Nebraska Farm Bureau

01/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 16:25

The 109th Nebraska legislative session began this week in Lincoln. Much of the first few ...

The 109th Nebraska legislative session began this week in Lincoln. Much of the first few days were made up of legislative procedures and bill introduction. Seventeen new senators were sworn in, and temporary rules were put in place until Jan. 20 for bills to be introduced and business to get underway. However, there is an expectation that permanent adoption of legislative rules could bring some early drama to the session, especially when it comes to the rules regarding secret ballots for committee chairs.

New leadership and committee chairs elected:

  • Speaker: John Arch
  • Executive Committee:
  • Chair: Ben Hanson
  • Vice-Chair: Teresa Ibach
  • Committee on Committees: Christy Armendariz
  • Agriculture: Barry DeKay
  • Appropriations: Rob Clements
  • Banking, Commerce, and Insurance: Mike Jacobson
  • Business and Labor: Kathleen Kauth
  • Education: Dave Murman
  • General Affairs: Rick Holdcroft
  • Government, Military and Veterans Affairs: Rita Sanders
  • Health and Human Services: Brian Hardin
  • Judiciary: Carolyn Bosn
  • Natural Resources: Tom Brandt
  • Nebraska Retirement Systems: Beau Ballard
  • Transportation and Telecommunications: Mike Moser
  • Revenue: Brad von Gillern
  • Rules: Loren Lippincott
  • Urban Affairs: Terrell McKinney
  • Enrollment and Review: Dunixi Guereca

Speaker Arch announced the following dates of note, giving a clearer picture of what the debate and committee schedule will look like throughout the session:

  • January 15 - Governor Jim Pillen's State of the State Address
  • January 16 - Deadline to submit bill requests to the revisor and bill drafting office.
  • January 22 - Final day of bill introductions. Debate will begin on a motion to adopt permanent rules. Afternoon committee hearings begin. The bills scheduled for this date must be announced seven days prior, by statute.
  • January 29 - Debate of bills will begin.
  • March 13 - Deadline for letters requesting speaker priority bills.
  • March 14 - Deadline for letters designating committee (3) and senator (1) priority bills
  • March 17 - Speaker Arch will announce his priority bills (25).
  • March 28 - Date to complete public hearings on introduced bills.
  • March 31 - Full day floor debate begins.
  • April 22-May 29 - Possible late-night debates.
  • June 9 - Adjourn Sine Die.

Nebraska Farm Bureau Legislative Priorities

Our main priorities this session will be property tax reform, growing the livestock industry, water quality, rural economic development, capturing the opportunities of the emerging bioeconomy, and other policies that support growth in the agriculture industry and the communities we rely on and that rely on us.