Nebraska legislators begin filing bills for 2023 Unicameral session

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - Nebraska’s 108th Legislature got started on the new session in earnest on Thursday, introducing dozens of bills for state senators to work their way through in the coming months.

By about 10:30 a.m., more than 40 bills had been filed. By 4 p.m., the number of bills and proposed resolutions was up to nearly 100.

Among those filed on Thursday:

LB2, filed by State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, would create the Commission on Asian American Affairs
LB12, filed by State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, would create the Nebraska Human Breast Milk Bank.
LB17, filed by State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would allow full-time, off-duty peace officers to carry guns on school grounds.
LB20, filed by State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, allow the restoration of voting rights after a felon completes their sentence.
LB22, also filed by Wayne, would decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana.
LB24, also filed by Wayne, would change tax provisions relating to cigars, cheroots, and stogies.
LB30, also filed by Dungan, would allow plea filings of “no contest” in juvenile hearings.
LB35, filed by State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington, would change provisions relating to childcare assistance.
LB36, also filed by DeBoer, would change income tax brackets and rates.
LB38, also filed by Blood, would allow for an adjustment on federal retirement annuities.
LB39, also filed by Blood, would require disability impact statements for certain legislation.
LB53, also filed by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, would create Malcolm X Day and establish it as a state holiday.
LB56, also filed by McKinney, would require diaper changing stations in men’s and women’s restrooms or a changing station in a gender-neutral or family restroom in places like restaurants, gas stations, movie theaters, etc.
LB58, filed by State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, would make diapers tax-exempt for anyone needing diapers, not just babies.
LB64, filed by State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, would require the Department of Health and Human Services to provide notice in certain cases of child abuse and neglect.
LB66, filed by State Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, would change regulations for operating all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles, allowing some to be operated on certain state highways outside city limits.
LB70, filed by State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, would eliminate the fee for certain state ID cards and certified copies of birth certificates for voting purposes.
LB77, filed by 26 senators led by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, would allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a permit; and prohibit counties, cities, and villages from requiring firearm or other sorts of weapon registration. It would also ban them from regulating ownership, storage, transportation, or sale of firearms or weapons with exceptions as outlined by state law.
LB86, filed by State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, would require state public works contactors to pay Nebraska’s minimum wage.
LB87, also filed by Hunt, would let those at least 18 years old make healthcare decisions and those in correctional facilities who are younger than age 19 to give consent for medical and mental health care.
LB91, filed by State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, would require those on motorcycles, mopeds, and autocycles to wear helmets and eye protection.
LR2CA, filed by State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, proposes a state constitutional amendment to change from a unicameral to a bicameral legislature, which would give Nebraska two legislative bodies — a house and a senate — like all other states. It would also change from nonpartisan to partisan; and require legislative officers and committee chairpersons to be elected by public vote instead of secret ballot.
LR3CA, also filed by John Cavanaugh, would change from partisan to nonpartisan for elections for governor, lieutenant governor, state attorney general, Secretary of State, state auditor, and state treasurer
LR4CA, also filed by Machaela Cavanaugh, would remove felony convictions — other than treason — from disqualifying someone otherwise legally eligible to vote.
LR7CA, also filed by Erdman, would allow for a tax exemption on groceries.