Legislative Updates

This past week began with the Legislature being notified of the Governor’s veto of $64 million within the budget bills. The Appropriations Committee met early in the week and developed a package of items that they recommended for override. …

With less than ten days left in this legislative session, the Legislature is in the midst of many controversial issues. The budget bills were given final approval this past week. …

The budget bills were discussed during the second stage of debate this past week. Senator Ernie Chambers offered an amendment to strip $5 million in one-time funding for county jails. A number of county jail facilities in the state have available empty beds. …

The Legislature gave first-round approval to the budget bills that make adjustments to the biennial budget passed last year. The Appropriations Committee’s recommendations result in a net increase of $27,739 over the two-year period. …

As vice-chair of the Legislative Performance Audit Committee, I introduced LB 836 this past week before the Revenue Committee. LB 836 proposes to add basic goal language to certain tax incentive programs, such as the Nebraska Advantage Act and the Angel Investment Tax Credit Act, that currently…

Last year, the Legislature passed LB 517, which created the Nebraska Water Funding Task Force. I was appointed to serve on the task force, which met throughout the interim. The task force was to focus on the long-term sustainability of water resources in our state. …

Public hearings were held on five of the bills that I introduced this past week. I also introduced two more bills on behalf of the Legislative Performance Audit Committee, of which I serve as vice-chair. The public hearing for LB 1033 was held before the Appropriations Committee. …

Seat belts, texting, and Medicaid expansion were the topics of bills heard this past week by the committees on which I serve. LB 807, the Nebraska Roadway Safety Act, was heard before the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday, January 28. …

Four hundred and sixty bills and six constitutional amendments were introduced during the 10-day introduction period for this legislative session. I introduced seven bills, some on behalf of constituents and some at the request of various organizations. …

The Governor gave his final State of the State address to the Legislature this past week. He began his speech on the topic of health care, referring to the many problems with the federal Affordable Care Act. …