Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
LINCOLN – Nebraska lawmakers adopted an amendment to a bill Tuesday that would require physicians to give written information about an STD when providing treatment to a patient with such infections. The written information, detailing chlamydia and gonorrhea and the treatments of these sexually transmitted diseases, could then be delivered to the patient’s partner. The amendment (AM764), sponsored by Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, passed with a 37-0 vote. The underlying bill (LB528), sponsored by Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha, would allow medical pra...
LINCOLN – Nebraska lawmakers debated Tuesday about expanding Medicaid to a particular group of low-income adults and adopted an amendment allowing lawmakers to review the policy if federal funds decrease. The bill (LB577), introduced by Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln, would allow adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who fall between 0 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid, which provides health care for certain low income people. Expanding access to Medicaid was authorized under the federal Affordable Care Act, c...
LINCOLN – Juveniles convicted of Class 1A felonies would no longer face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole under a bill introduced by Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha. The bill (LB44), which the Legislature debated Monday, would establish a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of 30 years imprisonment for juvenile offenders convicted of the most serious crimes, like murder, rape and kidnapping. The bill is an attempt to bring Nebraska state law in line with a recent Supreme Court decision that m...
LINCOLN – A special committee to analyze state aid to education could be formed if a bill heard in the Education Committee of the Nebraska Legislature is passed. Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm presented the bill (LB323) Tuesday that would create a group of people, representing the schools of Nebraska, to discuss annually and create a report with suggestions as to how to address the state aid formula. Four people testified in support of the bill and nobody testified against or neutral to the bill. In presenting his bill, Haar cited suggestions r...
LINCOLN – Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial withdrew his bill (LB52) Wednesday that would allow certain organizations to hire prisoners for labor without pay. Christensen said he received phone calls and emails throughout Tuesday after an amendment eliminating organizations that discriminate based on sexual orientation was adopted. He said that, even with his phone ringing all day after the legislative session, he wants his constituents to be able to contact him about these issues. “I could have stood on the floor boldly and said, you kno...
LINCOLN – After three hours of discussion, one of three amendments proposed by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha to a bill dealing with prison labor was passed Tuesday. “I intend to take all the time that is necessary to kill this bill,” Chambers said. The bill (LB52) would allow nonprofit organizations to hire prisoners for labor with no pay. Chambers proposed amendments to eliminate nonprofit organizations from the proposed program and to eliminate the requirement that the labor would pay for the operating costs of the penitentiary. Both faile...
LINCOLN – Law enforcement officers could seize mistreated livestock with a veterinarian’s recommendation if an Agriculture Committee bill is passed. Rick Leonard, the committee’s research analyst, presented the bill (LB423) at a hearing Tuesday. Six people testified in support of the bill, and one testified against it. The committee also received a letter of support from the Humane Society of the United States. Under the bill, owners of mistreated livestock would also pay for any expense for that animal after seizure until the courts decid...
LINCOLN – More droughts in the Southern plains and floods in the Northern plains are among the scenarios described in new a national climate change draft report. After record high water flowing from the Colorado Rockies to the Missouri River in 2011, the U.S. experienced a significant decline in water flow in 2012, with nearly 65 percent affected by drought, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln. “We’ve never seen that sort of a drastic change,” Svoboda said. Svoboda was one of about 145 peo...
LINCOLN – School superintendents would no longer be required to have two years of classroom experience if the Education Committee passes a bill it heard Tuesday. Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha presented this bill (LB539) that would allow potential superintendent candidates to be hired without any teaching experience. Nobody else testified in favor of the bill, and three testified against it. “A superintendent is not a manager. A superintendent is not a teacher. A superintendent is not a men...
LINCOLN – “I k rite,” the text message read. That text message caused a life-changing car accident for 19-year-old Cedar Rapids native Erin Smith, who testified in support of a bill during the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee hearing Monday. Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff presented the bill (LB118) that would make texting while driving a primary offense rather than the secondary offense it is now. Drivers can be ticketed for a secondary offense only if they have stopped for some other offense. Smith was among the nine who testifi...
