Sen. Williams: Priority bills in the legislature

Greetings District 36! Last week, Committees finished holding public hearings on bills introduced this session. This week, the Legislature moved to full day sessions with debate taking place in the mornings and afternoons.

There were about 700 bills introduced this session and each bill received a public hearing. However, not every bill makes it to the floor for debate. In addition, there is often not enough time to debate and vote on all of the bills that are advanced from Committee. In order to manage the time we have, the Legislature’s rules allow some bills to be prioritized. Bills designated as priorities jump ahead of non-priority bills if they advance from Committee. Each Senator may designate one personal priority bill, Standing Committees may designate two, a few of the Special Committees may designate one, and the Speaker may designate up to 25. For the most part, Speaker priority bills are non controversial, have little fiscal impact, and have an important need to pass this year. Individual Senator and Committee priority bills, on the other hand, often involve issues that individuals feel passionate about and some of those bills take time to move through the process. A priority designation does not guarantee a bill will advance from Committee nor does it guarantee a bill will pass should it advance from Committee.

All told, 101 bills were designated priority bills. In addition to the 49 individual Senator priority bills and the 25 Speaker priority bills, there are 26 Committee Priority Bills. Thirty one of the designated priority bills remain in Committee. I chose LB322, which would enact the Safe2HelpNE statewide report line, because I believe the safety of our schoolchildren is vital.. As I have reported previously, LB322 advanced from General File to Select File, which is the second state of debate. Other priority bills discussed this week include LB561, a General Affairs Committee priority bill that will implement the successful ballot initiative that allows for casino gaming at horse racing tracks located in the State. Regardless of individual opposition to expanded gambling, the voters said yes to casino gaming, and therefore it’s important that the Legislature enact a strong regulatory framework. After lengthy debate, LB561 also advanced to Select File, though more work will be done on the bill before we take it up again.

Next week, the Appropriations Committee of the Legislature will deliver its proposal for the State’s biennial budget to the full Legislature, which is a month earlier than customary. The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board increased its projections for the amount of Revenue that will be brought in to the State’s General Fund. The Legislature bases the State’s budget on the Board’s projections. The Nebraska Constitution requires the Legislature to pass a balanced budget. With the increase in projected revenues, I expect that the promises made in the property tax bill enacted last year will be fulfilled and that we will be able to restore the “rainy day fund’’ to a suitable level.

As always, feel free to contact me anytime at 402-4712642 or mwilliams@leg.ne.gov. Thanks again for your continued support.