State senators fill leadership positions

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, three had previously served in the legislature but were affected by term limits, requiring them to sit out for at least four years before running again.

There were no legislative staff or media sitting at the sides of the chamber, as media must now report from the balcony and legislative staff are only allowed on the floor when their senator’s bill is being discussed. Plexiglas dividers were installed to separate desks of senators and masks are encouraged.

One of the biggest concerns is how to conduct the public hearing process. In Nebraska, every bill introduced is guaranteed a public hearing, whereby the public can testify in support of, in opposition to or in a neutral capacity. Some of these hearings can attract a large number of testifiers, making compliance with social distancing requirements difficult. Information on how the legislature will proceed with the public hearing process will be available soon.

On the first day of the legislative session, senators were elected to leadership positions. Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers ran unopposed for speaker of the legislature. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango, filled Hilgers’ previous position of chair of the Executive Board, also running unopposed.

Omaha senator Tony Vargas retained the vice-chair position of the Executive Board over Sen. Julie Slama of Peru.

Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte lost his position as chair of the Education Committee to Fremont senator Lynne Walz and Lincoln senator Matt Hansen lost his Business and Labor chair to Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair.

I ran for the chair of the Natural Resources Committee, but lost to Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, who previously served as vice chairman.

Gering Senator John Stinner retained his chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee, as did Elkhorn Senator Lou Ann Linehan of the Revenue Committee. Omaha Senator Steve Lathrop will continue to chair the Judiciary Committee.

I will again serve on the Natural Resources Committee, which meets weekly on Wednesday through Friday, and was selected to serve on the Business and Labor Committee on Mondays and the Agriculture Committee on Tuesdays. Previously, I served on the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Bills can be introduced during the first ten days of this 90-day session. Senators are currently in the process of finalizing changes to drafts in order to get them submitted by January 20th.

This session will mark my third year of serving the constituents of District #40, which covers Boyd, Cedar, Dixon, Holt, Knox and Rock counties. During this session, lawmakers will work on redistricting. Every ten years, after new census figures are available, the legislative boundaries must be redrawn to reflect population changes.

I want to again remind you of the Legislature’s website at NebraskaLegislature.gov. It contains a wealth of information. Viewers can read the text of bills, search state laws, find their senator, follow the progress of a certain bill, read the Unicameral Update and watch the legislature live through video streaming.

During the legislative session, I will be in Lincoln during the week and back home in Creighton on the weekends. When I am not in the office, my staff will be able to assist you. Alex Brechbill is my administrative assistant and he answers the phone and is responsible for my schedule. Kim Davis, my legislative aide, works on legislation and constituent issues.

In order to effectively represent District #40, I encourage your input. My email address is [email protected] and my mailing address is District #40, P.O. Box 94604, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509. My telephone number at the state capitol is 402-471-2801.