, opposition or neutral testimony to a committee during a bill’s public hearing. If you wish to send a written letter, address correspondence to the office of the senator who chairs the committee and allow enough time for the letter to arrive the day prior to the hearing. Be sure to include your name and address in the letter.

Remember to turn off your cell phones when you enter the hearing room to avoid any disruptions.

Be prepared to answer questions on your testimony. Committee members often request additional information or have questions on the testimony you have offered. Testifiers are not allowed to ask questions of committee members.

Most committees limit testimony to three to five minutes, and we encourage you to not repeat testimony that has already been offered by previous testifiers. If you are providing a written testimony, try to summarize your main points instead of reading your testimony verbatim. The Senators would like to hear what you have to say. However, in most cases, there are numerous people who will also testify.

Before testifying at a committee hearing, you must fill out the green sheet provided in the hearing room. Once you are seated at the testifier’s table, please identify yourself, spell your first and last name and say what organization you represent, if any. Always speak directly into the microphone to help out the committee transcribers who will type the transcripts of the hearing for public record.

If you are providing printed copies of your testimony to share with the committee, please bring enough copies for each committee member, plus three more for support staff. We encourage you to call ahead to see if the committee prefers electronic submissions.

If you follow my page “Senator Carol Blood” on Facebook, I do try to provide links to the hearings so you can watch them live on your computer or smart phone. If you have questions or concerns, please be sure to reach out to any of our District 3 Team Members.

MEET OUR TEAM
Dee Austin-Administrative Aide

Senator Carol Blood, District 3
Oliver VanDervoort-Legislative AideWe are here to serve the residents of District 3 and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.

Did you know that there is a long list of items available for free to the public relating to the Nebraska Legislature? Here is a list of only a few that you might find interesting. If you are receiving this email digitally, you should be able to link to the information from your newsletter.

1. Unicameral Update
2. About the Legislature
3. Unicam Kids
4. Inside Our Nation’s Only Unicameral
5. Poster of Nebraska Senators
6. Membership & Committees Card
7. Lines of Government

For hard copies of these documents, please call my office at 402-471-2627 and we will be happy to place one in the mail to your home address.

It was another busy and productive week, despite the fact that it was the first week since hearings started that we didn’t have a bill go through committee. We’ll change that this week, with my Meat Labeling bill, LB 594 in front of the Agriculture Committee Tuesday afternoon.

This is a bill that aims to bring truth in food advertising and set up a complaint-driven system for people who see something like a package of “BBQ shreds” that don’t have any meat in them who feel as though the labeling is misleading or confusing.

Under LB594, someone who feels as though a company is intentionally misleading people into thinking vegetarian offerings are in fact meat could contact authorities who would investigate the issue using the Deceptive Trade Practices Act as well as the Pure Food Act and decide whether prosecution or civil action can be taken.

I feel in the long run, this will lead to more honest advertising and marketing by companies that are jumping into the meat-replacement market. This will also protect ag producers in our state who already follow specific guidelines when it comes to labeling and marketing. Many of our livestock producers may be losing out because of these misleading products being sold to those who are looking to buy beef, chicken or pork products. While it has gone through some changes since it was first introduced, including an amendment I am presenting at the hearing, we believe it will do what we’ve always wanted it to do in regards to protecting the industries that are the lifeblood of this state.

A bill that is a repeat from last year, LB9 will go in front of the Government committee this Thursday, February 21. This will prohibit cities, counties, and villages from taxing or regulating distributed ledger technology . This is a technology that is usually associated with Bitcoin but is used in a variety of transactions including banking and real estate. In many ways, these kinds of transactions and the contract that can be created using digital ledger technology are more secure than offline contracts and certainly more efficient.

My bill avoids potential piecemeal ordinances on the technology. It also sends a clear message that Nebraska is a place where companies that use DLT can feel comfortable doing business without unnecessary hurdles.

LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY
In honor of the 210th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, on February 12, 1809, the 106th Legislature began today’s session with a Presentation of Colors ceremony after the Morning Prayer. The colors were posted by the Nebraska Department of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was formed as the first-ever fraternal organization for veterans. In 1881 the Grand Army of the Republic created the Sons of Union Veterans to carry on the memory and traditions of the G.A.R. after the last G.A.R. members were gone. Today, the Sons of Union Veterans are recognized by Congress as a Veteran’s organization, charged with keeping alive the memory of those who served our country during the Civil War, 1861 to 1865.

In addition to their Presentation of Colors, the Sons of Union Veterans had an honor guard posted at the Lincoln Statue at the west entrance. As you can see, freezing cold temperatures and icy walkways wouldn’t stop these men from doing their duty on this important day.

PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION
I was visited by the Papillion La Vista High Ability Learners program last week as well. We discussed how the Legislature works, how legislation is crafted, things they can do now to prepare themselves to be great leaders in the future and chatted on a long list of legislation.

I was impressed by the questions they asked and how they think about the issues the state and the country are facing.

CELEBRATING ANOTHER IMPORTANT BIRTHDAY
While Abraham Lincoln might have turned over 200 last week, we are also celebrating the 150th birthday of the University of Nebraska. As part of our ongoing efforts to recognize how important the University is to the state,  I chatted with representatives of the Douglas/Sarpy County Extension Program about the many programs they offer for both rural and urban residents.

YOU ARE OUR SECOND HOUSE
Our office LOVES to see our District 3 residents come and testify on the bills they feel passionate about. We also understand that with work, weather and other responsibilities that testifying in person may not work out for everyone. We offer the following information to guide you, if you are new to the process. We cannot stress how important it is for you to use your voice, because you ARE Nebraska’s second house.

If you would like to send your information via email, be sure to send it to the senator who chairs the committee, include your name and address and ask within the body of the email that it be included in the official record. Feel free to copy our office on any emails.

If you are unable to attend, you may send a letter or email expressing support, opposition or neutral testimony to a committee during a bill’s public hearing. If you wish to send a written letter, address correspondence to the office of the senator who chairs the committee and allow enough time for the letter to arrive the day prior to the hearing. Be sure to include your name and address in the letter.

Remember to turn off your cell phones when you enter the hearing room to avoid any disruptions.

Be prepared to answer questions on your testimony. Committee members often request additional information or have questions on the testimony you have offered. Testifiers are not allowed to ask questions of committee members.

Most committees limit testimony to three to five minutes, and we encourage you to not repeat testimony that has already been offered by previous testifiers. If you are providing a written testimony, try to summarize your main points instead of reading your testimony verbatim. The Senators would like to hear what you have to say. However, in most cases, there are numerous people who will also testify.

Before testifying at a committee hearing, you must fill out the green sheet provided in the hearing room. Once you are seated at the testifier’s table, please identify yourself, spell your first and last name and say what organization you represent, if any. Always speak directly into the microphone to help out the committee transcribers who will type the transcripts of the hearing for public record.

If you are providing printed copies of your testimony to share with the committee, please bring enough copies for each committee member, plus three more for support staff. We encourage you to call ahead to see if the committee prefers electronic submissions.

If you follow my page “Senator Carol Blood” on Facebook, I do try to provide links to the hearings so you can watch them live on your computer or smart phone. If you have questions or concerns, please be sure to reach out to any of our District 3 Team Members.

MEET OUR TEAM
Dee Austin-Administrative Aide

Senator Carol Blood, District 3
Oliver VanDervoort-Legislative AideWe are here to serve the residents of District 3 and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.

It has been another productive week for District 3. Three bills received hearings last week, we’ve now had 13 of my 17 total bills heard in their respective committees. It is our hope that they will be voted out for full debate.

Last Tuesday, LB138 was presented to the Transportation and Telecommunications committee. This is a bill that would create license plates to honor veterans of the Iraq, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf war, War on Terrorism or the Vietnam war. This bill would also create a “Support Our Troops” plate that anyone can purchase. Funds from the “Support Our Troops” plate will be used to amp up our efforts to recruit soon to be separated or retiring veterans to stay and enter Nebraska’s job market. We must work harder to keep this highly qualified demographic in our state. The bill didn’t have any opposition and I expect it to get to the legislature floor for full debate.

On Wednesday, we had the hearing for LR2. This is a Legislative Resolution that would rescind any resolutions that call for a constitutional convention that were passed over a period of decades here in Nebraska. One was passed before the turn of the 20th century in 1893. In total, there were eleven old resolutions outstanding, causing confusion as well as very real legal hurdles.  Many experts have explained the pressing need to rescind all of these ancient, outstanding Article V resolutions in order to remove any confusion and to start fresh. By cleaning the slate LR2 would do exactly that and any new efforts for an Article V convention will not be butting heads with old, out of date resolutions.

We also presented LB113 to the Judiciary Committee. That bill, paired with LB114 
works to make sure that the Department of Corrections is carrying out its own policies to the letter of the law. A small part of our overcrowding issue can be better addressed by simply adhering to the existing rules that are designed to move the inmate(s) through the system smoothly as they work to rehabilitate themselves to re-enter society.

Among those that have been voted out of committee, LB 12 my military spouse realtor’s bill is on final reading and almost ready for the Governor’s signature. LB 7 The Counterfeit Airbag Protection Act just passed through the first round of voting, without a single “no” vote at the end of last week.

A bill on advanced enrollment for children of active duty military members and a tool for Inter-local Agreements have passed through General File. Both are set for Select File early this week. I expect more of my bills to get voted out of committee this week while I prepare to present my last four bills in upcoming hearings.

Those hearings include my meat labeling bill, LB594 which seeks to make sure that insect-based, plant-based or lab-grown products are not billing themselves as meat products. It is a consumer-driven bill that protects Nebraska’s number one industry. That bill will be heard in front of the Agriculture committee on Tuesday, February 19. Next Friday, February 22nd LB9, my Digital Ledger Technology bill will be heard in the Government committee. If you are interested in testifying at the hearing for either of these bills or want to send a letter of support, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

YOU ARE OUR SECOND HOUSE
Our office LOVES to see our District 3 residents come and testify on the bills they feel passionate about. We also understand that with work, weather and other responsibilities that testifying in person may not work out for everyone. We offer the following information to guide you, if you are new to the process. We cannot stress how important it is for you to use your voice, because you ARE Nebraska’s second house.

If you would like to send your information via email, be sure to send it to the senator who chairs the committee, include your name and address and ask within the body of the email that it be included in the official record. Feel free to copy our office on any emails.

If you are unable to attend, you may send a letter or email expressing support, opposition or neutral testimony to a committee during a bill’s public hearing. If you wish to send a written letter, address correspondence to the office of the senator who chairs the committee and allow enough time for the letter to arrive the day prior to the hearing. Be sure to include your name and address in the letter.

Remember to turn off your cell phones when you enter the hearing room to avoid any disruptions.

Be prepared to answer questions on your testimony. Committee members often request additional information or have questions on the testimony you have offered. Testifiers are not allowed to ask questions of committee members.

Most committees limit testimony to three to five minutes, and we encourage you to not repeat testimony that has already been offered by previous testifiers. If you are providing a written testimony, try to summarize your main points instead of reading your testimony verbatim. The Senators would like to hear what you have to say. However, in most cases, there are numerous people who will also testify.

Before testifying at a committee hearing, you must fill out the green sheet provided in the hearing room. Once you are seated at the testifier’s table, please identify yourself, spell your first and last name and say what organization you represent, if any. Always speak directly into the microphone to help out the committee transcribers who will type the transcripts of the hearing for public record.

If you are providing printed copies of your testimony to share with the committee, please bring enough copies for each committee member, plus three more for support staff. We encourage you to call ahead to see if the committee prefers electronic submissions.

If you follow my page “Senator Carol Blood” on Facebook, I do try to provide links to the hearings so you can watch them live on your computer or smart phone. If you have questions or concerns, please be sure to reach out to any of our District 3 Team Members.

MEET OUR TEAM
Dee Austin-Administrative Aide

Senator Carol Blood, District 3
Oliver VanDervoort-Legislative Aide

We are here to serve the residents of District 3 and we are happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.

This has been a busy week for District 3. Our committee hearings have begun and our bills are starting to move quickly through the process. I continue to serve on the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, Agriculture Committee and General Affairs for the next two years.

Six bills had public hearings in a variety of committees. One bill, LB 12, has already been debated on the floor of the legislature and passed through General File on to the next step. You can click on the bill numbers below and review the bills as introduced to the committees.

LB 12: Provide a license fee exemption for servicemembers and their spouses under the Nebraska Real Estate License Act
LB 5: Change the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Act
LB 6: Change residency provisions relating to persons on active duty and their dependents for college tuition purposes
LB 7: Adopt the Counterfeit Airbag Prevention Act
LB 13: Provide a sales tax exemption for breast pumps and related supplies and exempt breast-feeding from public indecency offenses
LB 115: Change provisions related to enrollment of children of members of the members of the military

Hearing Locations and Times

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