The first couple weeks of the 107th Legislature saw an uptick in activity as senators finalized bill introduction and committee hearings began.  As of January 19th, 500 bills have been introduced and counting – all during the first 12 days of the session.  Each of these bills will be routed to one of 14 standing committees and receive a public hearing where stakeholders will testify as proponents, opponents, or in a neutral capacity.  Public hearings are an extremely important part of the work we do in the Legislature.  Without input from our constituents, we will not have all of the information necessary to make the best decisions for our state.  I encourage you to track bills of interest and to testify at the public hearings.  If you need information about how or when to do so, please contact my office.

When I am not debating rules of the session on the floor or attending committee hearings, my schedule is full of meetings with constituents, government officials, and other individuals who will be resources as I represent everyone in District 16.

I will continue to serve on the Health and Human Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee. I am also pleased to announce I am the new Chairman of the Business and Labor Committee. This a tremendous responsibility to head up the issues surrounding labor rights that advance the cause of business and free market values all across Nebraska. On this committee, I will be able to ensure the state abides by sound policy implementation standards and the fiscal responsibility Nebraskans deserve. I believe one of my primary duties as your representative is to be a good steward of taxpayer money.

As I look ahead to next week, I’ll continue preparation for the public hearings of the ten bills I have introduced. The bills are of particular importance and I believe best reflect important issues that the voters of District 16 care about. The bills that have gone to committee hearings this week are LB 296 and LB437. Both of these bills were directed to the Health and Human Services Committee where I testified in support of both of them.