This column covers legislative days 29 through 32.

The end of February brought with it the end of committee hearings.  Nebraska’s legislature is unique not only because it’s the only unicameral legislature in the nation, but because each and every bill introduced receives a public hearing where anyone can testify.  We put in long hours and a whole lot of effort listening to each person who comes to testify about potential legislation that could impact their lives.  I’m happy with the work we’ve done in the Agriculture, Business and Labor, and Health and Human Services Committees of which I’m a part of.

Two of my bills, LB 1212 and LB 1213, were the very last two bills heard in the Revenue Committee this year. LB 1212 and LB 1213 are both designed to bring long-lasting property tax relief.  The first, LB 1212 would require political subdivisions with taxing authority to give notice of an increase in its tax asking.  A tax asking is the total amount of revenue to be received from the taxation of property.  This bill intends to cut through disinformation or confusion about property tax increases.  What often happens is a political subdivision will keep its levy at its current rate, but because of rising valuations, it will gain a substantial amount of tax revenue from the year before.  This is not the way the system is designed to work.  If LB 1212 were to be passed the political subdivision would be required to give people notice of their real increase in taxes and allow them to come to a public hearing scheduled specifically to discuss that increase.

LB 1213 includes LB 1212 and goes even further.  It is a true attempt at tax reform and a complete overhaul of how we finance K-12 public education.  The bill would change each leg of the “three-legged stool”, property, income, and sales tax. It also would move Nebraska to a per-pupil funding model of public K-12 education where the money follows the student.  Special allowances were put in place to account for higher costs of educating students with disabilities, students in poverty, students with high ability, and students learning English as a second language.  Other special allowances were put in place for sparsity, transportation, and school consolidation costs.  This is a forward-thinking bill and one that I’m very proud of its potential.  Though it will not go anywhere this session, I’ll continue to work on the bill over the interim period for the next session.

We’re now officially over halfway through this 2020 legislative session and as committee hearings have wrapped up we’ve now moved on to full days of floor debate. From this point on in the session, we’ll focus on senator, committee, and speaker priority bills; each of which has been identified as being a matter of special emphasis by each senator or committee naming it a priority.  Still yet to come this session are major discussions about property taxes/school finance, business incentives, prison overcrowding/sentencing reform, abortion, and pay for college athletes.

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org.

This column covers legislative days 25 through 28.

Last week was a big week in your Unicameral Legislature.  A number of well attended and highly controversial committee hearings took place and Friday, February 21^st was the final day for senators to choose a priority bill for this session.  The landscape for the remaining days of this 60-day session has been set and senators can now begin vetting the various priority bills and negotiating changes if needed to gain approval with the rest of the body.  Judging by the priority bills chosen, it’ll be an exciting second half of the session!

I’ve chosen LB 1203, a bill introduced by Senator Linehan of Elkhorn, as my priority bill this session.  When the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in 2017 it made changes that have affected state governments throughout the country.  LB 1203 will correct one of the negative outcomes for Nebraska by fixing an unintended consequence of the federal tax code change.  Since the change, Nebraska has been taxing foreign income by U.S. businesses at 100% – more than California or New York – and far more than the 0% that some of our neighboring states are taxing.  This income is money the state should be more intentional about, and usually, if the Nebraska government is taxing more than California or New York, that means we are doing something wrong.  Part of my job is to protect Nebraska taxpayers from being overtaxed – that includes businesses, individuals, families, or other organizations.  I’m happy to prioritize this bill.

The Judiciary Committee heard LB 814 last week, a bill introduced and prioritized by Senator Geist of Lincoln, to prohibit dismemberment abortion.  Dismemberment abortion is a practice in which the unborn child is literally ripped apart limb by limb and taken out of the mother.  This is a monstrous practice that has no place in a civilized society.  One testifier in support of the bill compared the procedure to a “tooth extraction.”  We cannot allow the dehumanization of unborn children in Nebraska and I’m very proud to co-sponsor the bill.  It faces a tough road ahead as the abortion lobby has a hold on many senators in your Unicameral Legislature, but with your support, we can get this bill passed.

Another bill heard in the Judiciary Committee was LB 816, introduced by Senator McCollister of Omaha.  Hundreds of pro-second amendment advocates flooded the Capitol to an extent I have not seen in my time here.  Two overflow rooms were set up for testifiers and others to wait in while the hearing took place.  News coverage of the hearing was widespread and I received many emails and phone calls about the bill.  LB 816 has not been prioritized and is unlikely to make it to floor debate this session.

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org.

This column covers legislative days 21 through 24.

We were able to get a considerable amount of work done in the Capitol last week by moving through quite a few bills that had remained on General File from the last session.  These are bills that have not been designated as senator priority bills but did not receive floor debate last year.  We continue to hold floor debate in the mornings, reserving the afternoon for committee hearings.

Thursday, February 13^th was a big day for bills I introduced last session.  LB 312 is a bill I introduced that would allow dental hygienists to perform procedures within their current scope of practice in rural health settings.  I’m very excited about the opportunities this bill will create for hygienists to live where they want while still using the skills they learned through their specialized education.  As I’ve said in past columns – we have a shortage of dental hygienists in rural Nebraska, and I think this bill will help.

LB 381, a bill I introduced last session to allow the state to use a “per-diem” reimbursement method for state employees passed on final reading.  Moving to a per-diem method of expense reimbursement will save the taxpayer money by saving state workers time. It has been introduced in the past but always fell short of being implemented and I’m confident that this is the year it will be signed into law.  This is a good step for the efficiency of government that I was happy to lead across the finish line.

I want to thank many of you for contacting our office last week.  LB 58 is a bill introduced by Senator Morfeld of Lincoln that’s commonly referred to as a “red flag” law.  This bill was recently voted out of committee onto General File and has the potential to become a priority bill. I’ve received more calls and emails about this bill than any other this session by far.  Many of you are concerned about an infringement on our 2^nd Amendment rights as established by the U.S. constitution.  I am too.  Others were concerned about what would happen when, as the bill requires, law enforcement would remove guns from an individual’s home.  I am too.  Please rest assured that I do not support LB 58 and will fight it on the floor if it comes to it.  A related bill, LB 816 introduced by Senator McCollister of Omaha, has gotten a lot of attention from many of you as well.  As with the “red flag” bill, if LB 816 comes to the floor I will fight it.

Looking ahead, February 21st is the last day to choose committee and senator priority bills; February 27th is the final day of committee hearings and full days of debate begin on March 3rd.  As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org

This column covers legislative days 17 through 20.

As of adjournment on Thursday, February 6th the 2020 Legislative session is one-third of the way to completion.  Each biennium in the Unicameral is made up of one 90-day session and one 60-day session.  The first twenty days of this session have flown by and most senators have not yet chosen a priority bill.  Some may be waiting for their bills to make it through the hearing process where they are vetted by those who may want to testify.  Others may be continuing bill work through amendments and other improvements. 

My first bill of 2020 was heard in the Government, Military, and Veteran’s Affairs Committee on February 5th.  LB 1211 would require that political subdivisions first identify the amount of money to be raised from property taxes before they set out to compose a budget.  The intent of bringing this bill was to begin a conversation about the process of budgeting taxpayer money. In businesses and homes throughout the state, decision-makers first identify how much money they anticipate making over the next year.  Most Nebraskans do not spend outside of their means and budget according to their expected annual income. I wanted to open up a discussion about how the budgeting practices of our local governments could be improved by adopting a similar mindset and approach toward the spending of taxpayer money.

On February 4th we discussed a constitutional amendment proposed by Speaker Scheer of Norfolk that would allow the Unicameral to be expanded from its current number of 49 senators up to a total of 55 as needed.  There has been much debate about representation of rural vs urban priorities in the legislature and some senators felt a proposal like this would allow senators to be better representatives of the constituents in their district.  Legislative District 16 includes just over 36,000 residents in three different counties, which is close to an average size district. However, it is fairly condensed compared to Legislative District 43, represented by Senator Brewer.  District 43 includes about 38,000 residents in 13 different counties. Legislative District 14, represented by Senator Arch of Omaha, includes over 37,000 residents and is located in a small area of Omaha. One analysis of the proposal estimated the addition of more senators would result in each senator representing fewer than 30,000 residents, allowing them to be more responsive to the residents of their district.  Though there are some potential positives to this proposal, I have significant concerns about the fiscal cost, among others. The proposal did not come to a vote.

Please continue to send in your thoughts on various bills as they come up in committee or for debate on the floor.  My staff has enjoyed hearing from you on the phones as well. As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org.

This column covers legislative days 12 through 16.

Another busy week in the Unicameral Legislature ended along with the month of January this past Friday.  After a full week of hearings in the Agriculture, Business and Labor, and Health and Human Services Committees, extensive floor debate and many lunch or evening events, I capped off the week by speaking at the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting.  Senators receive a tremendous amount of information from a wide range of resources hoping to educate us about important issues.  We hear from constituents like you reading this column and other individuals from around the state.  We also are invited to events nearly every day of the week facilitated by organizations looking to spread the message of the work they do throughout the state.

This week I or my staff attended informational sessions sponsored by the National Guard Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, Voices for Children, the Nebraska Bankers, Nebraska Cattleman, American Bikers Aiming Towards Education, and the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce.  These informational sessions are important functions of our roles as State Senators as we seek to be as informed as possible about how our decisions will affect all of Nebraska.  Though I’ve developed specialties in the committees I’m a part of (listed above) I do appreciate learning more about other areas of policy.  I especially appreciate hearing directly from constituents in Legislative District 16 when they come to Lincoln on their own, as a part of some of these organizations, or by contacting our office through phone or email.

Two of my bills, LB 312 and LB 381 came up for debate last week.  Both bills were carried over after being introduced in the last session.  LB 312 would expand opportunities for licensed dental hygienists, specifically in rural areas.  We have a shortage of hygienists in rural Nebraska and my hope is this bill will expand access to care throughout the state.  The bill was placed on Select File where we will discuss it once more before moving it on to Final Reading.

LB 381 would allow the state to move to a per-diem reimbursement process for state employees.  It’s estimated this bill would save the state substantial amounts of time and money by streamlining efficiencies in process and allowing state employees to spend time on more impactful work duties.  This bill was placed on Final Reading where it will be voted on one more time before being sent to the Governor for his signature.

We continue to move through bills in committee as efficiently as possible.  I encourage you to come testify at a public hearing for any bill you think is of particular interest or importance to you.  This 60-day session is going fast and senators have been encouraged to make decisions on choosing a priority bill for the session.  I’ve narrowed down my potential choices and hope to make a decision soon.

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org.

This column covers legislative days 8 through 11.

Jan. 27, 2020 – Lincoln, NE

Greetings from the Capitol as we end the third week of the 2020 Legislative session.  Sixty new measures were introduced Thursday, January 23^rd, the final day to introduce bills this session bringing the total number of new measures introduced this session to 496.  I’ve introduced six new bills this session – LB 1043, LB 1044, LB 1105, LB 1211, LB 1212, and LB 1213.

When I was considering running for the Nebraska State Legislature, and when I began my campaign, I was determined to do something about our high property taxes.  During my first year in the legislature, I came to understand that if we expect to do anything meaningful about property taxes we needed to think bigger.  Politicians have known Nebraska’s property taxes are high for years, and yet they continue to rise.  That’s why I introduced a series of bills, LB 1211, LB 1212, and LB 1213 this year.

LB 1211 is a simple bill that would require political subdivisions to begin the budget process by determining how much tax revenue they have to work with.  Any family or business owner in our state understand that you cannot spend more than you bring in.  When families or business owners sit down to determine their budgets, they first determine how much they expect to make that year, and then budget accordingly.  Our local governments often determine their budgets before determining how much money they expect to receive through taxes, raising taxes accordingly to fund the proposed budget.  LB 1211 simply requires that political subdivisions budget in the same manner that families and businesses across the state do.

LB 1212 is a bill requiring political subdivisions to give notice when their expected tax revenue will increase from the year before.  It also requires that if the revenue will increase from the year before, the subdivision must automatically lower its levy so that revenue does not increase without a specific vote of the officials governing that subdivision.  Governing bodies should not automatically receive more revenue from taxes than the year before, but instead must take deliberate action to increase revenue.  I anticipate making additional changes to LB 1212 before its public hearing.

LB 1213 is a bill I’ve worked on all interim.  I’ve consulted many stakeholders throughout the district to develop a solid policy, though I expect it will also go through some changes before its public hearing.  This bill is an effort to bring tax reform to Nebraska through changes in Nebraska’s property, sales, and income taxes.  Any serious effort to provide long-term tax relief for Nebraskans must be focused on reform and modernization, including of those taxing entities that will be affected by such changes.

This bill is tax reform, but it is also reform of our school funding system.  Our current funding model, TEEOSA, has become unsustainable and inappropriate for a term-limited legislature to manage and, in my opinion, unfair for most of the schools in District 16.  LB 1213 abolishes TEEOSA and replaces it with the New School Aid Act, providing per-pupil funding that ensures every public school student in the state receives state funding.  In the bill are special allowances for poverty, sparsity, English language learners, and incentives to limit spending increases and consolidate administrative costs.

I’m very excited about these bills and hope to start a conversation about per-pupil student funding and tax reform in Nebraska.  As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org.

This column covers legislative days 4 through 7.

Jan. 17, 2020 – Lincoln, NE

The first full week of this year’s short legislative session brought with it the start of full days of debate and many more introduced bills.  Unlike a long session where there is little to debate until newly introduced bills are able to go through the committee process and receive a public hearing, short sessions start quickly with debate on bills that were carried over from the previous year.  By doing so we’re able to get much more work done in the first few days of the session.

We began quickly as senators debated LB 147, introduced by Senator Groene of North Platte, a bill allowing teachers the ability to use physical force for the purpose of protecting their classrooms and students.  The bill was supported generally by teachers across the state but was opposed by many administrators and other organizations. After three hours of debate, the bill failed to advance to Select File. Senator Groene must show he has enough votes to advance the bill for it to receive another round of debate.

LB 153, introduced by Senator Brewer of Gordon and prioritized by Senator Lowe of Kearney, would exempt 50% of military retirement pay from the Nebraska state income tax.  I cosigned the bill last year to support Veterans and allow them to keep more of their own money. In fact, I’d like everyone in the state to keep more of their own money and will continue to work towards that goal during my time in the legislature.  This bill had the support of other senators who are typically uninterested in income tax reform and moved forward on a 46-0 vote.   

Governor Ricketts delivered his State of the State address Wednesday morning, outlining his budget priorities and areas of importance for this session. The Governor thanked the many, many Nebraskans who stepped up with courage and bravery during the March flood and in the months afterward.  His recommendations for this session include roughly $500 million in property tax relief over the next three years and $59.2 million towards disaster relief projects.

One of my carryover bills from the last session, LB 381, came up for debate Thursday and advanced with 40 ‘yay’ votes and 0 ‘nay’ votes.  The bill would allow the state to move to a “per-diem” expense reimbursement method, effectively saving hundreds of hours a year that we currently spend on processing reimbursement requests.  These hundreds of hours could then be redirected towards more valuable work responsibilities, helping to make our state agencies more efficient and cost-effective.

Committee hearings will begin this next week and Senators have until January 23rd to introduce bills for this session.  My staff and I have been working on the final drafts of a few bills I’ll be introducing next week. 

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org

This column covers legislative days 1 through 3.

Happy New Year to everyone in Legislative District 16!  I hope you and your families had a terrific 2019 and are looking forward to great things in 2020.  The 60-day legislative session kicked off Wednesday, January 8th in Lincoln with big issues on the agenda for the short session including property taxes, business incentives, and flood relief. 

This session starts my second year in service in the Unicameral.  My staff and I worked hard over the interim period and will be picking up where we left off the last session as well as bringing new bills this session.  Four of the bills I introduced last session – LB 312 regarding Dental Hygienists, LB 321 regarding the Department of Agriculture, LB 378 regarding the motorcycle helmet law, and LB 381 regarding per-diem reimbursement for state agencies have all been carried over from the last session.  I expect LB 381 to make some progress this year with progress on the other bills depending on how the schedule advances for this session.

Over the interim, I’ve worked with leaders in the area to put together a tax reform bill.  Property tax relief has been a topic of discussion in the Unicameral for quite some time, but meaningful relief has been hard to come by.  I hope to start working towards tax reform this session through changes in our sales tax, income tax, and budgeting process in addition to changes in how we fund our public schools.  Nebraskans have been patient, but the reality is that many families, farmers, and businesses are struggling to make ends meet because of a tax system that is outdated. We need tax reform, and I plan to provide that leadership.

The Health and Human Services Committee, of which I am a part of, will take up the effort of addressing Youth Rehabilitation in the state after examining some of the shortcomings of our system over the interim session.  We held many committee hearings over the Summer and Fall, listening to Department of Health and Human Services officials and other leaders of rehabilitation service providers. This has been a complex issue that will continue to be discussed in this session. 

As of adjournment on Friday over 200 bills and resolutions were introduced in the first three days of session.  You can view all of the introduced legislation on the Unicameral’s website with the link provided below. 

Looking forward to next week, Governor Ricketts will present his State of the State on Wednesday, January 15th offering a review of the previous year and laying out some of his goals for this session and beyond in 2020.  I continue to work on the final drafts of bills I’ll be introducing this session – senators have until January 23rd, the 10th day of the session, to introduce new legislation. 

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl, or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  To read all introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the session when available at netnebraska.org. 

This column covers legislative days 83 and 84.

The final day of the 2019 legislative session came to a close on Friday, May 31^st.  Originally scheduled for 90 days, the session ended early and comprised of 84 days total.  Of note was the passage of LB 209 on Final Reading Thursday, May 30^th.  This bill would require information be given to patients seeking an abortion in Nebraska on how to find medical assistance to support a viable pregnancy after taking the first of two pills required for a medication abortion.  Passing this bill was a long and hard fight, but one that was well worth it.  By passing the bill we ensure that women who begin a medication abortion and change their mind during the process are able to find the necessary medical assistance to maintain a viable pregnancy.  Throughout the session, we heard so many heart-wrenching stories from women who wish they would have had information like this – now they will be given the opportunity to avoid something they may regret.

Before adjourning, we took up a motion to override a Gubernatorial veto of Senator Wayne’s LB 492.  This bill creates a Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority with the ability to levy property tax.  The RMTA, a new body of government, gives Omaha and the surrounding area the authority to levy property taxes in order to provide public transit expansion.  Though the bill is limited to the Omaha area, those in urban areas have not been immune to rising property taxes.  Omaha citizens are in need of public transport, but it is inappropriate to continue raising property taxes to pay for additional bodies of government.  We must provide property tax relief, rather than create new programs and services that worsen the problem.  That’s why I voted to sustain the Governor’s veto.

My first session as your senator was very educational.  I was a bit disappointed that we adjourned early when we could have, and should have, worked the remaining six days in the session debating and discussing property tax, even if that debate continues into the next session.  Though we did accomplish much, of the 739 bills introduced 294 were passed, I gained some perspective for the next few years.  As a body, we could be more productive with our time during the session.  Too much time is spent discussing hurt feelings and not enough time is spent discussing sound policy required to help the citizens of Nebraska.  Senators must work together to provide solutions rather than focusing on our differences.  We were successful in providing $102 million more in property tax relief this biennium through the property tax credit relief fund but our ag producers need even more substantial relief.  After this session, I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and intend to work on a property tax/school funding bill over the interim providing a solution to the reliance on property taxes for school funding.

This will be my final column for the session, but I may write from time to time as issues arise during the interim.  If you have questions or comments, please contact the District 16 office at (402)-471-2728 to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl; or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  You can also email me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov.  To follow along with the session please visit nebraskalegislature.gov or you may watch the live stream when available at netnebraska.org

This column covers legislative days 79 through 82.

The last full week of this year’s legislative session was very eventful.  After a recess day on the 20^th, we worked late into the night Tuesday and Wednesday, adjourning around 11:45 pm Wednesday.  Though these were long days, I’m happy we worked so late.  Nebraskans throughout the state expect us to work long and hard, passing sensible laws that advance their opportunity to live the American dream and laws that steward taxpayer resources well.  When we conclude the session next week I hope to say we have given it our best this session.

We debated a number of major proposals last week, including LB 657 to adopt the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act.  This bill was introduced by Senator Wayne of Omaha and prioritized by Senator Brandt of Plymouth.  No opponents testified in the bill’s public hearing and it was supported widely during floor debate.  I’ve received many phone calls and emails from constituents in the district who support industrial hemp as a new crop for our farmers and see it as an opportunity to expand agricultural capacity in the state.  I was happy to support the bill on the floor.

Another bill supported widely by senators was LB 519 introduced by Senator Slama of District 1.  This bill extends the statute of limitations for those who commit the offense of labor or sex trafficking or benefit from labor or sex trafficking.  Awareness of human trafficking in Nebraska has increased over the past few years as efforts like this bill are discussed more.  With I-80 running right through the heart of the state, Nebraska is used by traffickers to transport victims across the country.  Omaha and Grand Island are two of the biggest hubs for traffickers in Nebraska.  By extending the statute of limitations on traffickers we are better prepared to bring them to justice.

Many have asked about property tax relief.  Senators were successful in securing an additional $51 million in property tax relief by allocating $275 million to the property tax relief credit fund after that allotment was initially allocated elsewhere in the budget.  This comes after no additional money being directed towards the fund last year.  , LB 289, the major proposal to provide property tax relief and change how public schools are funded, did not receive enough votes to come back to the agenda for debate this year.  I’ve said it throughout the session and before while I was walking the district and talking to voters – Nebraskans need meaningful property tax relief.  Though the increases to the credit fund do accomplish some level of relief, it is not sufficient for the challenges that our ag producers are facing.  Nebraska can support its public schools sufficiently, providing education for our children, while also providing meaningful property tax relief.  I’ve committed to studying this problem closely throughout the interim and plan to introduce a bill of my own next year.  Due to the way our public schools are funding, meaningful property tax relief can only happen if we make changes to how our schools are funded.

If you have questions or comments, please contact the District 16 office at (402)-471-2728 to speak with my Administrative Assistant, Ellie Stangl; or my Legislative Aide, Jacob Campbell.  You can also email me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov.  To follow along with the session please visit nebraskalegislature.gov or you may watch the live stream when available at netnebraska.org