The Rita Record Special – Senator Sanders’ Priority Bill Signed by the Governor

Yesterday was a remarkable day for my office. My priority bill, LB 389, was signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts yesterday morning!

Photo Courtesy/Gov. Ricketts Office                                                                                                       

I have told you a little bit about this bill in my previous newsletters, but let me give you a recap: LB 389 does three things. First, it makes it easier for military spouses to get a teaching license in Nebraska if they hold another license in another state. Second, while an application for that license is processing, the bill lets the applicant get right to work with a preliminary permit – as long as they pass a background check first, and pay the application fee. Finally, the bill requires the State Board of Education to make this application process as fast as possible.

Why is this so important? For years, military families have moved in and out of Nebraska because they have been stationed at Offutt Air Force Base. These deployments usually last three or four years. Meanwhile, a spouse may want to earn extra income for that family. Many of these spouses teach – but the tedious and lengthy process of getting a license to teach in a Nebraska school discouraged many from trying. Now, the process is quicker – but still thorough.

This benefits us in many other ways. Many schools in Nebraska face a teacher shortage – now, these districts have access to more qualified teachers to fill those spots. Additionally, the Department of Defense named spouse reciprocity licensure one of their top issues when considering where to place additional missions. Now, we check all three of their boxes in this category. Before LB 389, we only checked one.

This is my first bill in the Legislature to be signed by the Governor. I think that’s fitting, because Offutt Air Force Base provides $2.7 billion in economic impact every year. A lot of that goes to District 45. Offutt will always be one of my top priorities in the Legislature because of its irreplaceable benefit to our economy, our citizens and our country.

I owe a big thank you to Governor Pete Ricketts for bringing this bill to me. He has been a positive voice at the forefront of this issue for many years, and his work has been instrumental in advancing this legislation. I also want to thank all of my cosponsors – Senators Gragert, Murman, Brewer and Blood – for their help in bringing this bill to the finish line.