Days 49 through 53 of this years 60-day legislative session concluded July 31. Though real progress during the second half of this session has been hard to come by, senators took some steps last week that will make a difference.

LB 1053, a priority bill by the Health and Human Services Committee, which I am a member of, advanced on a 47-0 vote. This bill changes reimbursement rates for hospitals and nursing facilities.

It also included a bill I introduced, LB 1043, that would change how nursing homes are placed into receivership by the state. Facilities are placed into receivership when they can no longer operate for any number of reasons, but often because of financial difficulty. This bill prioritizes patient safety by making sure that companies taking control of these facilities are held to higher standards than they were previously. Our office receives regular questions about supporting nursing homes in Legislative District 16 and Im happy to have sponsored this bill.

Another bill I introduced, LB 1044, was included in a bill prioritized by Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Legislative District 23. My portion of the bill helped fix a problem that may have held up food for medical patients by clarifying that nutrition therapists may order patient diets with their own authority when working in consultation with physicians.

The debate became quite heated when a bill introduced by Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln to prohibit dismemberment abortions came up on the floor. The bill, LB 814, would outlaw the practice of dismemberment abortion in the state of Nebraska. The bill, however, failed to come up for a vote after a filibuster by pro-abortion senators.

This is by far the bill Ive heard about most from constituents. Through calls, emails and Facebook messages, constituents in LD 16 have made their voices heard that they do not support this practice and want to see it ended in Nebraska. As a co-sponsor of the bill, along with more than 20 other senators, I fully intend to bring this bill to a vote and end this horrendous practice.

Ive also heard from many constituents about LB 720, the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. This bill would sunset our current business incentive program, Nebraska Advantage, and implement a new program. Our region has benefited greatly from business incentives that are needed to attract and retain large employers in the area. Though there have been issues with Nebraska Advantage in the past, this new program would provide more incentives to small businesses. This bill has been tied together with property tax relief for much of the session and I agree that it should be. I see the value of LB 720 and will vote for it when property tax relief is delivered to the people who need it most.

As always you can contact me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov or contact the office to speak with my

Administrative Assistant Ellie Stangl or my Legislative Aide Jacob Campbell. To read all

introduced legislation please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may watch the live stream of the

session when available at netnebraska.org.

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Steps toward progress in the Legislature - Blair Enterprise Publishing