Tuesday, February 21 marks Day 31 of the 90-day session and February 23 is my 1-year anniversary as your District 42 Senator. Although we have now completed many bill hearings, we have only begun to pass bills through the first round of debate. This leaves much work ahead of us if we want to get to hear every priority bill this session. Those in the body who are leading the effort to slow the process will need to decide if they want their bills passed this session. It is unlikely that their bills will be moved up in the schedule if they are the reason that the schedule is condensed.

At this point, nine of my bills have been heard in committee and three have been sent to General File. One of those bills, LB628, a clean-up bill that I carried on behalf of the Secretary of State, is scheduled for the first round of debate on Tuesday the 21st.

I was very pleased with last week’s hearing for LB281, which would provide funding to rebuild the State 4-H Camp. We had over 40 comment letters and many testifiers who braved the weather to personally testify. I will keep you posted on the progress of the bill going forward. Meanwhile, I am working with Jeff Yost and the Nebraska Community Foundation to begin organizing the next steps to get the ball rolling. Given that any excess revenues held in the Cash Reserve fund will be allocated yet this session, it is important for those with projects requiring a large fiscal note to get their bills funded this year. In my mind, LB281 simply cannot wait until next year to get passed and funded.

I also think that it is important to note that there has been some productive dialogue with the Department of Health and Human Services regarding LB433, the bill to allow the Behavioral Health Districts flexibility to reallocate 20% of their annual budgets. This would bill would have prevented Region II, which includes Lincoln County and 16 other west central counties, from losing $1.2 million of funding last year. Although progress is underway, I am not backing off until I know that we have a deal in place.

I have three bills waiting for their public hearing, including the first bill I introduced, LB31. LB31 would require two-person train crews and is scheduled to be heard on March 6 at 1:30 before the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. This bill continues to be one of the frontrunners for my personal priority designation, but will need a very strong show of support to convince committee members to advance the bill. Supporters need to make plans to testify in person or submit public comments through the bill’s page on the Legislature’s website. Please reach out to my office if you need assistance navigating the public comment process.

My other final bill hearings will be for LB148 and LB149. LB148 has a hearing before the General Affairs Committee at 1:30 on March 13. The bill would allow the Nebraska State Racing and Gaming Commission to grant applications for new racetracks west of the 100^th Meridian without completing a market study, while also extending the market study deadline required for eastern Nebraska applicants. Although we don’t want a casino on every corner, western Nebraska has been left out of the benefits of a racetrack and casino partnership to date. LB149 would rebase rates under the Medical Assistance Program and has a hearing before the Appropriations Committee on March 23 at 1:30.

The last day for committee hearings will be March 24. We will then move to all-day floor debate the following Monday. I would not rule out late-night sessions at that time if we are not progressing well. The pace of the Legislature will only increase as session moves along and your input is an important tool in guiding me on the many issues we will be considering. Please continue to submit public comments on individual bills at NebraskaLegislature.gov, or feel free to reach out to me directly at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov or 402-471-2729. My door is always open!