Legislature receives budget, announces timeline for budget bill debate

This past week, the Legislature made some progress in breaking through the logjam of bills currently sitting on the agenda. Senators are trying to find ways to move their bills since time for debate on non-budget bills is growing short. The budget is scheduled to be advanced to the full Legislature on April 29, and Speaker Arch announced that debate on budget bills will begin on May 6.

One measure advanced to Final Reading this past week was Sen. Hallstrom’s LB80. This bill builds upon legislation I tried to pass last year, LB1098, to help further protect individuals from abuse and harassment....