Bill introduction begins

Senators reconvened Jan. 5 to begin introduction of new bills.

Among the 98 proposals were:

LB15, introduced by Albion Sen. Tom Briese, which would change provisions of the Wage and Hour Act;

LB17, introduced by Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, which would authorize possession of a firearm on school grounds by a full-time, off-duty law enforcement officer;

LB22, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, which would decriminalize use and possession of marijuana;

LB31, introduced by Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, which would require train crews of at least two individuals as prescribed;

LB36, introduced by Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington, which would change individual income tax brackets and rates;

LB40, sponsored by Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood, which would adopt the Riparian and Water Quality Practices Act;

LB45, sponsored by Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams, which would create the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Fund;

LB50, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist, which would change criminal justice provisions including set asides, restitution and parole; create criminal justice pilot programs; terminate an oversight committee; and create a task force;

LB52, introduced by Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City, which would change the amount of tuition credits available to National Guard members;

LB57, sponsored by Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh, which would adopt the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act;

LB64, introduced by Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, which would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to provide notice in certain cases of child abuse and neglect;

LB71, introduced by Bellevue Sen. Rita Sanders, which would change provisions relating to parental involvement in and access to learning materials in schools;

LB77, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, which would provide for carrying of concealed handguns without a permit, change provisions relating to concealed weapons and prohibit certain regulation of weapons by cities, villages and counties;

LB81, introduced by Grand Island Sen. Raymond Aguilar, which would change the number of county judges in Buffalo and Hall counties; and

LR2CA, introduced by Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, a proposed constitutional amendment to change from a unicameral legislature to a bicameral legislature, provide for election of members of the Legislature on a partisan ballot, require election of legislative officers and committee chairpersons by public vote and require all meetings of the Legislature to be open to the public.

A complete list of bills introduced thus far is available at NebraskaLegislature.gov. New bills may be introduced for the first 10 legislative days, or until Jan. 18.