Last week the legislature heard LB 809 on the floor. This is a Natural Resources Committee priority bill. LB 809 was introduced by Senator Mike Moser of Columbus. It amends the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Act and the Wastewater Treatment Facilities Construction Assistance Act. The changes will reflect the existing federal regulations and also the new provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

During this second session of the 107th Legislature, I have introduced twelve bills and one proposed constitutional amendment. Additionally, I have cosponsored several other bills from other senators that I believe deserve to be debated on the legislative floor, and ultimately passed. Here are highlights of a few of those bills.

The saying goes “time heals all wounds”, but what happens when a wound does not heal? Wounds go through many stages while healing and complications at any step can prolong the process. The first step is stopping the bleeding.

We’re over halfway through this year’s session. There is still a lot of work to be done. The committees are done with hearings for this year unless they have confirmation hearings for appointees to Boards and Commissions. All day debate started this week and beginning next week, there are several evening hour debates scheduled. There is a short amount of time this year due to it being a 60 day session as well as the time spent debating how to most effectively spend the ARPA money. Therefore, even if a bill is advanced out of committee it may not be debated this year unless a senator, a committee, or the speaker make it a priority bill. If not designated a priority, a bill could also be amended into another bill that is moving through the legislative process.

The New York Times wants you to believe that farmers and ranchers are destroying the planet. In an opinion video called “Meet the People Getting Paid to Kill Our Planet,” the first of a three-part series, the narrator rants for 14 minutes about the supposed evils of agriculture.

One thing that COVID-19 has highlighted is a shortage of medical personnel in rural Nebraska. The number of COVID patients put a strain on an already burdened healthcare workforce. I have introduced legislation this session to try and combat this shortage.

Perhaps this has happened to you: Your recent cough kept you up for another night, so you went to the doctor. The nurse took your vitals, the doctor asked you some questions, listened to your lungs, maybe looked at your ears and your throat, and recommended rest, fluids, over the counter treatments, and time. It all seemed fine until you got home and realized the doctor did not “do anything” for you.

Thursday, February 24th was “Pro-Life Legislative Day” at the Capitol. This event was sponsored by Nebraska Right to Life. Many people from across the state who value life came to meet with their state senators and to show their support for three pro-life bills heard before the Judiciary Committee. I am an ardent supporter of the pro-life movement, and was able to address the group at their morning gathering at the Cornhusker Hotel. Joining me were State Senators Joni Albrecht of Thurston, Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, and Julie Slama of Peru, as well as Lt. Governor Mike Foley, a champion for life in our state. The three senators each spoke about their pending life-affirming bills, and I spoke about my bill, LB 963, which calls for the adoption of the “Medical Ethics and Diversity Act.”

Cancer is a broad term which encompasses many different diseases, and each type of cancer has different patterns and tendencies. But at its core, cancer means a group of cells which is growing uncontrollably, due to one or multiple genetic mutations.

By my count, I have slept in my own home six of the last 12 nights. There have been two trips to Omaha, another stay in North Platte and yet another with some family in Arapahoe. We’ll get to that in a bit, but it’s been a blur.