This past week in the Nebraska Legislature consisted of mornings on the floor followed by afternoons of Committee Hearings. I had two bills heard by committees this past Friday and would like to share them and how the hearing went.

The Judiciary Committee heard Legislative Bill 826, which would make non-resident military personnel eligible for a concealed handgun permit. It would allow active duty military personnel in Nebraska to be able to apply for a concealed handgun permit after 180 days of residency. Currently for purposes of the Concealed Handgun Act an applicant is required to be a resident for 180 days and claim Nebraska as residence for tax and voting purposes. That is not possible for some military personnel stationed in Nebraska because they claim residence of their home state. I believe LB826 is a small way for Nebraska to welcome and reach out to honor the men and women serving our country in the United States Armed Forces.

LB826 had several proponents at the hearing and I was pleased at the showing of support.

LB949 was another bill that was heard on Friday by the Revenue Committee. This bill allows for a sales tax exemption for non-profit rural health clinics. There are 122 Medicare "Certified Rural Health Clinics" in Nebraska as of December 2007.

Of those there are 46 that are owned by non-profit hospitals and 43 are controlled by political subdivisions and the remaining 33 are "free standing" clinics. The 43 that are controlled by political subdivisions are already exempt from paying sales tax because of governmental exemptions. It is my desire to clarify that the 46 clinics that are owned by non-profit organizations be exempt from paying sales tax. I feel that this will help maintain more access to care in Nebraska's more sparsely populates areas at lower prices.

On a different note, I would like to ask my constituents who are serving in the military or have family members serving in the military send pictures via e-mail, mail or fax to my Capitol office. I would like to show my appreciation by displaying the pictures or stories in my office.

The last piece of information I would like to touch on are the public hearings coming up for my bills over the next couple of weeks. If you would like to come and support a bill in Lincoln, the hearing dates are:

LB743 on Jan. 30, 2008; this bill eliminates restrictions on trapping wildlife in county road rights-of-way.

LB751 on Feb. 5, 2008; this bill would expand the area in which state funds could be used to remove vegetation along the river to reach more areas infested with invasive species.

LB1041 on Feb. 7, 2008; this bill would protect certain water purchased or leased for river-flow enhancement purposes from diversions downstream.