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Loren Lippincott
Welcome to the Legislative District 34 news.
I have spent my first week in the Nebraska Legislature getting to know my fellow colleagues and introducing my first legislative bill.
LB 52 increases the existing $900,000 cap to $1,000,000 in the State Tuition Assistance Program that provides tuition assistance to members of our Nebraska National Guard. This program helps retain service members who are “Always ready, always there.”
Additionally, I added my name as a co-sponsor to some other bills, including LB 77. This bill was introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer and allows carrying a concealed handgun without a permit. At least 25 other states have passed a similar law. Sen. Brewer has already designated this as his priority bill, assuring it will be debated by the full legislature if advanced by the committee. Last session this bill fell two votes short of passage. I am hoping this year it will pass.
I also co-sponsored legislation to appropriate funds for our state veteran’s cemetery in Grand Island. Those who have served and sacrificed for our country deserve a resting place that reflects the honor they deserve.
Bill introduction continues through Jan. 18 and committees will begin meeting on Jan. 23. Each year nearly 700 bills are introduced through the clerk and must be submitted in the first 10 legislative working days.
Having the nation’s only Unicameral (a senate only), each bill has a public hearing where any citizen can testify their thoughts on a bill while it is heard in committee. The citizens of Nebraska are considered the Second House of the Legislature. All are welcomed to come and voice their opinions the day their bill is heard in committee. All activities, schedules and functions of the legislature can be found online at NebraskaLegislature.gov.
I have preliminarily been assigned to the Appropriations Committee, where we will review Gov. Pillen’s recommended state budget, and submit a committee budget to the full legislature for debate. This is a very important committee considering a state’s legislature is the “purse strings” of the state. It is a nine-person committee and in one form or another nearly 80-90 percent of bills pass through appropriations, because those bills have a fiscal impact (they concern money).
Whereas the revenue committee deals with money coming into the state treasury (taxes, etc.), Appropriations deals with money being spent. Nebraska has a budget of over $5 billion (this is apart from nearly the same amount of federal money coming into the state from the feds, and fulfilling mandates from the feds).
Appropriations is the only committee that meets every day of the week. The other 13 committees meet two or three days of the week. Additionally people assigned to appropriations serve only on that general committee.
It was a privilege and honor to sit in a senator’s chair on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature this week. It seems not too long ago I sat facing the other direction at the front of the chamber as a legislative page while attending the University of Nebraska. Our beloved Sen. Maurice Kremer of Aurora represented our district at that time.
Sen. Lippincott can be reached by phone at 402-471-2630. His mailing address is Sen. Loren Lippincott, State Capitol, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509.
