WITH $50 MILLION FACILITY IN PLAY, SENATORS, CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR FIGHT OVER PRISON OVERCROWDING

LINCOLN — State lawmakers and the state’s prison director sparred Wednesday over how to solve overcrowding that new projections show will only continue to mount in the decade ahead.

A draft consultant report recently delivered to the Nebraska Department of Corrections projects that the state’s prison system, currently more than 2,000 inmates above its design capacity, could be approaching 3,300 inmates over capacity by 2030. That’s despite hundreds of new beds expected over the next three years.

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'RED-FLAG' BILL TARGETING GUN VIOLENCE ADVANCES FROM COMMITTEE ON 5-2 VOTE

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers appear headed for debate over a “red-flag” bill that would allow authorities to temporarily take guns away from people suspected of being dangerous.

The controversial approach to gun violence advanced from the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday on a 5-2 vote, with one senator abstaining.

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BOLZ STRESSES HEALTH CARE AS SHE FILES FOR CONGRESS

LINCOLN - State Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln formally filed Tuesday as a candidate for eastern Nebraska's 1st District House seat and immediately turned her spotlight on the need to protect and enhance health care coverage for all Nebraskans.

That would include lowering the cost of prescription drugs, protecting health care coverage for people with preexisting conditions and "standing up for people" in addressing their health care concerns, she said.

Bolz said she would vigorously defend and support Medicare and Medicaid against efforts to diminish their reach or reduce their funding.

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BRODEY WEBER LAUNCHES BID FOR NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN - A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student and lifelong resident of northwest Lincoln has announced his candidacy to represent District 21 in the Legislature.

In addition to his studies, Brodey Weber is the vice president of client relations for Mid America Casing Supply, a locally owned, family business headquartered in Air Park.

District 21, which is represented by Sen. Mike Hilgers, encompasses northwest Lincoln, Malcolm, Raymond and the surrounding areas.

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PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STATE SENATORS IN NEBRASKA GETS SOME PUSHBACK IN LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN — A proposal that could lead to an increase in the number of state senators ran into a buzz saw of questions on Tuesday.

The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, would allow legislators to increase the size of the unicameral Legislature from the current 49 senators to up to 55.

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NEBRASKA POWER AGENCY PLANS TO BE CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050

LINCOLN - The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska has announced plans to significantly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels over the next 30 years.

The nonprofit supplier of wholesale electricity to 69 communities in four states announced last week that its board of directors voted to work toward having a totally carbon neutral power resource portfolio by 2050.

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SENATORS CONFRONT GROWING YOUTH VAPING ISSUE WITH PROPOSED BAN

LINCOLN - School representatives urged support Monday for a legislative proposal to confront what they said is a growing problem of nicotine vaping in schools and among Nebraska youth.

"There's been a steep increase in vaping" in Nebraska schools, Waverly High School principal Dr. Megan Myers said, and it is now growing among students as young as 14.

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LINCOLN YOUTH TREATMENT AND REHAB CENTER TO START ACCEPTING YOUTHS

LINCOLN - As the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services gets ready to open a new youth treatment facility in Lincoln, state senators are having hearings to provide oversight to the system.

Department CEO Dannette Smith is moving forward with the opening of the Lincoln center, believing it is the best avenue to house youth who need significant behavioral and mental health treatment.

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TRAVELERS FROM WUHNA, CHINA MAY BE MONITORED FOR CORONAVIRUS IN NEBRASKA

OMAHA - Americans who have traveled to China and may have been exposed to the coronavirus could be brought to Nebraska for observation.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services is working on a plan to bring Americans back to the United States, University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey Gold said Saturday afternoon. One place they might end up is Nebraska.

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SENATOR SAYS IT'S TIME TO ADD SALES TAX TO CANDY, SOFT DRINKS IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN - Sen. John McCollister of Omaha argued Thursday that it's time to apply Nebraska's state sales tax to purchases of candy and soft drinks and direct that new revenue to the state's health care cash fund.

Only 11 states do not tax those products now, he told the Legislature's Revenue Committee during a public hearing on his proposal.

McCollister removed a provision from his bill (LB810) that would have also applied the sales tax to bottled water.

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PROPOSED CIGARETTE TAX HIKE REMAINS BOTTLED UP IN COMMITTEE

LINCOLN - A proposed cigarette and tobacco products tax hike that would have raised an estimated $90 million a year, providing funding largely devoted to health care needs, including Medicaid expansion, remained stuck in the Legislature's Revenue Committee on Wednesday on a 4-4 vote.

The bill (LB710), introduced last year by Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, would increase the cigarette tax by $1.50 a pack and impose tax hikes on other tobacco products.

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LEGISLATURE WILL DEBATE PROPOSAL TO EXPAND TO 55 SENATORS

LINCOLN - The proposal granting state lawmakers the authority to expand to 55 senators could be debated by the full Legislature as early as next week.

Speaker Jim Scheer's proposed constitutional amendment (LR279CA) advanced from the Legislature's Executive Board to general file Thursday morning on a 6-1 vote.

Two senators, Ernie Chambers and Tony Vargas, both of Omaha, abstained. Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz cast the lone dissenting vote during a brief executive session.

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FERTILITY FRAUD BILL WOULD PUNISH DOCTORS WHO ILLICITLY USE THEIR OWN SPERM TO INSEMINATE PATIENTS

LINCOLN — Mark Hansen always knew that 54 years ago, he was conceived via artificial insemination.

But six years ago, the Urbandale, Iowa, man was shocked to discover, through an over-the-counter DNA test, that his dad wasn’t his biological father — his mother’s doctor was.

Hansen said his mother was distraught and felt violated, and his emotions ran the gamut, from confusion to wondering if his family would still consider him “family.”

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STATE CHAMBER TAKES STAND OPPOSING SEXUAL IDENTITY, GENDER IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION AT WORK January 31, 2020

LINCOLN — A leading Nebraska business group broke new ground Thursday by taking a stand against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry adopted the policy change to align itself with Blueprint Nebraska, a statewide economic development plan released last fall, officials said.

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NEBRASKA SCHOOL CHOICE RALLY DRAWS SUPPORTERS OF SCHOLARSHIP TAX CREDIT BILL

LINCOLN - Children donning yellow scarves filled the state Capitol’s Warner Chamber on Wednesday for the annual school choice rally promoting the latest bill to offer tax credits for donors to a scholarship fund for private and parochial school students.

“I’m sure lots of you are on scholarship,” said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, who introduced the Opportunity Scholarships Act (LB1202). “But we run out every year. It’s not enough.”

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A YEAR AFTER IOWA INTRODUCED MEDICAL CANNABIS, HERE'S HOW THE PROGRAM IS MAKING GAINS

IOWA - After a bad workplace accident in 2001, Rick Parham wound up with steel plates and rods in his spine.

He also found himself dealing with ongoing pain, including cramps in his legs that woke him up at night.

A little less than a year ago, Parham turned to a newly opened medical cannabis dispensary on the edge of Council Bluffs. He now uses a combination of cannabis tinctures, creams and vapor to keep himself moving during the day and to get adequate sleep at night. Recently, he’s been putting siding on his home in Pacific Junction, Iowa, which took a hit from flooding last spring.

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EXPANDING ACCESS TO SIGN LANGUAGE WOULD IMPROVE EDUCATION FOR DEAF STUDENTS, BACKERS SAY

LINCOLN - School-age Nebraskans who are deaf or hard of hearing rely upon interpreters to give them access to the same education as their peers who are able to hear.

But access to interpreters fluent in American Sign Language or services aimed at helping young Nebraskans who experience hearing loss prepare to even enter school is not equal across the state.

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BILL SEEKS TO GIVER VULNERABLE OR OLDER NEBRASKANS ALLIES AGAINST FINANCIAL ABUSE, SCAMS

LINCOLN — The unnamed retiree was highly respected in his central Nebraska community, an elected official with a wife, children and grandchildren to keep him active and connected.

He also was absolutely convinced that he had won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes and had sent off nearly $10,000 to claim his winnings.

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CAPITOL DIGEST: LAWMAKERS TUSSLE OVER BILL THAT WOULD EASE REFLEXOLOGY LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

LINCOLN - There are still a few knots to work out of a bill that would ease licensing requirements for practitioners of reflexology, who touch pressure points on hands, feet and outer ears.

Legislative Bill 347, introduced by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would allow reflexologists to sidestep a Nebraska law that requires them to be licensed as massage therapists, who have to log 1,000 hours of coursework and training.

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WILLA CATHER FOUNDATION LAUNCHES EFFORT TO BOOST RED CLOUD AS LITERARY TOURISM DESTINATION

LINCOLN — The Willa Cather Foundation is making a final push for donations to enhance Cather’s hometown of Red Cloud as a literary landmark and destination for “heritage” tourists.

The nonprofit foundation will announce Tuesday that it is seeking to raise $6.5 million to restore and upgrade eight historic buildings related to Cather’s novels in Red Cloud, develop a boutique hotel there and amass an endowment to maintain structures owned by the organization.

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