Hughes' Views: Coronavirus closes down Legislature
I know everyone is now well aware of the Coronavirus also known as COVID-19 and that it is officially considered a pandemic. The speaker announced Monday the Legislature was not going to reconvene Tuesday as scheduled and will remain adjourned until conditions improve.
As I am writing this the Nebraska State Capitol Building is still open to the public. However, if you are part of a group that plans on visiting the capitol, I would encourage your group to contact my office the day before your visit so we can let you know if there are any new restrictions in place.
The Speaker and the Executive Board Chairman have sent a letter to the school district superintendents of both public and private schools to encourage them to postpone their school visits to the capitol until next year.
Things are changing every day as this is a very fluid situation and I encourage all of you to stay informed.
Budget time
One of the most important issues we must address this session in the Nebraska legislature is the mid-biennium budget adjustments.
The most recent report from the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board showed tax receipts coming in a bit above projections.
The board did not take into consideration the possible fiscal impact that COVID-19 will have on the state. That impact is something that we must keep in mind as we discuss the mid-biennium budget adjustments.
Last week, the Appropriations Committee met with senators and staff to discuss the budget adjustments. One item of importance the committee plans on making is an increase in funding to local public health departments.
One of the other issues we recently debated on the floor was the appointment of Dr. John Kuehn to the State Health Board.
I supported this appointment because I served with John for four years when he was a state senator and I found him to be very intelligent and fact-based in his decision making.
The opposition to his appointment came because he is co-chair of anti-marijuana legalization organization here in Nebraska.
Dr. Kuehn and Governor Ricketts have done a podcast about the facts of marijuana use. I am providing the link to it and I highly encourage everyone to take a few minutes to sit down at your computer and watch it.
It is very informative about the dangers of marijuana use, especially by young people.
Here is the link: https://governor.nebraska.gov/press/gov-ricketts-hosts-smart-approaches-...“-nebraska-way” .
I always enjoy hearing from the Nebraskans I represent. Please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns that you might have.
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