DR. TIMOTHY TESMER NAMED NEBRASKA'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

LINCOLN- Dr. Timothy Tesmer, a physician and surgeon with over 35 years of experience in Lincoln, was named by Gov. Pillen as Nebraska's new chief medical officer, an appointment which will incorporate Tesmer into the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. 

"I am excited to have Dr. Tesmer join DHHS," said Gov. Pillen, "he is a distinguished physician....and his expertise will be pivotal in serving Nebraska as our chief medical officer." Prior to starting his own private practice, Dr. Tesmer was employed at CHI's Physician Network, where he served as a physician specializing in ear, nose, and throat otolaryngology. 

Dr. Tesmer will replace Dr. Gary Anthone as the next state chief medical officer, following Anthone's resignation to serve at Vetter Senior Living, an organization that runs several assisted-living facilities in Nebraska. 

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CIVIC NEBRASKA SAYS STATE'S 2022 GENERAL ELECTION WAS 'SAFE' AND 'SECURE'

LINCOLN- The Nebraska voting rights group, Civic Nebraska, has completed its 2022 election report and deemed the state elections safe and secure despite multiple identified issues. The report from Civic Nebraska cited the observations of 43 volunteers who observed 140 polling sites last year. The group operated an election problems hotline and contacted election officials to report them. 

The two problems identified were a missing ballot page for 25 people, and cross-talk during voting by a handful of poll workers in support of the voter ID ballot initiative. Civic said that both situations were handled by election officials effectively and they were taken seriously. The voting rights director at Civic Nebraska praised Douglas County Election Commissioner's role in handling hiccups on election day.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said he was pleased Civic Nebraska acknowledged the 2022 election was “fair and secure.” He thanked county election officials for their work. “It is vital that it be easy to vote and hard to cheat,” he said Monday. “And we continue to focus on both.”

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GAMBLING OPPONENTS INCLUDING TOM OSBORNE TAKE ISSUE WITH BETTING ON NEBRASKA HOME GAMES

LINCOLN- Former Husker coach Tom Osborne urged lawmakers Monday not to allow betting on Husker home football games and other in-state matches played by Nebraska college and university teams. LB168 would lift the prohibition in state law against betting on home games of Nebraska college teams. The bill would direct tax revenues from those bets into the state’s college scholarship fund. 

State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who introduced the bill, said he wanted to provide consistency, not expand gambling. He pointed out that a law passed in 2021 allows people to bet on Nebraska collegiate teams or athletes when they are competing outside of the state. “Nebraska teams are already subject to sports betting, just not in Nebraska,” he said. 

Nate Grasz, speaking for the Nebraska Family Alliance, said the prohibition was part of a compromise agreement that helped clear the way for passage of the 2021 law. Lynne McNally of WarHorse Casino said laws allowing college athletes to get paid for the use of their name, image and likeness have changed the dynamics for those athletes. She said they would resist pressure from gamblers because they want to maximize the money they can make through what is commonly called NIL.

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PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON NEBRASKA SCHOOL BATHROOMS, SPORTS TEAMS TRIGGER TENSE HEARING

LINCOLN- LB575, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha would supersede a Gender Participation Policy adopted by the Nebraska School Activities Association for sponsored athletics. The bill would categorize all school bathrooms and sports teams as biologically male or female. 

In the bills hearing this week, Kauth said it's a “fair” and “common sense” measure that would “uphold Title IX” and allow schools to determine a policy to track students’ sex for bathrooms and sports teams. “Natural changes that come with puberty can be awkward and embarrassing. Allowing biological males or females into each other’s private spaces will cause extreme discomfort and distress for many students," claimed Kauth.

Many flooded to the capitol to both support and oppose the bill. The opposition was the larger of the groups with doctors, psychologists, coaches, athletes, transgender individuals, parents, and many more speaking about why the bill is unneeded. Dr. Rose Essecks of the Nebraska Psychological Association said, "We are in the middle of a youth mental health crisis, and transgender children and teens are already at higher risks than cisgender youth at developing significant mental health problems as a result of the discrimination and victimization they experience on a daily basis."

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LAWMAKERS WEIGH WHETHER TO RESTRICT LOCAL HEALTH DIRECTOR'S AUTHORITY OVER PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES

LINCOLN- At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, local public health directors alongside state and local governments issued directed health measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. According to several nurses, including Julia Keown, these health measures alleviated a substantial amount of strain and stress on health care workers. "When directed health measures were announced, there would be a collective sigh of relief amongst bedside clinicians, myself included," Keown told the Health and Human Services Committee during a Wednesday hearing, "We would actually cheer because we knew it was going to work, and it did."

However, despite the alleged success of these directed health measures, Sen. Kauth, through LB421, seeks to require county board or city councils to approve these public health director-recommended measures before they can be implemented. "It maintains the importance of the education and experience brought by public health directors but redirects the responsibility of restricting liberties," said Sen. Kauth in defense of LB421, "This should also serve to redirect the ire of the public from the public health director to elected officials where it belongs."

Sen. Kauth went on to state that the bill was drafted following backlash in Omaha and Lincoln directed towards public health officials after Covid-19 measures were implemented. During the hearing, State Sen. Lynne Walz, as well as several opponent testifiers, expressed concern over how this bill will affect smaller communities in Nebraska. 

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LEGISLATORS PLAN TO WAIT, AND LISTEN, BEFORE DECIDING UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA BUDGET

LINCOLN- A preliminary budget proposal for the University of Nebraska was revealed Wednesday by the Legislature's budget-writing Appropriations Committee. The University of Nebraska system previously requested a 3% annual increase to its budget, but Gov. Pillen's allocation for the school system fell just below that. Instead of the requested 3%, Gov. Pillen allocated in his newly-revealed budget a 2% increase for each of the next two fiscal years. Sen. Rob Clements, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said he wanted to hear from university officials before making any economic decisions geared towards the school system. 

The hearing with these university officials is scheduled for March 3rd and Clements stated that the committee's decision will likely fall between 2% and 3%, slightly above Pillen's proposal but slightly below the University's as well. The preliminary budget proposal released by the Appropriations Committee largely followed Gov. Pillen's plan, but left open space to increase the University's budget. 

Several groups, including the OpenSky Institute, have questioned whether or not Pillen's 2% budget allocation for the university system will allow NU campuses to keep up with inflation. Nebraska is currently sitting on an unprecedented amount of excess tax revenue, as well as a $1.8 billion cash reserve, but Sen. Clements indicated his wishes to save around $1.3 billion in the reserve while meeting the needs of Pillen's budget proposal.

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LEGISLATURE CONFIRMS MACY AS NEBRASKA EVIRONMENT DIRECTOR DESPITE CONCERNS

LINCOLN- After two days of heated debate, the Legislature finally confirmed that Jim Macy will continue as director of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy on a 38-0 vote, ending a brief filibuster by opponents who claimed Macy didn't act decisively enough in the wake of the AltEN ethanol plant disaster near Mead, Nebraska. Sen. Carol Blood led the filibuster, delaying the confirmation vote for two days. 

Sen. Bruce Bostelman, during the debate and filibuster, noted that Macy, who Gov. Pillen retained two months ago, was recommended to retain his position by a 7-0 committee vote following a public hearing that saw no opposing testimony. Blood countered this argument by stating that Macy should have taken prompt action to shut down the AltEn plant before its use of pesticide-coated seed further polluted the environment and more Nebraskans became "collateral damage." 

After a motion to reconsider Monday's unsuccessful vote to return the decision to the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee failed 33-10, the Legislature, on Tuesday, finally confirmed Macy's appointment with 11 senators, mostly opponents, not voting. 

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BILL AIMS TO BAR NEBRASKA SCHOOLS FROM RECEVING PUBLIC MONEY IF THEY DISCRIMINATE

LINCOLN- LB487, introduced by Sen. Megan Hunt, would block any school from receiving public funds if they discriminate students on the basis of "race, color religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or special education status." At a committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Hunt said she hoped to eventually add her bill to LB753, a bill introduced by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan that seeks to create income tax credits for donations to organizations that provide scholarships to attend private and parochial schools. 

Sen. Linehan's bill has already advanced out of the Revenue Committee for further consideration, but Hunt's bill is still currently in limbo. Sen. Linehan has tried to pass similar pieces of legislation in the past, and time and time again Sen. Hunt has attempted to add language similar to her LB487. In an attempt to ensure that the language is added, Sen. Hunt has already filed an amendment to Sen. Linehan's LB753 that would establish the same rules as LB487. 

Linehan argued that LB753 will help give Nebraska students the freedom to seek different education options, but many critics have argued that private and parochial schools don't reside under the same oversight as public schools, and are free to discriminate against any beliefs they don't agree with. "Supporters of these bills say that they're motivated by helping underprivileged students and students with special needs," said Sen. Hunt of Linehan's bill, "This is a lot of feel-good, do-good spin on what these proposals really do."

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STRICTER 'RIGHT TO FARM' PROPOSAL CALLED A 'SOLUTION SEARCHING FOR A PROBLEM'

LINCOLN- A new bill, LB662 introduced by Sen. Beau Ballard, seeks to limit the number of nuisance lawsuits that can be ordered against large agricultural operations. However, many critics of the bill argued that there simply isn't a nuisance lawsuit problem in Nebraska, and that Ballard's bill would "immunize" large agricultural operations from virtually all nuisance lawsuits.

Other opponents argued that the bill only favors large farming entities. "LB662 does not protect family farmers," said Susanne Haas, a lawyer and Washington County farmer, "it protects industrial entities like Costco." The bill was introduced by Ballard in conjunction with Lincoln Premium Poultry, a Fremont-based plant that processes chicken for local Costco's. Ballard, during the hearing, described the bill as a "preventative measure" that would protect large farming operations from out-of-state entities that have, in the past, plagued livestock confinement operations with lawsuits.  

The Nebraska Right to Farm Act was initially passed to protect existing farming operations from lawsuits filed by "city slickers" who moved to rural areas and discovered that certain operations produce immense amounts of dust and odor. However, many critics argued that the bill goes too far in adding more protections for agricultural producers. 

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NEBRASKA BILL WOULD BAN ACCESS TO USF FUNDS FOR CELL PROVIDERS WITH HUAWEI EQUIPMENT

LINCOLN- Legislative bill 63, proposed by Sen. Eliot Bostar, seeks to encourage cell phone service providers to cease the use of Huawei equipment, which many believe is used by China to surveil not only Nebraska, but the whole of the United States. If passed, LB63 would prohibit the Nebraska Universal Service Fund from distributing funds to wireless providers using Chinese-made Huawei equipment. The federal government already banned the distribution of Universal Service Funds for companies utilizing Huawei and ZTE equipment, so, according to Bostar, this bill will put Nebraska in line with federal law.

"Of particular concern was that Huawei was routinely selling cheap equipment to rural providers in cases that appear to be unprofitable for Huawei," said Bostar, "but which placed its equipment near military assets." Bostar cited an instance that occurred last year, when Viaero Wireless came under fire for purchasing Huawei equipment and placing it on poles around the state.

Huawei previously denied the claims that its equipment was capable of saving and sending data, and affirmed that its products are not a surveillance threat. However, according to Bostar, the military has studied the equipment and found it "capable of capturing and potentially disrupting highly restricted airwaves used by the military, specifically U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal."

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AMENDMENT TO BAR NEBRASKA KIDS FROM CHURCH CAMPS GRABS NATIONAL ATTENTION

LINCOLN- Senator Megan Hunt's amendment to LB371,  which seeks to ban minors from drag shows, generated national attention. The amendment would ban minors from church camps, vacation Bible study classes and other “religious indoctrination camps.” This is one of several statement amendments Senator Hunt is using to convey her thoughts and points on the bill she strongly opposes.

Her amendment generally mirrors the bill, which she opposes, but starts by laying out legislative findings that there is a “well-documented history of indoctrination and sexual abuse perpetrated by religious leaders and clergy people upon children.” The amendment made national news, with Fox News calling it "anti-religious bigotry". 

Many critics flooded to tell Senator Hunt how she is wrong. Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, who introduced LB 371, was among the critics. He called Hunt’s amendment unfair to Christians because true Christians abhor the sexual abuse that has occurred in religious contexts. “She’s making a point, I guess, a point that a vast majority of Christians would disagree with,” said Murman.

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RECENT SHOOTING AT OMAHA TARGET STORE CALLS FOR CHANGES IN WORKERS COMPENSATION, SENATOR SAYS

LINCOLN- According to Senator Blood, there needs to be a change in what workers' compensation insurance will cover in wake of recent shootings at an Omaha Target and a Bellevue Sonic. Under LB5, workers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental injuries could get workers comp coverage for treatment. 

“Our current Workman’s Comp Insurance guidelines need to be updated to embrace known issues that pertain to Nebraska’s workplaces,” the senator said. PTSD, Blood said in a press release, is now recognized as a major disability impacting thousands of workers across the nation. PTSD is a common occurrence in cases of public shootings.

She pointed to the 2023 Target shooting and the 2020 Sonic shooting as examples within the state. “Imagine being a survivor in that scenario?” Blood asked, adding that some witnesses to the shooting have been diagnosed as now having PTSD. LB5 had a hearing this week in the Business and Labor Committee.

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NEBRASKA'S SHIFTING WORKFORCE DEMANDS AMID 'BRAIN DRAIN' SHOULD SOUND ALARM, RESEARCHER SAYS

LINCOLN- Dr. Josie Schafer, who heads the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, presented an analysis of the state’s workforce shifts and challenges to the NU Board of Regents. Schafer pointed out that the state is heavily losing individuals with at least bachelor's degrees. 

The worsening trend over the past decade is particularly alarming as 65% of jobs in the state and nation by 2030 likely will require at least some higher education. She said that currently about 33% of Jobs in Nebraska are staffed with someone with a bachelor's degree, and those numbers will increase over the coming years. 

Schafer notes that the state is growing in population, even if that is mostly in the most populated counties. The problem is the number of people leaving the state after their education or the lack of people coming to Nebraska to complete their education. State Sen. John Arch, speaker of the Legislature, in earlier remarks told the Regents that the state’s workforce and the university system’s role is a topic that has risen in appreciation in the Unicameral. 

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COALITION FORMS TO OPPOSE 'RIGHT TO FARM' REVISIONS, SAYS THEY FAVOR INDUSTRIAL FARMS OVER FAMILY OPERATIONS

LINCOLN- The proposed effort to amend the "right to farm" act faces a new coalition of farmers and environmental groups working to shut down the efforts. Groups say LB662 is an attempt to relax regulation of large, industrial livestock operations at the expense of rural residents and family farmers. 

“This proposed legislation exempts large corporate farms from being a good neighbor,” said Ron Todd-Meyer, a retired farmer and a Nebraskans for Peace board member.  “This legislation should be pitched into the manure pile for composting.” The bill would narrow who, and when, nuisance lawsuits could be filed against farm operations for issues such as excessive odors and dust. 

Officials from the Farmers Union, GC Resolve, Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light and Nebraska Communities United, in a press release last week, all indicated they will oppose the bill. Senator Ballard, the bill's sponsor, claims that agricultural producers deserve extra protection from nuisance lawsuits. 

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COMMITTEE ADVANCES PERMITLESS CONCEALED CARRY BILL, BUT SOME WANT AMENDMENTS

LINCOLN- On Friday, lawmakers voted 5-0, with one senator "present but not voting," to advance LB77, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer, to General File. LB77, a contentious bill opposed by several Nebraska law enforcement agencies, would allow Nebraskans to carry a concealed handgun without purchasing the usual $100 state permit. Around 25 other states have passed similar pieces of legislation. 

Last month, Sen. Brewer identified LB77 as a priority bill, allowing it to be debated sooner by the full Legislature. Brewer claims that LB77 is "cleaner" than past permitless carry bills, and stated that he has added several amendments to gain the support of a few law enforcement agencies, but still lacks support from the Omaha and Lincoln Police Departments. 

The opponents from the Omaha and Lincoln Police Departments, as well as several gun control groups, called the bill dangerous and contrary to efforts to reduce violent crime. Sen. Justin Wayne, who voted to advance the bill, claimed he did so to give him leverage to introduce amendments. 

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MOST NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE RACES IN 2022 EXCEED $100,000 IN SPENDING

LINCOLN- A six-figure bill at the end of a legislative race may be the new normal in the Nebraska Unicameral. Out of the 25 legislative races in November, at least one candidate in 19/25 of the races spent over $100,000. Together, these candidates raised about $6.7 million and spent $6.5 million to run for the Legislature. In four races, combined candidate spending exceeded $550,000.

The costliest races came between State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington and challenger Lou Ann Goding, where the candidates spent a combined $577,434, and between State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and challenger Christian Mirch, where the candidates spent $554,933 in all. The next costliest race involved State Sen. Mike Jacobson and challenger Chris Bruns, both of North Platte. Together they spent $552,529. Jacobson spent the most of any legislative candidate statewide, more than $414,000.

The only other race where the top spender did not win was in District 40, an open seat after State Sen. Tim Gragert opted not to run for re-election. Keith Kube of Crofton spent $162,623 and lost to now-State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, who spent $64,269. State Sen. Christy Armendariz and Michael Young in northwest Omaha had the narrowest gap in spending between candidates, at $6,707.

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NEBRASKA'S COSTLIEST GOVERNOR'S RACE LEFT WILD NUMBERS IN ITS WAKE

LINCOLN- Last year, the costliest election ever recorded in Nebraska occurred, with around $29 million put toward the gubernatorial race alone. Although candidate Charles Herbster, a Trump-backed Republican, self-financed around 99% of his primary campaign, he still raised and spent around $13 million. The next highest tally was Gov. Pillen's campaign, which raised around $11.5 million in the gubernatorial primary.

Gov. Pillen benefitted greatly from donations from figures like former Gov. Ricketts, who gave around $100,000 as well as spending more than $3 million to create attacks ads against Herbster and Lindstrom, Pillen's Republican opponents in the primary. On the other side, Democratic candidate Carol Blood raised and spent around $636,000.

Lesser-known candidates in the gubernatorial race raised significant sums as well, with third-party candidate Dave Wright raising around $149,000 and Robert Borer raising $52,000. The only other candidate in Nebraska history to outraise Pillen was former Gov. Ricketts back in 2006, when he raised $13.4 million in his race against then-Sen. Ben Nelson.

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NORTH OMAHA LAWMAKERS CHALLENGED ABOUT PROCESS THAT RECOMMENDED $225 MILLION IN GRANTS

OMAHA- A North Omaha community forum became fiery on Sunday as many participants challenged a process that led to certain North and South Omaha groups being granted a share of $225 million. Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne fielded questions at the forum following their work on the legislative committee overseeing the Economic Recovery Act, or LB1024, which was used to distribute ARPA funds to the lowest-income areas of Nebraska.

The groups that were chosen to receive these funds were criticized, since some are newer than others. For example, community activist Vickey Parks questioned why Sankofa, a very new business entity, garnered the largest chunk of the Economic Recovery funds, totaling around $40 million.

Sen. Wayne reiterated several times that proposed grants are "not a done deal," and that several verification steps still must be completed. According to Wayne, one of the South Omaha groups in line to receive funds dropped out, allowing the committee to redistribute those funds. Similarly, Wayne and McKinney told the forum that they hope to allocate another $200 million, allowing a more diverse set of businesses to receive funds.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS PROPOSE CAPPING INSULIN COSTS

LINCOLN- Two bills, LB142 introduced by Sen. Tom Briese and LB779 introduced by Sen. Eliot Bostar, would cap the price of insulin to varying amounts in Nebraska. Sen. Breise's bill would cap the price of the life-saving drug to $100 per patient for a 30-day supply, while Sen. Bostar's bill would cap the price at $35 for the same amount.

Bostar outlined the fact that 9.6% of Nebraska adults are diagnosed with diabetes, and emphasized that the rising cost of medications is making it difficult for patients to purchase the medications they require. Similarly, Briese stated that some Nebraskans are being asked to pay more than $1,000 a month for a 30-day supply.

Last year, the federal government capped the price of insulin at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries, and roughly 20 states have established their own caps on the drug. Sen. Briese estimated that the average state-ordained cap was likely between $50-75, and said he "would submit that we...do the same thing."

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WITH HIV UP, NEBRASKA BILL WOULD ALLOW FOR SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

LINCOLN- In response to a sharp increase in HIV cases in Nebraska, health officials and lawmakers have begun looking for new tools to tackle the problem. One of these is LB307, introduced by Sen. Megan Hunt, which would allow local jurisdictions to authorize pharmacies and public health programs to set up syringe services programs to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.

Lacie Bolte, lead support manager for the Nebraska AIDS project, said she doesn't want to see Nebraska become another HIV outbreak hotspot like others seen throughout the country. In 2021, claimed Bolte, a rural community in Nebraska saw an outbreak of HIV, which led to 235 people catching the disease. "That's what I'm worried about," said Bolte, "is suddenly we have all these infections and we don't have tools to combat them as quickly as we need them."

Nebraska has averaged about 80 new cases of HIV a year over the last decade, but saw a 21% increase in 2021. 24% of the total cases that year were linked to injection drug use. The intent of Sen. Hunt's LB307 is to exempt care staff and participants in public health programs from a law that makes it illegal to provide others with drug paraphernalia.

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