This week marks the beginning of the second half of the 108^th Legislative session, which officially begins on Wednesday, January 3. The first few days are reserved for bill introduction, as well as the Rules Committee’s consideration of proposed rule changes. We will begin all-day rules debate on January 10, continuing through the following Friday if necessary.

I plan to introduce most of my bills on Day One and immediately begin working the committee chairs to secure early hearings, with the goal of getting them to the floor quickly. As promised, my staff delivered my priority designation of LB31 (Two-Person Crew bill) to the Speaker last week. I have gotten back from the health insurance industry the final draft of the amendments to LB32 Medi-gap so I can get the amendment approved by the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee and sent to the floor.

As many of you may recall, after the ballot initiative passed allowing gambling in the state, the Legislature passed language regulating casino operations. State law allowed the Gaming and Racing Commission to approve casino operations at the existing race track facilities but did not allow them to approve any new race track construction until a study was completed examining the new sites’ impact on racing and gaming in the state. The study was to be completed no later than January 1, 2025.

As of this time last year, the study had not yet been started and several in the Legislature wanted to pressure the Commission to keep moving forward. As a result, I introduced a bill to allow the Commission to approve additional sites west of the 100^th Meridian without the need to wait for the study to be completed. Since all the existing racetrack facilities were in the eastern third of the state, I saw no reason that western Nebraska should continue to be deprived of the economic benefit of a racing and gaming facility.

Although I have made it clear in the past that I am not a gambler (unless you include farming and banking as gambling), since gambling is here in the state, our part of the state should be allowed to enjoy the economic benefits of the tax revenue if we were going to be saddled with the negative effects of gambling in our communities. At that time, both North Platte and Ogallala had operators interested in locating a racetrack and casino in their respective communities. Ogallala still has an operator ready to move forward, but the interest in a North Platte site has cooled. They purchased land, but have not moved forward at this time with a proposal to apply for a license.

Meanwhile, the Racing and Gaming Commission has completed their study, and the results of that study were released last week. I must say that the results were confusing, to say the least. According to the results, the number one location identified to be granted a license was Bellevue, and the primary sites out west that were identified were Kimball, Gering, and McCook. North Platte and Ogallala were lower on the list.

The Racing and Gaming Commission only needed to have the study completed to move forward but had no requirements to follow the recommendations of the study. I can assure you that there will be a major pushback by the legacy tracks against Bellevue adding a facility. I can also assure you that North Platte and Ogallala would be seen as more attractive than the other towns mentioned. In the end, however, the next steps will come from the Racing and Gaming Commission and not the Legislature.

I am looking forward to the beginning of the session and will plan to keep you updated each week regarding legislative activities. I also plan to reinstate my weekly call in with the North Platte Chamber and Development Corporation. This call is open to anyone in District 42, and you can join in person or on the phone; the day and time are still to be determined.

I look forward to continuing to hear from you regarding issues that are important to you. It is a privilege to serve as your State Senator and I will continue to give my full effort to make a positive difference for the District and the State. You can reach me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or by calling my legislative office at 402-471-2729.