Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final part in a series of articles covering the recently completed first session of the 107th Nebraska Legislature from different perspectives. While many of the farm groups agree on several of the policies, there is also a diversity of opinions, even among farmers, on how to tackle many of the most important state issues facing agriculture.

John Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union president, has been following agriculture policy in the Nebraska Legislature for 32 years. Over that time, he has probably seen it all — and watched the development of hundreds of historic bills.

For the first session of the 107th Nebraska Legislature, NeFU testified on 50 bills before the Unicameral, supporting 37 and opposing 13. That amounts to a busy legislative season for Hansen. Of the 37 bills supported, 13 were signed into law this session, and two bills opposed by NeFU also became law.

Nebraska Farmer talked with Hansen about this past session, for some of the details on bills that were watched closely by NeFU. “Since I’ve been at this for a while, I have a little more institutional memory on many of these issues,” Hansen says.

Some of the same issues that were on the radar 32 years ago continue to pop up in one form or another. He says that COVID-19 restrictions made testifying on many of the bills more challenging, and there were obstacles to talking in person with senators about individual issues. More work had to be done over the phone, and Hansen admits that is less effective.

Ag Committee

If you count wins and losses from the NeFU standpoint, the organization had a good batting average this session. In the Agriculture Committee, NeFU was pleased with the passage of LR5 that adopted the findings of the Heathy Soils Task Force — and LB324 that created a herd share system that will increase the marketing opportunities for meat producers and the use of smaller federally inspected meat lockers.

There were setbacks, too. NeFU was disappointed that LB235, which would create a state meat inspection system, is stuck in committee. It would give the state the opportunity to open new additional meat marketing and inspection opportunities. LB572, which changed provisions of the Livestock Brand Act, was a mix of provisions NeFU supported and opposed.

NeFU was extremely disappointed the Legislature failed to pass LB241 from the Business and Labor Committee, which would have required Nebraska meatpacking plants to implement common-sense provisions to protect the health and safety of meatpacking workers.

“The provisions in the bill were consistent with recommendations made by the University of Nebraska Medical Center to make Nebraska meatpacking workplaces safer,” Hansen says.

Farm to School program

In the Education Committee, LB396, which creates the Nebraska Farm to School program, is now law. “NeFU has championed this issue for many years to get more locally produced foods in Nebraska schools,” Hansen says. “Sen. [Tom] Brandt, his staff and the organizations involved in last year’s task force that laid the groundwork are to be congratulated.”

NeFU is cautiously optimistic that LB132, which was turned into LR141, is in the hands of 11 senators who will do a thorough study of the education funding formula and make sound recommendations.

NeFU was extremely pleased with the passage and override of Gov. Pete Ricketts veto of LB306, which uses federal monies to assist low-income residents with their utility bills, Hansen says.

Bills that NeFU supported in the Natural Resources Committee that became law included LB650, which allows for the geologic storage of carbon dioxide, and LB507, which prohibits the use of treated seed corn as fuels stock for ethanol production. The organization was disappointed that two bills that updated Nebraska’s net metering law were not moved forward — LB573 and LB506.

Also stuck in the Natural Resources Committee is LB483, which would have the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provide for a climate change study and action plan. “The Legislature has repeatedly failed to develop a statewide climate plan,” Hansen says. “We should utilize the nationally recognized expertise of UNL to do a study and develop an action plan. The failure to plan is, by default, a plan for failure. On the issue of climate change, we cannot afford to fail.”

Revenue Committee

LB2 reduced ag land valuations from 75% to 50% for bond issues. LB254 extended the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Act program. LB595 removed sales taxes on ethanol production inputs, and LB672 removed the sales tax exemptions for certain ag machinery, and these all became law.

“All of these bills were about fairness, good public policy, and about correcting long-standing inconsistencies and errors in the Nebraska Revenue Department’s interpretation of laws already passed,” Hansen says.

NeFU supported LB454, which made it out of committee but failed on the floor. It was an attempt to provide some financial support to the two-thirds of all schools that do not receive any funding from the state aid to education formula.

Also, in the Revenue Committee, NeFU did not support lowering the state corporate income tax rate contained in LB680, which also passed. Four bills or constitutional amendments NeFU opposed failed to get out of committee or failed on the floor.

They included LB133 and LR11CA, which dealt with eliminating income, sales, property and estate taxes and establishing a consumption tax, and LB408 and LR22CA, which both imposed additional lids on local governmental subdivisions.

The Transportation and Telecommunications Committee produced three bills that NeFU strongly supported that dealt with different facets of high-speed internet broadband deployment and became law.

LB388 introduced on behalf of the governor provided for $20 million per year for two years to finance broadband construction and raised the upload and download speeds to a much more appropriate 100 Mbps.

LB338 and LB398, which dealt with broadband speeds and services and redirected some portions of Public Service Commission funding, also were passed.

“These three bills represent real progress in the march toward statewide affordable, accessible high-speed broadband connections,” Hansen explains. “We still have a lot of work to do and a long ways to go, but the efforts of the 2021 session put us in much better position than we were in before. We give a lot of credit to Chairman [Curt] Friesen and his committee.”

The census data is not yet available to complete redistricting, so that will be taken up in the fall with a special session. “NeFU has been working with a wide range of organizations to keep partisan criteria out of the redistricting process and provide for as much transparency and citizen involvement as possible,” Hansen says.

Learn more online at nebraskafarmersunion.org.