NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE EXPECTED TO RECONVENE IN JULY

LINCOLN - The speaker of the Legislature notified state senators Monday he intends to call them back into session beginning July 20 to work on state budget changes, priority bills, and property tax cuts.

His decision, Speaker Jim Scheer said, was based on the current belief that the COVID-19 cases will have peaked by that time and that it will not surge again midsummer as restrictions are gradually loosened. If everything goes as planned, the session would run through Aug. 13. The plan is to meet two full weeks in July, Aug. 3-6, and Aug. 11-13.

However, Speaker Scheer has made it clear that he can alter the dates for unforeseen challenges. Because there are a number of priority bills to debate in the 17 remaining days, including adjustments to the 2020-21 state budget, Scheer is scheduling late-night sessions, sometimes as late as 10 p.m., except for the last day of each workweek.

Procedures used in March when the Legislature met for three days to pass emergency COVID-19 funding will be continued. Those included no media on the floor of the Legislature and no notes coming in from the lobby.

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SEN. PATTY PANSING BROOKS SEEKS REMOTE VOTING FOR WHEN THE LEGISLATURE RESUMES IN JULY

OMAHA – Senator Patty Pansing Brooks called for a legislative rule change that would allow state senators to vote on bills remotely when this year's session resumes on July 20. The proposal was outlined in a memo written to fellow lawmakers. However, legislative leaders have said the Nebraska Constitution requires state lawmakers to vote in-person.

Pansing Brooks made a similar argument in March, just before lawmakers briefly reconvened to approve emergency state funding to fight the coronavirus. Lawmakers still met in person those days, but Speaker Jim Scheer imposed rules to restrict their movement and limit access to the legislative chamber. A few senators chose not to attend, and Pansing Brooks argued that the constituents of those lawmakers need to be represented.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced earlier this week that local city councils, county commissions, and school boards will have to meet in-person starting in July. He previously issued an executive order to let them meet through online video-conferencing but said he will let that order expire at the end of June.

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FIRST PIECE OF DISPUTED KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE FINISHED IN MONTANA

BILLINGS, Mont. — A Canadian company has built the first piece of the disputed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline across the U.S. border and started work on labor camps in Montana and South Dakota. But it has not resolved a courtroom setback that would make it hard to finish the $8 billion project.

The 1,200-mile pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska was stalled for much of the past decade before President Donald Trump was elected and began trying to push it through to completion. Work finally started in April at the border crossing in remote northern Montana. That 1.2-mile section has now been completed except for some site reclamation activity, TC Energy spokeswoman Sara Rabern said.

The Calgary-based company has started site work for labor camps near Baker, Montana, and Philip, South Dakota, but it has not set a date to occupy them.

Earlier this week Vice-President Biden's campaign said that if elected he will rescind the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, which was initially killed during the Obama administration. The proposed 1,200-mile, $8 billion pipeline would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil from Alberta, Canada to Nebraska, where it would then be transferred to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. 

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FOCUS GROUPS REVEAL NEBRASKANS SUPPORT INCREASED IMMIGRATION AND TRADE

LINCOLN - Nebraskans expressed strong support for increased trade and legal immigration in a comprehensive study undertaken by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with the Yeutter Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

More than 130 people participated in focus groups in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Columbus, Lincoln, and Omaha.

The study reports that workforce shortage in Nebraska combined with the important role played by immigrants in filling labor needs, perhaps most dramatically in the state's large meat processing industry, were viewed as key factors shaping immigration opinions in Nebraska.

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TRUMP PUSHES FOR MORE DEREGULATION

WASHINGTON - The president signed an executive order on Tuesday directing federal agencies to increase their deregulatory efforts and ease up on enforcement of existing rules to help the economy recover from the steep downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The order directs agencies to identify rules that could "inhibit" economic recovery and do whatever possible to repeal, waive, or ease the rules for regulated businesses. 

The Office of Management and Budget is expected to issue a more detailed memo on how to implement the order in the coming weeks or months.

View full article HERE. 

GOV. RICKETTS ANNOUNCES JUNE DIRECTED HEALTH MEASURES: BARS, TRAVEL QUARANTINE, SPORTS, AND GATHERINGS ALL SEE LOOSENED RESTRICTIONS

LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday announced a further easing of restrictions on public gatherings in 89 counties. Counties not entiering what is referred to as "Phase 2" of the Directed Health Measures are: Dakota, Merrick, Hall, and Hamilton. These counties can see a loosening of restrictions to the level currently seen in other counties- such as opening of restaurants and small group gatherings with social distancing. All other counties will move into "Phase 2" which includes the following changes:

-Most travelers who leave the state, including over Memorial Day weekend, will not be required to quarantine upon their return to Nebraska unless they have traveled internationally. 

-Bars will be allowed to reopen under the same rules that apply to restaurants, including 6 feet of space between tables and no more than six people at a table. Bar activities such as darts and pool tables will be prohibited.

-Sports teams with low contact level between participants, such as tennis, rodeo, and volleyball will be allowed to begin practice on June 1st, and hold games on June 18th. Sports such as football, wrestling, and basketball are still prohibited due to a high level of contact

-Gatherings will be limited to 25 people, or — in the cases of stadiums, arenas, festivals, zoos, and other large venues — 25% of the venue's rated occupancy, but no more than 3,000 people. 

-Health clubs will be allowed to host 25 people or 50% of their rated capacity (whichever is greater)

A state senator urged caution Thursday, saying the state still hasn’t reached the level of testing for the coronavirus that has been recommended before loosening restrictions.

“There are other states who have started to do this, and it would probably benefit us to be more cautious and see what their experience is until we stumble into another infection,” said Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha. The new rules are going to be hard to enforce, Lathrop predicted, especially because some people think the pandemic “is nonsense.”

Read the Governor's full DHM release HERE

Read the full article HERE. 

CONTACT-TRACING APPS ON THE RISE BUT FACE UPHILL BATTLE WITH PUBLIC

WASHINGTON - Apple and Google released software today that mobile-app developers can use to create contact-tracing apps for state and national governments. States have already poured millions of dollars into paying armies of public health workers to try to manually track the contacts of people who test positive for COVID.

A recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that nearly 60 percent of Americans said they couldn’t or wouldn’t use apps designed using Apple's and Google's technology. With public wariness about surveillance high, the effectiveness of the apps seems likely to be limited.This type of technology hasn’t been used before, at least not for this purpose and at this scale, so it’s unproven to say the least. If it does work, it has the potential to slow the spread of the disease.

Apple and Google have been very firm about not gathering location data despite requests from states who think that’ll give them a better picture.

Read the full article HERE. 

COVID DAMAGE LONG LASTING TO BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON - Minority business owners say they’re struggling to stay afloat. Some 45 percent of black and Latino small business owners anticipate closing within six months, according to a poll released Monday by Global Strategy Group for the nonprofit and civil rights advocacy groups Color of Change and Unidos US. The survey of more than 500 minority business owners, black workers, and Latino workers found 51 percent of black and Latino small business owners applied for less than $20,000 in federal relief each. But just 12 percent say they received the full amount of assistance requested.

A Latino Decisions poll conducted for SOMOS, Unidos US, and MoveOn scheduled to be released Wednesday found 31 percent of U.S.-born Latinos, and 45 percent of immigrants did not receive a stimulus check.

Read the full article HERE. 

COVID-19 LEADS TO A 17% DROP IN EMISSIONS

WASHINGTON - Daily global carbon dioxide emissions fell as much as 17 percent in April compared with last year, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change on Tuesday. The study said annual global CO2 emissions would fall 4 percent for the year if social distancing efforts end in mid-June, or 7 percent if such restrictions remain in force through the end of 2020, Pro's Zack Colman reports. That range would reflect the largest single-year decline since World War II.

Most researchers agree that emissions are all but certain to bounce back once countries reopen. Already, demand for energy is resuming as people return to the roads and as many U.S. states begin easing stay-at-home orders that drove the price per gallon of gasoline to less than $1 at some pumps.

Read the full article HERE. 

NEBRASKA LATINO LEADERS ASK FOR MORE HELP FOR MEATPACKING WORKERS

OMAHA - Nebraska Latino leaders said coronavirus testing should be expanded, testing data should be transparent to the public and Gov. Pete Ricketts needs to meet with front-line workers.

Larry Bradley of the American G.I. Forum and a former USDA slaughterhouse inspector said, “Packinghouse workers should be treated as heroes for their sacrifice and what they’re doing for the whole community, the whole food industry, United States and the whole world.”

Nebraska has not released case data based on race, but Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour and officials with other health departments have said that minorities have been disproportionately affected because of the jobs they hold. In Douglas County, nearly half of confirmed positive cases are among Latinos, even though they make up about 12 percent of the population.

Read the full article HERE. 

RICKETTS ‘VERY PLEASED’ WITH TEST NEBRASKA DESPITE NOT MAKING TEST GOALS

LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts said he’s “very pleased” with the state’s $27 million COVID-19 testing program even though TestNebraska is falling far short of meeting a goal of providing an average of 500 tests per site per day. On Tuesday, four mobile TestNebraska sites swabbed 1,197 coronavirus tests, which is about 300 tests per site.

The testing program, set up by a group of Utah high-tech firms, had set a goal of averaging 500 tests per site, and ramping up to 3,000 tests per day, at six mobile sites, by the end of May. However, TestNebraska may not meet that goal as up to 15% of those scheduled for testing are not showing up.

Ricketts said, “Certainly, you can find things that need to be improved — that happens in any operation. I want to continue to push the team for 3,000 tests per day.”

Read the full article HERE. 

COVID-19 WILL MEAN MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES TAKING ON A DIFFERENT LOOK THIS YEAR

SCOTTSBLUFF - In Scottsbluff County, Memorial Day services are traditionally held at a number of cemeteries, the West Nebraska Veterans Home, and other locations. However,County Veterans Service Officer John Brehm said that many of those ceremonies won’t be held this year.Some of the venues typically involved in ceremonies have prior limitations in place, such as the veterans' home and the cemeteries, aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Eldon Kramer, of the Gering American Legion Honor Guard, said a ceremony will be held on Monday, 10 a.m. at West Lawn Cemetery in Gering. Social distancing will be required. Kramer said members of the Honor Guard are planning to wear masks and Mary Bowman, of the American Legion, said that attendees are also requested to wear masks

Read the full article HERE. 

DOUGLAS COUNTY REPORTS ANOTHER 126 CASES OF COVID-19

OMAHA – An additional 126 people have tested positive in Douglas County. The Douglas County Health Department also reported that tests this week have come back positive at a rate of 11.4%, which represents a decline from recent weeks. In total, Douglas County has seen 2,841 cases since the outbreak started.

A total of 24 people with COVID-19 have died in Douglas County, and 514 people have recovered.

Read the full article HERE. 

UNL FREEZES PAY FOR EMPLOYEES, ANNOUNCES SOME REOPENING GUIDELINES

LINCOLN - Lost revenue and potential future impacts on state funding led UNL to freeze salaries for the year. Promotional increases — for faculty who gain or advance in tenure status, for example — will still be awarded.

Freezing salaries are expected to save $7 million for the 2020-21 fiscal year. NU administrators estimate COVID-19 could result in a $50 million fiscal hit across the university system and its campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney.

Restrictions limiting who had access to campus buildings will be lifted beginning June 1, he said. Previously, only employees whose physical presence was necessary could enter campus buildings. The bookstore in the Nebraska Union on City Campus will open June 8 with limited hours, while the 24-hour computer lab will also open for students with an NCard.

UNL will begin installing hand sanitizer stations across campus, "with the goal of providing hand sanitizer in all buildings by August.

Read the full article HERE. 

HOW CORONAVIRUS CREATED MAGA 2.0

WASHINGTON - With an economic crisis gripping the nation, President Donald Trump is reprising his 2016 slogan, with a twist: Make America Great Again, Again. Trump is trying to defy history by convincing Americans he can restore a coronavirus-decimated economy and become one of the only U.S. presidents to win reelection during a recession year. His argument is “I’ve already built the economy once, I can build it a second time.”

The president’s political advisers also say there’s reason to believe it’s a winning message. Recent campaign and public polling show Trump slightly outperforming likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on the handling of the economy even as the president finds himself on shaky ground nationally and in battleground states less than six months before the election.

Read the full article HERE. 

HANDFUL OF LEGISLATIVE CONTESTS ARE FLUID

LINCOLN - The Nebraska primary election turned out well for all incumbent state senators with the exception of Andrew LaGrone, who ended up trailing his opponent, Jen Day, by just 630 votes. However, given the attention he will receive prior to November, that election is labeled as a toss-up.

Carol Blood, Lynne Walz, and Dan Quick, all still potential Republican Party targets, looked strong this month. Tom Brewer and Julie Slama dominated in the first round of their races. In Lincoln, incumbent Sens. Anna Wishart, Mike Hilgers, and Suzanne Geist ran strong. Omaha voters may send another Cavanaugh, John, to Lincoln.

Primary election results pointed toward the early possibility of a net Republican gain of one seat in the nonpartisan Legislature, and perhaps two if LaGrone recovers. But all that is tenuous. 

Jacob Campbell, a Republican, ran out front in Lincoln's District 29, now represented by Sen. Kate Bolz, and former Sen. Rich Pahls, a Republican, led the pack in Omaha's District 31, now represented by Sen. Rick Kolowski.

The predominately mail-in primary yielded great turnout numbers.

Read the full article HERE

KERREY ENDORSES KATE BOLZ AS SHE TAKES ON FORTENBERRY FOR 1ST DISTRICT HOUSE SEAT

OMAHA - Former U.S. Sen. and Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey has endorsed a fellow Democrat, State Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln, in her quest to unseat eight-term U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. Kerrey stated that take on the pharmaceutical companies when she gets to Washington and will stand up for Nebraska farmers and rural communities who have been hurt by “a failed trade war.”

Congressman Fortenberry is a Republican and has represented the district since 2004. Fortenberry recently criticized Kate Bolz about comments she made about “having much to learn” from the Chinese.

Read the full article HERE

HOW THE ELECTIONS IN NEBRASKA AND WISCONSIN MANAGED AMID THE PANDEMIC

WASHINGTON – Nebraska’s primary election was a “notable success.” In Nebraska, each poll worker received a safety kit that included an N95 mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and a face shield. Polling places provided masks to voters who showed up without them, and poll workers were instructed to disinfect everything voters touched between every use.

There were no reports of excessive lines at polling places. In Nebraska, even big cities were able to avoid closing many polling places, although election officials in Douglas County (home to Omaha) told FiveThirtyEight some polling places, such as those located in retirement communities, were closed due to the coronavirus threat. In total, 200 of its usual 222 polling places were open.

No fewer than 493,393 of Nebraska’s 1,216,431 registered voters (41 percent) requested an absentee ballot. 34% of the population voted.

Read the full article HERE

FORMER STATE SENATOR BOB KRIST ENDORSES CONGRESSMAN DON BACON IN DISTRICT 2 RACE

OMAHA - Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) announced that he has been endorsed by former State Senator Bob Krist in the District 2 race. Krist was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Nebraska in the 2018 election and served in the Nebraska Legislature for ten years.

Krist stated that “As a proud Democrat, I have found common ground with Don Bacon on a number of issues and I appreciate how he has worked across the aisle in a bipartisan manner to bring people together to find common-sense solutions for our community, state, and nation. I ask that my Republican, Democrat and Independent friends join me in supporting Don Bacon for his reelection to Congress.”

Bacon said he was honored to have the support.

Read the full article HERE

HISTORIC NEBRASKA PRIMARY NUMBERS COULD INFLUENCE NOVEMBER ELECTION

OMAHA - Few people showed up at the polls in person last week. Nonetheless, it turned out to be a historic election. That's because most people voted by mail. 12,150 people turned in ballots at drop boxes. This means more than 120,000 voters in Douglas County voted by mail. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said, “I’m especially proud that Nebraskans responded this way in the middle of a health pandemic.”

Eight of every 10 Nebraskans who voted did so by mail or by delivering their ballot to a dropbox. Will it be the same for the November General Election? Secretary Evnen said, “My hope is this pandemic will be tamped down by the November election. But whatever the conditions are, we’ll be able to meet them.”

The options to vote by mail or go to the polls will be available to voters come November.

Read the full article HERE