Last Friday was day 3o of the 90 day session, which means we have made it a third of the way through this session. Even though we still have a few weeks left of bill hearings, the committees have been busy advancing bills to general file so once morning debates commence there will be bills on the agenda to discuss. A few weeks ago I wrote about the redistricting process we must go through every 10 years and I mentioned at that time that the data we need from the federal government may be delayed. We received notice last week that they do not believe that we will get that information before the end of September so that leaves a lot of questions in the air. As I learn new information about what the process will be I will keep you updated. It is important to finish redistricting as soon as possible because 2022 is an election year and people need to know which district they will be in because it may affect their decision whether they will run. On a side note, I encourage you to get involved and run for a local office, the best way to effect change is to get involved.

Nebraska is a national leader in the quality of our state highway system. This is no accident—Nebraskans take pride in building high-quality infrastructure and understand the of our to grow our state. For example, Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers led the charge for rural electrification in the 1930s. With their backing, Nebraska Senator George Norris co-sponsored the Rural Electrification Act, which was key to bringing electricity to rural communities throughout the state. Today, we have the opportunity to build next generation infrastructure by expanding reliable, high-speed broadband networks to corner of Nebraska.

I can hear it now. My grandpa repeating the same old story about how awful winters were when he was a kid. Oh...and it better be bad, bad weather if they were going to call off school. No snow days for a couple inches. No late starts. If you were late or didn’t get there, they went on without you. Then came that famous line that every grandpa tells.

I’ve learned a lot from my patients over the years. Sometimes, the lessons are learned as I walk beside them through struggles, both medical and non-medical. Sometimes, the lessons are explicitly stated, words of wisdom that stick with me through the years, and change the way I understand illness, or life in general.

We had a morning of floor debate on Tuesday this week, but we will not engage regularly in debate until Tuesday, March 2. We are doing our best to get through as many bills in committee as possible. The second week of March we will have morning floor debate followed by afternoon committee hearings and executive sessions as needed. The plan is to finish all committee hearings, other than Judiciary, by March 4th. Due to the number of bills referred to the Judiciary Committee, they will not finish up until March 12th.

Nebraska is on the path to becoming the best state in the nation for military personnel and veterans. We’ve been instituting new policies that benefit military families and veterans and that connect them opportunities in the workforce. We want to encourage the veterans who live here now to stay in Nebraska and contribute their skills to grow our state. We also want to invite others to relocate or retire here.

This January, our country swore in a new Congress. In the coming weeks and months, we will see democracy in action as the Senate and House of Representatives work on legislation that will help improve the lives of families in Nebraska and across the country.

We have had 2 five day weeks of all day hearings. There have been some hiccups in the new schedule and also with the new testimony submission options. The days are busy for senators and staff alike. However, for the most part, pretty Some committees have a bigger load than others, and therefore their days are packed and make for long days.

This legislative session, Senators can take the next step towards solving Nebraska’s high property tax problem. Rising property taxes not only burden family farmers and ranchers, but they drive away businesses and prevent families from achieving the American dream of home ownership.

After months of planning, the Gerlach house has a new addition. Our children have been asking for a dog for years and we finally acquiesced.