Sen. Williams: Ten bills introduced by Williams
Nebraska State Senator, Dist. 36 January 22, 2021
Greetings District 36! This week the Legislature saw the end of the 10-day bill introduction period. In addition, the Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, Mike Heavican presented his State of the Judiciary address. Chief Justice Heavican reviewed how the pandemic changed the way the courts operated, while maintaining the constitutional duty to remain open. He also gave a shout out to Judge Doyle in Dawson County on Judge Doyle’s initiative to broadcast court proceedings.
With regard to bill introduction, I introduced a total of 10 bills for consideration this session. Six were introduced and referenced to the Banking, Commerce, and Insurance Committee, which I chair, and were requested by banking and insurance regulators, and by the Secretary of State and the Board of Appraisers. The bills related to banking and insurance propose statutory updates that will help keep those industries competitive, while the changes requested by the Board of Appraisers and the Secretary of State will ease the way they conduct business. I also introduced a bill to remove a conflict in the Accountability and Disclosure Commission’s statutes that came to light last year as a result of legislation passed that I introduced to resolve an issue that prevented a majority of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District Board members from participating in board discussions related to certain irrigation and lease contracts.
In addition, I introduced LB252 at the request of the Nebraska Cattlemen‘s Association, which proposes to allow veterinary drug distribution companies to continue to distribute drugs in the event of a death of the prescribing veterinarian for a period of up to 30 days. Without statutory authority, drug distribution companies were unable to continue the flow of needed drugs to cattle on ranches and in feedyards following the death of a prescribing veterinarian.
I also introduced LB254 to extend the sunset date for the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Program. Two years ago legislation was passed that I introduced to modernize the program. I feel confident that extending the sunset will offer continued opportunities for younger farmers to branch out on their own.
Lastly, I introduced LB322 at the request of Nebraska Council of School Administrators, which proposes to implement an anonymous school safety report line. The bill is modeled after a successful pilot program that was conducted within the Omaha School District. The pilot program was funded through a federal grant and allowed Boys Town to administer an anonymous report line, staffed 24-7, and available for anyone to call to report concerns or information related to student or school safety. Once received, information is immediately relayed to a trained threat assessment team in the school affected by the information received. The majority of calls received in the pilot program related to suicide and the information provided the means for life saving interventions.
As always, feel free to contact me anytime at (402) 471-2642 or mwilliams@leg.ne.gov. Thanks again for your continued support.