Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Today, agriculture, food, and related trades employ more than one in 10 American workers and contribute over $1.5 trillion to our annual Gross Domestic Product. In Nebraska, one in four jobs are related to agriculture. According to the latest data from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, our state is ranked first in total beef exports, second in ethanol production, and fifth in overall agricultural exports among the 50 states. We live in a time when agriculture security is emerging as a key...
July 4th is Independence Day in America. This day commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. I hope that you are able to enjoy time with your friends and family. As we take the day to celebrate our country’s independence, we should remember the many brave men and women who have fought and sacrificed so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. I also want to make known that July 1, was the implementation date for one final p...
The Legislature has officially entered an interim period between the first and second regular sessions of the 109th Legislature. The interim provides time for senators and their staff to begin preparing for the next regular session, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Yet, Senators also remain busy with interim studies to research topics of interest in hopes of bringing stakeholders to the table. This year, I introduced three interim studies: LR178, LR179, and LR180. LR178...
This week, I would like to outline my legislative accomplishments for this year. Bills passed this session include 13 of the 15 bills that I introduced in January. My legislation that made it across to the governor’s desk includes: LB7, which updates legislation I passed last year, LB1301, the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act. LB7 clarifies that (1) Native American tribes are not foreign governments and are not barred from purchasing and owning real property in the state, (2) upda...
The 109th Legislature’s first session has adjourned sine die. As of the day of adjournment, the Legislature had passed 175 bills, excluding “A” bills, and one proposed constitutional amendment. Without going into my legislative accomplishments (that I will address in next week’s newsletter), I’d like to deviate from my normal newsletters and just provide my own personal assessment of how the Legislature did this session. In my mind, there were three major successes and one disappoin...
This past week, the Legislature considered a measure to increase property tax relief. LB170 by Senator Brandt would raise revenue through (1) the removal of sales tax exemptions on eighteen luxury goods and services like limousine rentals, (2) increasing the excise tax on cigarettes, and (3) creating new taxes on cigars and vapes. The purpose of this bill was to raise revenue which would then be allocated to help offset school district property taxes paid. During debate, however, it soon became...
The question of whether Delta-8 and similar hemp-derived products are to remain legal in Nebraska was the topic of debate this past week. The federal 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production with 0.3% or less Delta-9 THC, but other compounds like Delta-8 THC and Delta-10 THC were not limited. The result has been the rapid rise of vape and smoke shops offering for sale Delta-8, Delta-10, and similar hemp-derived products across the state. While some establishments comply with the federal law, oth...
This past week, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony on my bill, LB73, relating to law enforcement continuing education requirements. This legislation is the result of conversations I had with area sheriffs last year regarding law enforcement staffing shortages. In 2021, the Legislature passed LB51 which increased the amount of continuing education each law enforcement officer across the state must take each calendar year from 20 hours to 32 hours. LB51 was brought to improve law enforcement...
This past week, senators gave first-round approval to two bills advanced to the floor by the Agriculture Committee: LB7 and LB372. My bill LB7 would make a number of technical updates to the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act. This Act was created last year by my priority bill, LB1301. More specifically, LB7, as amended, would do three main things: (1) clarify that Native American tribes are not considered “foreign governments” under the Act, (2) update federal regulations in Neb...
This week, I would like to discuss two bills I presented at public hearings. In the Natural Resources Committee, I brought forward LB480, a bill which would provide the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission the authority to carry out other projects at Niobrara State Park and Lake McConaughy other than the ones studied by the STAR WARS Special Committee and authorized by the Legislature in 2022. The current law only allows money in the Water Recreation Enhancement Fund to be spent on marina...
This past week, the Legislature concluded bill introduction for this year’s legislative session. A total of 715 bills and 22 resolutions were introduced. Compared to 2023, the Legislature saw fewer bills and resolutions introduced, partially the result of a rule change passed in 2024 to ensure each bill introduced has more time to be heard and considered during the committee hearing process. This year, I introduced 15 bills covering a variety of topics ranging from reducing the number of b...
Wednesday, Jan. 8 marked the first day of the 109th Legislature, First Session. This session also marks the beginning of the third year that I am serving as the representative of the 40th Legislative District. The 40th District covers Antelope, Cedar, Holt and Knox counties, as well as the northern portions of both Dixon and Pierce counties. This Legislature has sixteen new faces. Also returning to the Unicameral is Senator Dan Quick who previously served from 2017-2021. Almost a third of the...
I first want to start this week’s update by expressing my gratitude to our state’s congressional delegation with regards to the recent passage of Senate Bill 1478 in Congress. This bill would designate U.S. Hwy 20 in the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” While then-Governor Ricketts approved the renaming of U.S. Hwy 20 in Nebraska as the “Nebraska Medal of Honor Hi...
This week, the Legislature concluded bill introduction and public hearings in this special session. Generally, in a special session, few bills are introduced and public hearings are finished in a couple of days. In this special session, a total of 81 bills and 24 constitutional amendments were introduced during three days of bill introduction, the most proposed during any special session since 1937. The large number of introduced proposals required six days of public hearings. Speaker Arch...
On April 18, the Legislature completed its work for this 60-day legislative session. Although the last day is typically reserved for veto overrides and closing remarks, the Legislature also took action on 15 bills remaining on Final Reading. Notably, the governor’s proposed property tax package contained in LB388 stalled when it became clear that the bill did not have the votes to break a filibuster. LB388 was then passed over on the agenda at the request of the introducing senator, meaning t...
Although the Legislature was only in session for three days this week, senators were productive in moving legislation to Final Reading. This year, there was not enough time to take up every bill that was sitting on General File due to the time a bill must lay over for review by the Revisor’s Office. Much of the remaining time was spent on legislation that was on Select File or Final Reading. After the 59th day, the Legislature will be in recess for a few days to allow the governor to sign or v...
The beginning of April brings us closer to the end of this year’s legislative session. There are many bills still left to debate and little time to consider all of the priority bills brought forward this year. The week began with the resumption of debate on the governor’s proposed property tax relief package: LB388 and LB1331. LB388 initially proposed an up-to-1% increase of the sales tax, from the current rate of 5.5% to possibly as high as 6.5%, and raising taxes and eliminating tax exe...
This week saw the Legislature in session for only three days to conclude public hearings on more than 600 bills and resolutions introduced this year. It is also at this point in the legislative session when only bills with priority status make the agenda. Every senator is authorized to designate one bill as his or her personal priority bill. Committees are allowed to select two bills, while the speaker of the Legislature can designate up to 25 bills as speaker priority bills. Since committees...
This week, I presented my priority bill for this year before members of the Agriculture Committee: LB1301. This bill would adopt the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act and bring our antiquated foreign land ownership statutes up to date. Our statutes were first enacted in 1889 and many sections were last updated only in 1943. The bill would modernize these statutes by restricting federally-designated foreign adversaries from owning agricultural land, empowering the attorney general...
We are now over a third of the way through this short session of the biennium. This week focused on hearings and debate on railroads, daylight saving time, kratom, hemp-derived THC and many other issues. The Legislature has spent its days engaged in debate and committee hearings as per usual, yet that does not mean we have avoided filibuster this session. LB31, put forward by Sen. Jacobson, would require railroads to have a minimum of two individuals on their crews. Three days of debate were...
The Legislature is now past Day 40 and is almost halfway through the current Legislative session. In floor debate, only a couple of bills have been discussed in depth. LB 753 would adopt the Opportunity Scholarships Act and provide education scholarships to assist eligible students to attend a qualified, nonprofit, private elementary or secondary school. Under the act, individual and corporate taxpayers would qualify for a non-refundable tax credit equal to the amount the taxpayer contributed...
