Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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In early December, the former chair of the executive board, along with chairs of standing committees, sent an email to senators suggesting they limit the number of bills introduced. This would assist with safety measures being developed for senators and the public, in preparation for the legislative session during a pandemic. However, 684 bills were still introduced during 10 days of bill introduction. Although this number was less than the 739 bills in 2019, it was more than the 667 bills...
Governor Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature this past week. He highlighted 2021-23 state budget recommendations for senators. This will be his last biennial budget proposal, as his eight years in office will be completed at the end of next year. Ricketts recounted the devastating flood in 2019 and coronavirus pandemic that followed in 2020. He commended Nebraskans for responding in the Nebraska Way - by working together to overcome challenges. The...
Senator Tom Briese, a long-time proponent of property tax relief in the Nebraska Legislature, introduced LR21 CA last week. LR21 CA would require the state to fund all K-12 classroom expenses. In introducing it, Briese said, “For far too long, the State of Nebraska has shirked its obligation to provide for the free education of its students. Instead, the state has continually chosen to pass on the bulk of the cost of public education to its property taxpayers. In fact, Nebraska is nearly last in the country in the percentage of K-12 education f...
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...
The 107th Legislature, first session, began Wednesday, Jan.6 under different circumstances from other years. Due to the pandemic, families of the newly-elected and re-elected senators were not allowed to sit on the floor but had to be seated in the balcony. The chief justice of the Supreme Court administered the oath to the newly-elected and re-elected senators, who remained at their seats instead of gathering up front for the swearing-in ceremony. Eight new senators took their oath, of which, t...
Jeremy J. Mathrole, 40, of Crofton appeared in the Antelope County district courtroom Wednesday, Oct. 28, for sentencing on a count of violating the Nebraska Sexual Offender Registration Act. Mathrole was represented by Antelope County public defender Pat Carney of Norfolk, who commented, “I think this is a lesson for the Legislature,” citing the differences in registry regulations in different states and his client’s travel to multiple states for work. He requested a sentence of time already served, alternately stating Mathrole had the abili...
The Antelope County results are in for the 2020 general election. County clerk and election commissioner Lisa Payne noted 3,615 voters out of the 4,570 registered in the county cast ballots before and on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The people who turned out for the election voted for candidates who were running for positions at the local, county, regional, state and federal levels. "We counted 1,340 early voters, leaving 2,275 voting in person on Election Day," Payne said. "I did not hear of any problems...
General election results, from Nov. 3, 2020, for Antelope County, include: President Tilden 1st: Trump/Pence: 87 Biden/Harris: 15 Jorgensen/Cohen: 0 Write-in: 1 Tilden Precinct: Trump/Pence: 101 Biden/Harris: 9 Jorgensen/Cohen: 1 Oakdale: Trump/Pence: 152 Biden/Harris: 18 Jorgensen/Cohen: 3 Neligh P: Trump/Pence: 154 Biden/Harris: 10 Jorgensen/Cohen: 2 Neligh 1: Trump/Pence: 234 Biden/Harris: 21 Jorgensen/Cohen: 2 Neligh 2: Trump/Pence: 163 Biden/Harris: 21 Jorgensen/Cohen: 6 Brunswick:...
Antelope County residents who want to request ballots for early voting in the 2020 general election soon will run out of time to do so. The deadline for requesting ballots by mail or fax a request to vote early in this year's general election – scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3 – is 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. County residents who want to request ballots in person to vote early, must do so by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the county clerk's office inside the courthouse in Neligh. All ballots for early vot...
Together, and only together, Nebraskans can rebuild the state’s struggling child care system, which is reeling during COVID-19. We can do it in a way that makes age-old problems, like a statewide shortage of quality child care, largely disappear. And we can do it in a way that benefits families, companies, communities and our state economy. That was the message Nebraskans delivered to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee at a recent hearing. Child care providers, the University of Nebraska’s president, business leaders and experts made...
The current legislative session officially concluded on day 60, which was Thursday, Aug. 13. We concluded the session by hearing remarks from the six term limited and outgoing senators and passing several bills through final reading. One bill we passed was LB 1107, a comprehensive package of property tax relief and business incentives. The focus on property tax reform this past session began as the Revenue Committee’s LB 974. It was a combination of foundation aid for all school districts in N...
Emotions ran high again this week, as legislators tried to complete their priorities during the last few days of this legislative session. As I had hoped, the Revenue Committee advanced a package that joined property tax relief, business tax incentives and a major project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This proposal was contained in a compromise amendment to LB 1107, a placeholder bill introduced by the Speaker of the Legislature, Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk. The current Property T...
Governor Pete Ricketts gathered with pro-life leaders on the steps of the State Capitol, Aug. 15, to sign new pro-life legislation into law. The governor signed LB 814, a bill that prohibits the brutal practice of dismemberment abortion in Nebraska. LB 814 makes it a felony crime to perform a dismemberment abortion anywhere in Nebraska, punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. "Nebraska is a pro-life state, and this week the Legislature took an important step to...
As the 2020-2021 fiscal year neared its second month, Antelope County leaders started their annual budget work with a special workshop meeting last week at the courthouse in Neligh. The budget must be submitted to the state by Sept. 20, with a public hearing required prior to its adoption. Although values won't be certified until later in the month, Assessor Kelly Meuller-Oltjenbruns has unofficially reported about a 3% decrease in valuation countywide. Commissioners reviewed department's...
The last two weeks in the Legislature have seen a flurry of activity, as senators worked hard to get a great number of bills passed in a short number of days. There were some heated debates on the floor and emotions ran very hot for a few days, with contentious issues turning into some personal squabbles between senators on either side of those issues. With so much to accomplish in such a short time, perhaps this should be expected, but I am always hopeful that cooler heads will prevail and we...
The Legislature passed the budget bills this past week, containing their recommendations for adjustments to the biennial budget that was passed last year. Now it will be up to the governor whether he signs the legislation or uses his line-item veto authority. Earlier in the week, senators gave second-round approval to the budget bills after a lengthy debate. An amendment to LB 1008 was offered by Omaha Senator Machaela Cavanaugh to direct how the remaining funding from the federal Coronavirus...
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 inc...
Luna Stephens and Katie Anderson Nebraska News Service Senators passed two state budget bills on July 31 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. After final reading, bills are submitted to the governor. The governor must sign, veto or line item veto the budget...
State senators resumed the legislative session July 20, after breaking for almost four months due to coronavirus. We are set to complete this 60-day session Aug. 13. During this first week back, we immediately began debating the major issues left pending. Senators voted 30-8 to pull LB 814 from the Judiciary Committee and place it on General File so it can be debated. LB 814 would prohibit live dismemberment abortion and provide for criminal penalties for physicians who perform such abortions....
The Nebraska Legislature reconvened on July 20, after a break of more than four months due to the pandemic. When we recessed, we had 17 working days remaining to debate and pass legislation, and those days have been moved to late July through early August in order to complete our work. While things could always change again, we are currently slated to work through the 13th of August to finish out the 60 working days of our session. In the intervening weeks and months, many Nebraskans have had...
KATIE ANDERSON Nebraska News Service With the summer session less than three weeks away, Nebraska Legislature's leaders say there are important tax and revenue topics to be debated and hope to keep everyone safe inside the Capitol. When the 17-day session reconvenes July 20, changes most notable to the public will be how the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber is set up and how it will function. Due to COVID-19, the Legislature is taking safety precautions for senators' return. "The speaker...
LUNA STEPHENS Nebraska News Service While much of the attention on this summer's legislative session will likely be focused on property tax relief, Nebraska state senators passed a variety of bills before the session was suspended and have more to discuss. The Nebraska Legislature's 2020 session was suspended March 16 because of COVID-19 concerns and will resume July 20. Here's a look at some of the legislation that became laws, and some that will continue to be debated when the Legislature resu...
KATIE ANDERSON Nebraska News Service Property tax relief is on the agenda for the 17-day legislative session later this month, but opponents argue that the proposed property tax relief plan will hinder school district spending and taxing authority. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the revenue committee, is leading the charge to get a property tax relief package passed when the Legislature resumes on July 20. “We have a property tax crisis more severe now in agriculture but moving toward suburbia,” Linehan said. “If you b...
On Monday of this week, Speaker Scheer announced the Legislature would return from our extended adjournment on July 20. I believe that this is an appropriate time to allow the curve in Nebraska to flatten and to give senators and staff time to prepare to finish our session for this year. I am grateful for the time laid out before us to work on how the Legislature can best set up the state for success as we emerge from the conditions we have been under. The top item on my list of priorities...
Two state senators want Nebraska to loosen restrictions enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus to help the state’s hurting economy. Sen. Steve Halloran, of Hastings, and Sen. Steve Erdman, of Bayard, said they believe fear and panic directed policy decisions surrounding the pandemic, and they are ready for businesses, schools and Nebraska’s Legislature to reopen. “We cannot afford to go another day with this current failed policy,” the senators wrote in a commentary piece published in the Hastings Tribune April 12. While Gov. Pete Ri...
