The Legislature has begun morning floor debate. The majority of our time last week was spent on approving Gubernatorial Appointments to a variety of boards, commissions or departments. Committee hearings are still ongoing but only in the afternoons.

The Transportation and Telecommunications committee heard several bills in the afternoon this past week. LB199, introduced by Senator Brewer would provide an authorized driving privilege card for Ukrainian refugees settled in Nebraska. I have received several calls and emails sharing your thoughts with me on this bill. While I support the intent of this bill and the need for the Ukrainian people to get this driving privilege. There are some conflicts with federal law that need to be addressed before this bill can move forward.

On Wednesday February 15th, my bill LB569 was heard in the Government, Military and Veteran Affairs Committee. This bill prohibits members of any county board or planning commission, along with their immediate family members, from having a financial interest in any new contract for the siting, development, or construction of any new electric generation facilities. This doesn’t impact any current existing contracts. I brought this bill after several instances across Nebraska in which elected county officials have voted to approve electric generation contracts that happen to be on their land or the land of one of their immediate family members. As elected officials we have a duty to be impartial and not enrich ourselves or family members using the capacity of our office.

The Natural Resources Committee heard public testimony on LB281 introduced by Senator Jacobson. This Bill provides funding for non profit organizations for the purpose of rebuilding the 4-H camp in Halsey, NE. The 4-H camp was destroyed in the Bovee Forest Fire in 2022 which burned 19,000 acres of forest and grassland along with the camp. Several people came to the hearing in support of the bill and told their stories and memories they made at the previous 4-H camp.

LB575 the Sports and Spaces Act, was heard before the Education committee on Monday February 13th. This bill requires males and females to participate in sports and use locker rooms that correlate to their biological sex. This bill is in compliance with Title IX and does not prevent anyone from participating in sports. Some of the testifiers spoke to the fear that they could miss out on championship and scholarship opportunities should this bill not pass. We need to ensure every child has an equal and fair chance of furthering their athletic endeavors.

As always, contact my office with any questions or thoughts on legislation impacting District 23. You can reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov