I am excited to have reached the end of the 2021 Legislative Session. We will be adjourning sine die on Thursday May 27th. Senators are not done meeting for the year however, because, due to the covid-delay of census information being reported, the Legislature will reconvene in the fall for a special session to work out the new redistricting map for the next ten years. There is talk of the Legislature losing one rural seat and adding one urban seat which is what will be debated when we return.

Last week, many bills passed final reading and are heading to the Governor’s desk for a signature and the following are some of the bills that I supported and am looking forward to being implemented:

• LB64, introduced by Sen. Brett Lindstrom, would achieve a 50% tax reduction on Social Security by 2025 and a 100% reduction by 2030.
• LB388, sponsored by Sen. Curt Friesen on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, provides $40 million in state funds over two years to expand high-speed broadband internet, focusing on unserved and underserved primarily rural areas.
• LB103, sponsored by Sen. Myron Dorn, is the Beatrice 6 settlement bill. The state will contribute $4 million toward paying off a $28 million court judgment against Gage County for the wrongful conviction of six people in 1985.
• LB561, sponsored by Sen. Tom Briese, was the gambling bill passed after following a long and winding road through amendments, objections and revisions. One last-minute change bans casino sports betting on games involving college teams when they are competing within the state such as Husker football home games. Casinos are planned at racetracks in Lincoln, Omaha, Grand Island, South Sioux City, Columbus and Hastings. 
• LB236, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer, combined three other bills into one. The new version of the bill would provide a postcard reminder to concealed handgun permit holders four months before their permit expires, provide a thirty day grace period after the permit expires, allow for secure transport of guns and make clear that an unloaded firearm in a gun case is not a concealed weapon.

Three of my bills LB306 (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), LB324 (animal share program and processor’s assistance fund) and LB396 (farm to school network) passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. Two of my bills LB91 (changing the duration of native seed testing) and LB242 (allowing counties to pay for bridges on an installment plan) are on General File and will be on the legislative agenda in January. Two other bills of mine LB460 (allowing public power to lease fiber for broadband) and LB543 (right to repair farm equipment) are still in committees but I plan to work on them further next year.

Lastly, Senator John Stinner, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, provided us with some allocation funding estimates from the American Rescue Plan Act that passed earlier this year. Just a few of the school funding estimates include $310,418 for Deshler Public Schools, $441,998 for Thayer Central Community Schools, $517,929 for Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools, $173,917 for Friend Public Schools and $273,404 for Dorchester Public Schools. My legislative staff can provide more estimates for schools, counties, and villages if you are interested. They will be working hard during the interim so feel free to call, email or stop by.