Telephone conference report to Imperial, Grant and Palisade on Tuesday, May 19.
By Jan Rahn
Managing Editor
The 101st Nebraska Legislature will come to a close early next Thursday, May 28.
Senator Mark Christensen said during his weekly call-in conference on Tuesday that the senators hadn’t actually voted yet–but this session is expected to sine die next week.
There are 50 bills left, he said, and additionally, all of the priority bills that got out of committee will have been heard by the time the Legislature ends their 2009 session for the summer.
The senators started Monday on the last priority bill, LB36, to change the method of procedure of inflicting the death penalty, said Christensen.
He said it was interesting to have the debate on the death penalty follow the debate on the sonogram bill last week.
“People who are for abortion are against the death penalty and people for the death penalty are against abortion–there are a few people who are opposed to both,” said Christensen.
The Imperial senator said he has gone on record stating he would change his vote from supporting the death penalty in a heartbeat if it would eliminate all abortions.
He said it has been very interesting listening to all of the debate on both issues, and it was especially interesting listening to all of the Scripture quoted supporting both sides.
Tuesday’s debate was to begin again with the death penalty.
The sonogram bill, LB675, went very smoothly last week, passing 39-5. The bill requires that a sonogram be shown (but not forcing pregnant women to watch) before an abortion can be performed.
Finished on Final Reading
Several bills were finished with final reading on Monday and now await Governor Heineman’s signature. They include:
• LB155: Adoption of Public Protection Act to change provision related to theft offenses, identity theft and fraud; stiffening and increasing penalties.
• LB97: Change provisions relating to foreign corporations, child enticement, child sexual assault, child pornography, incest, sex offenders.
•LB187: Change contribution rates for school employee retirement plans
•LB195: Change provisions relating to barbering, pharmacy, physician assistants, certificates of need, hearing instrument specialists, emergency medical services, tuberculosis detection and prevention, and statewide trauma services.
•LB232: Permit sales of alcoholic liquor by community college culinary programs.
•LB342: Provide duties for the Department of Health and Human Services relating to payment for pediatric feeding disorder treatment.
•LB402: Change the Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act and authorize investment of public endowment funds.
•LB463: Provide for licensure of animal therapists, change authorization for collaborative animal health care tasks and veterinary drug distribution definitions, and change distribution of veterinary legend drugs provisions.
•LB476: Adopt the Center for Student Leadership and Extended Learning Act and repeal the Career Education Partnership Act.
•LB532: Provide for the adoption of ordinances by counties.
•LB160: Authorize issuance of flood protection and water quality enhancement bonds by natural resources districts.
•LB224: Change Nebraska State Fair and Nebraska State Fair Board provisions.
Christensen’s Bills
Senator Christensen’s bills that are now finished include:
• LB430: Concealed Handgun Act; amendments were introduced to clarify exactly where people are allowed to carry concealed weapons in Nebraska. Expected to be signed into law this week.
•LB5: Repealing the roadside trapping ban to eliminate a restriction and penalty on trapping wildlife in county road right-of-ways.
•LB274, LB429 (amended into LB63): Allow inmates at McCook’s Work Ethic Camp to work on school grounds under direct and intensive supervision.
•LB465: Provide for video-conferencing and telephone conferences for educational service unit board meetings across the state.
• LB647: Require cities and villages to notify property owners when proceedings for annexing their property are to take place.
Christensen said there was a number of interim studies due yesterday on several more bills.

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