Resolution introduced in response to LR 107, a blatantly partisan resolution signed by 31 state senators Lincoln, Nebraska - State Senator Megan Hunt is concerned but amused by the precedent set by Senator Mike Groene and the thirty other state senators who cosponsored LR 107, including attorneys Speaker Mike Hilgers, Senator and former Speaker Mike Flood, Senator Tom Briese, and Senator Matt Williams. LR 107 is a blatantly partisan and frivolous resolution, which relates to subjects including election laws and voting rights, free exercise of religion, federalism and sharing of powers with the federal government, states’ rights as provided in the 9th and 10th Amendments, First Amendment rights, Second Amendment rights, healthcare and vaccines and the right to assemble and travel, a rejection of “vaccine passports,” and the private use of land and water. In keeping with this precedent set by Senator Groene and the thirty cosponsors of LR 107, Senator Hunt has introduced LR 118 to denounce the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and the acts of sedition and insurrection surrounding it.

We need to look comprehensively at how to address property tax relief. In this newsletter, you can read more about the systemic change Nebraska needs rather than the short-term solutions we have seen so many times before. You can also find a legislative update, COVID-19 vaccine information, and district 8 events.

On March 12th, after weeks of passionate hearings and testimony, the committee hearings came to a close. The legislature has now moved to floor debate - beginning with priority bill selections. I hope you continue to stay in touch with me on any issue that is of importance to you throughout this process. This newsletter contains a legislative update, COVID-19 vaccine updates, and a housing and financial resources list.

Effective tomorrow, the Legislature has updated its testifying guidelines for those with a disability who wish to testify. Read more about this update here.

Friends, supporters, detractors, interested parties, I want to encourage you to utilize the Nebraska Legislature's new online comment feature to make your voice heard and opinions known about our bills. Here are the main points:

The Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) and its community partners will host four community clinics beginning in February in an effort to provide Douglas County residents 80 years of age and older with the COVID-19 vaccine. The four sites are being coordinated by the DCHD in partnership with Nebraska Medicine, CHI Health, Creighton University, and Methodist Health System. The clinics will continue to operate until further notice. To register for the COVID-19 vaccine, visit https://vaccinate.ne.gov.

Nebraska’s unique Unicameral Legislature relies heavily on the “second house” – the citizens of the State of Nebraska. Ensuring that members of the public have the opportunity to have their voices heard is vital to the legislative process. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique health and safety concerns. The Legislature has adopted expanded methods by which the public can provide input into the legislative process so that citizens who have safety concerns about in-person testifying have multiple opportunities to have their voice heard as part of the legislative and committee process. The following options provide ways for citizens to share their views on a bill with the Legislature. Please read each option carefully, as each has a different outcome as to how your input is recorded. Guidance on hearings may continue to change depending on COVID-19, but I will make sure that you hear of any changes and are able to testify on the bills that matter to you.

Below you can find a brief overview of each of the bills I have introduced for 2021, as well as a few of the nearly 80 proposals I am co-sponsoring with my colleagues. The text of these bills is available on the Nebraska Legislature's website. This is a great tool to use to find information on hearing dates, the progress of a bill, and other relevant documents. Note that this year, written testimony will need to be submitted by noon the day before the bill's hearing, a change from 5 pm in previous years. Guidance on hearings may continue to change depending on COVID-19, but I will make sure that you hear of any changes and are able to testify on the bills that matter to you.