The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

Last week, the Nebraska Unicameral convened the 107th legislature. On the first day, we elected officers. Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln was unanimously elected speaker and I am very glad to have him serving us. I was honored to be re-elected as chair of the General Affairs Committee, a post I have held the last two years. The General Affairs committee handles subjects as wide ranging as breweries and distilleries, gambling, tobacco, intellectual property, libraries and cemeteries. I have enjoyed working with many people over the last two years and look forward to continuing to work with them.

A committee of senators also determined committee assignments for the next two years and I was selected again to serve on the Revenue Committee, which sets tax policy, and the Urban Affairs Committee, which sets policy dealing with cities, towns and villages.

This year is shaping up to be a bit different than those in the past. Like in previous years, we can only introduce bills up to the tenth day of session. Unlike previous years, it looks like the introduction of bills will be the only thing we do until the tenth day of session, which this year is Jan. 20. We will hear the governor’s State of the State address on the 14th and the chief justice’s State of the Judiciary on the 21st. We will debate the adoption of new rules, potentially for several days, and we will begin public hearings on the 25th. Speaker Hilgers, and all who serve as committee chairs, have made carrying on with hearings a top priority. Nebraska is one of the only states in the nation where each and every bill must receive a hearing and input from the public. We regard the people of Nebraska as our “second house,” and that is paramount. We are looking at a variety of options so that every single Nebraskan who wants to express their views on a bill has the opportunity to do so in a way that they are comfortable with.

In the first couple of days, I introduced a few bills designed to make life easier for everyday, hardworking Nebraskans. LB 139 is a liability shield to protect small businesses, schools and medical providers from frivolous lawsuits relating to the COVID pandemic. LB79 would add on to the successes of last year’s LB1107 by requiring that the newly-established statutory minimum in the Property Tax Credit Fund grow by the same allowable growth rate as the refundable income tax credit in the same bill. This will ensure that all aspects of the property tax relief passed last year grow to a point where they will be able to provide true relief.