Proposed Nebraska amendment would extend term limits for state senators

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - State lawmakers introduced 49 more pieces of proposed legislation on Friday, bringing the total number of bills proposed so far to 464.

Nebraska state senators introduced nearly 100 bills on Thursday, Jan. 5; 61 on Friday, Jan. 6; 62 on Monday; 73 on Tuesday; 63 on Wednesday; and 84 on Thursday — as the Unicameral’s next session begins to take shape. Those numbers don’t include amendment proposals and resolutions.

Among Friday’s proposed bills and resolutions:

• LB421, introduced by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, would modify oversight of directed health measures in cities and counties.
• LB431, introduced by State Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings, would change provisions relating to criminal history record information checks, eliminating criminal background checks for initial licensing or reinstatement and adding Nebraska State Patrol fingerprinting for medical professionals to be checked by the FBI for a criminal history.
• LB432, introduced by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, supports the Second Look Act, changing sentence provisions for certain offenses, expanding eligibility for parole, allowing “good time” consideration for those serving mandatory minimum terms, and adding considerations for geriatric parolees.
• LB435, introduced by State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, would set up parental advisors in juvenile proceedings.
• LB452, introduced by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, modifies rules for microdistilleries, requiring the majority of the finished product to come from Nebraska ag products, among other stipulations.
• LR22CA, submitted by State Sen. Ron Dover of Norfolk would increase term limits for state senators from two terms to three. Recent committee assignments have made this a popular topic, with concerns raised about the Legislature’s current term limits causing much institutional knowledge to be lost. The bill currently has bipartisan support, with at least 40 state senators signing on.
• LR26CA, submitted by State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, is a constitutional amendment proposing language stating same-sex relationships are not valid or recognized in Nebraska be removed. On this matter, the Nebraska constitution currently reads: “Only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska. The uniting of two persons of the same sex in a civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar same-sex relationship shall not be valid or recognized in Nebraska.”

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Assistant News Director Cassie Crowe and Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report.

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