LINCOLN- A bill to exempt feedlots from Nebraska branding and inspection fees is headed to the second round of legislative debate after Wednesday’s 26-2 vote. After hours of debate, State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner, in west-central Nebraska, amended Legislative Bill 646 to cap the amount the Brand Committee can charge feedlots and seek to exempt feedlots in the state’s brand inspection area from paying branding-related fees. It would replace them with a one-time payment of $1,000 to apply for feedlots to get an exempt status. The bill also exempts dairy cattle.

Ibach said she is open to additional amendments to her priority bill regarding the language of the fee structure and other technical issues lawmakers might have. She faced opposition from State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman, a freshman rural lawmaker from north-central Nebraska, who proposed an amendment to essentially kill the bill—an effort that failed Wednesday while urban lawmakers chose not to weigh in.

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