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Legislative Affairs
NC Is an Important Cog in the Legislative Wheel
By Pete McClymont
The start of every year in Nebraska commences the legislative process in our state. This new year brought typical resolutions for self-improvement, never-before-seen devastation from two ice storms and 22 new state senators originating from voter-approved term limits. With the abundance of freshman senators gracing the Capitol halls came concerns of what may or not happen during this congressional year. Correspondingly, trade associations, lobbyists and those involved with the Unicameral were equally nervous about the road ahead in 2007.
For those unfamiliar with how the bill introduction process operates, here is a crash course. The first date of bill introduction was Jan. 3 for the 100th legislative session. There are ten business days that Senators are allowed to introduce legislation. The final day of bill introduction was Jan. 17. After that, no new legislation can be introduced, but bills can be amended.
Nebraska Cattlemen has been increasingly vigilant in reviewing new legislation. This year, 705 new bills were introduced on a wide range of issues and topics. NC staff reviewed the bills’ one-line descriptions to determine if a proposed bill would affect your bottom line in the beef industry and your interests relevant to NC policy. After the initial review process, it was deemed 326 bills may affect your business. Then the individual bills were forwarded to the corresponding NC committee chairmen and vice chairmen. Nebraska Cattlemen officers also actively participated in reviewing bills. Needless to say, this is the most tedious but necessary responsibility of being an NC Board member.
The Nebraska Cattlemen Board convenes as the NC Legislative Committee with the president-elect serving as NC Legislative Committee chairman. President-Elect Larry Smith coordinated with staff and leadership to run an efficient, productive Legislative Committee. The NC Board needs two days to perform the tasks of the legislative process and then traditionally holds a Board meeting the following day. Board members obviously are committed to the process to take at least two days out of their important schedules to conduct Nebraska Cattlemen business.
In the reviewing process, the NC Legislative Committee gives staff guidance on all reviewed bills, choosing either to support, oppose, monitor or have no position. The committee also directs staff to coordinate NC’s testimony on bills. Whenever possible, leadership testifies before Unicameral committees. When members cannot make the trip to the Capitol, staff performs that duty. Also part of the process is for staff and leadership to work with senators to amend bills to benefit NC policy and the beef industry.
The 2007 Legislative Committee took positions on 70 bills, supporting 45, opposing 25 and choosing to monitor another 43. Also, the NC Legislative Committee prioritizes bills that are critical to Nebraska Cattlemen policy. This year, instead of specific bills to be focused on, similar types of legislation were targeted. The reason for this approach is that with a relatively good economy, a newly elected governor and 22 new senators coming off the campaign trail, tax relief was a high priority for the voters. There was an abundance of tax relief bills proposed, and singling out a particular bill would have been difficult.
The NC Legislative Committee came up with three priorities, the first of which was tax relief. The Legislative Committee has directed NC to work toward the elimination of the state estate tax and to seek property tax relief. There were numerous bills relevant to these topics. The Legislative Committee’s second priority is the passage of LB 677, which changes late fees under the Livestock Waste Management Act. Newly elected Senator Annette Dubas from Fullerton (District 34) was approached and gladly accepted being the introducer of LB 677. There are also nine co-sponsors. Of the ten senators signed on to sponsor LB 677, five are NC members – Tom Carlson, Deb Fischer, NC past president Tom Hansen, Carol Hudkins and LeRoy Louden. Nebraska Cattlemen thanks these senators for their belief in LB 677 in addition to the other co-sponsoring senators. NC’s third priority is LB 550, which addresses the need for a change in statute to provide for the sale of prescription drugs to animal owners.
The legislative process at the Unicameral is very fluid. There are committee hearings every day the Legislature is in session and daily floor debate for bills that move through the process. If you have questions regarding any bill, please contact the NC office for more information. Watch your emails and read the NC POST newsletter for updates on the progression of the 100th legislative session. Y Pete McClymont is NC’s vice president of Legal Affairs. |