State budget approved, anti-abortion bill stalls and eviction moratorium fails

 

August 6, 2020



Luna Stephens and Katie Anderson

Nebraska News Service

During the Nebraska Legislature’s second week back in session, senators advanced the state’s budget to final reading. Senators also attempted to bring new pieces of legislation to address pandemic-related issues like evictions and regulations for meatpacking workers.

State budget

Senators advanced two state budget bills to final reading on July 28 including $55.2 million for damage from the 2019 floods, $10 million to the rural workforce housing investment fund and $3.7 million increase in developmental disability provider rates.

LB1008, presented by Speaker Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk at the request of Gov. Pete Ricketts, is the $9.4 billion mainline state budget bill.

Prior to COVID-19, the legislature expected to have $133.8 million left over to fund bills pertaining to property tax relief and business incentives. After the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met on July 23, the board projected nearly $90 million will be available for the legislative floor to fund bills like property tax relief and business incentives.

Abortion ban

Senators spent much of the afternoon on July 29 debating Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist’s LB814, which would prohibit second-trimester dismemberment abortion on live fetuses. The procedure is referred to medically as dilation and evacuation.

The bill was brought to the floor after Geist’s pull motion to bring the bill out of the Judiciary Committee passed. A pull motion is a way for a senator to request that the legislature debate a bill that is stuck at an impasse in a committee.

Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha moved to indefinitely suspend the bill and no vote was taken on it after three hours of debate.

Eviction moratorium and affordable housing

LB866, introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, would incentivize cities to build affordable housing. Called the Density Bonus and Inclusionary Housing Act, the bill would allow for builders to build more units in an area than usually allowed and provide other incentives such as a reduction in site development standards and waived parking requirements.

No vote was taken on the bill on July 27, and senators failed to pass an amendment to the bill proposed by Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln meant to prevent evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The amendment was ruled ungermane, or not relevant to the bill it was seeking to amend, and a motion to override the ruling failed.

Meatpacking workers

Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha attempted, but failed, to suspend legislative rules to introduce a new bill on July 29. Usually, bills are only allowed to be introduced within the first 10 days of the legislative session.

The bill would have created new workplace protections for employees at meat processing facilities, who have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Vargas’ motion to suspend the rule failed. However, Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln, chairman of the Business and Labor Committee, has scheduled a hearing for meatpacking workers.

School violence

LB147, introduced by Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, chairman of the Education Committee, failed to advance after its first round of debate on July 30. A cloture motion by Groene meant to force a vote on the bill failed.

The bill would change the Student Discipline Act to give teachers legal protection for defending themselves and others against violent students. This bill was introduced in 2019.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

LB848, proposed by Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln, advanced to final reading after debate on July 30. An amendment, which was adopted, would make the second Monday in October known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day.

An amendment to LB848 introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon was adopted. This amendment asks the clerk of the legislature to display trial flags of the four federally recognized Native American tribes within Nebraska in the Warner Legislative Chamber.

Groene proposed a floor amendment on July 30 that failed. The amendment would not include Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October.

 

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