Monday, March 30, marks Day 52 of the 60-day session. The Legislature will meet for four days this week and four days the week of April 5.

We may then return on April 17 for Day 60 to discuss any veto overrides or pass any final pieces of legislation.

Bills must “layover” a day between Select File and Final Reading, and it is unusual for a bill to be heard on General File and Select File on the same day since it needs to be reviewed by revisors between rounds of debate. As a result, a bill must be heard on General File by next Tuesday to have enough time to pass through the legislative process.

Any bill that does not pass this year will be indefinitely postponed once the Legislature adjourns. We will start with a clean slate of new bills next year, which is also the start of the next biennium.

Given the short time remaining in session, we will go late every night this week to try to get through as many bills as possible. This is the part of the session that I don’t look forward to. Everyone is getting limited sleep, and patience always runs thin. When we hold late-night debates, some bills move very quickly if they have little opposition. However, controversial bills get more contentious than normal.

Staying focused on the goal is important. Most of my bills are moving and should get to the finish line as long as we don’t get bogged down in significant filibusters.

One possible filibuster on the horizon is on the brand bill, LB 1187. The Agriculture Committee has continued to make changes to the bill that not only modify the fee structures but also change the makeup of the brand committee, how often audits are conducted, and who is subject to audits and inspections. These proposed changes will be met with strong opposition from many who are following the bill, and further amendments will likely be needed on the floor to avoid a filibuster at each stage of debate going forward.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Speaker asked Chair Barry DeKay to show there are 33 votes for cloture before allowing debate to continue. Failure to show 33 votes will likely cause the Speaker to pass over the bill. Sen. Tanya Storer and I have an amendment that we believe would remove most of the objections to the bill and make us comfortable standing down on opposing the bill. I think everyone wants something to pass this year, but the current proposal from the Agriculture Committee goes too far.

Last week, my priority bill, LB 525, was heard and advanced from General File with little debate. The bill creates the first-of-its-kind ag data privacy protection for agricultural producers. The bill has strong support from the ag community and should easily pass this year.

After two failed attempts, LB 1071, the mid-biennium budget adjustment bill, also advanced to Select File to join LB 1072, the fund transfer bill. Both bills are postured to pass the next two rounds of debate and be signed by the governor.

The principal balance of the Perkins County Canal was preserved, along with the planned income tax cuts approved by previous Legislatures. Property tax credit provisions already in place will also make their scheduled increase again this year.

Closer to home, I am hopeful that the weather forecasts are correct and we get some much-needed moisture. Getting the new fires extinguished and preventing additional fires from starting will be huge. We will also need rain to green up the pastures and start rehabilitating burned areas. I cannot say enough how proud I am of our volunteer firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, and everyone who stepped up to contain the fires and limit the damage. I want to thank everyone again for donating hay, supplies, and hauling services to keep our cattlemen going. The extent of the losses is undetermined at this point, but will be massive. God bless everyone impacted.

It continues to be a privilege to represent you in the Nebraska Legislature, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding issues that are important to you. I can be reached at 402-471-2729 or by emailing me at mjacobson@leg.ne.gov.

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