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NHA members urge senators to oppose LB 253
LINCOLN, Neb. — The legislature began debate of LB 253 on January 14. NHA members
utilized the NHA's online advocacy tool, voterVOICE, to deliver more than 60
messages to state senators urging them to oppose a repeal of Nebraska's
motorcycle helmet law which has been in place for nearly 20 years. Thanks to
efforts such as NHA members' communication with their elected officials, LB 253
failed to advance by a narrow margin of 25 to 23 after hours of debate.
Because Senator Rogert (Tekamah) has prioritized LB 253, the possibility exists
for this issue to be debated again this session. The NHA will continue to
monitor this issue closely. Thanks to all NHA members who utilized voterVOICE
to contact their senators and help ensure the safety of motorists and the
livelihood of all Nebraskans. If you would like to receive NHA's voterVOICE
action alerts
sign up here, or for current advocacy alerts visit the NHA's Advocacy Action
Center on the NHA Web
site.
Smoke-free Lobby Day tomorrow
The Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) together
with seven other health associations is sponsoring “Smoke-free Lobby Day.” The
January 22 event is designed for “Smoke-free Nebraska” advocates from across the
state to visit with their legislators and lobby for a Smoke-free Nebraska.
The Legislature can save lives by passing legislation that provides clean air
for all Nebraskans.
Nebraska's health leaders, concerned citizens, NHA staff and its partners
will attend an
8 a.m. breakfast and an exciting three-hour program at the Cornhusker
Marriott Hotel in Lincoln.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. For more information contact Carly Runestad, director of
health policy at 402/742-8153 or
crunestad@nhanet.org. Co-sponsors include the American Cancer Society,
American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Nebraska Medical
Association, Nebraska Nurses Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association and
the Public Health Association of Nebraska.
Our state senators must hear from advocates like you for this to become a
reality. If you are not able to attend Smoke-free Lobby Day, you can still
advocate for a Smoke-free Nebraska by responding to
NHA's Smoke-free Nebraska advocacy alert.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Gov. Dave Heineman delivered his State of the State address to
the Legislature Tuesday, outlining proposals designed to continue building
economic vitality throughout Nebraska. The address focused on reshaping Nebraska
by expanding property tax relief, creating high-paying jobs and maintaining a
prudent cash reserve.
Gov. Heineman also acknowledged that changes need to be made in the health care
sector. To read more about the Governor's State of the State address and the
NHA's response related to the Governor's concerns, read the latest
NHA Newslink.
New legislative session convenes; more than 335 new bills already introduced
On January 9, Speaker Mike Flood gaveled the Nebraska Legislature into session,
marking the beginning of the 60-day session of the 100th Legislature.
The new session – which is scheduled to continue through April 17 – is already
off to a fast
start, as senators started debating priority legislation on Monday, January 14.
After seven legislative days, nearly 340 new bills had been introduced. The
deadline for
new bill introduction is Wednesday, January 23. In the meantime, more than 300
bills
from last year have been carried over into the new session. Due to the heavy
workload, the Legislature has already begun its debate on general file and
select file bills remaining from 2007, as well as 2008 priority bills.
Lawmakers began choosing their priority bills on the second day of the session.
A senator’s priority designation gives a bill a strong chance of being
considered by the full Legislature. February 22 is the deadline for all
committee and senator priority bill designations, as well as for requests for
Speaker-designated priority bills. Committee hearings on new bills will begin
January 22 and continue through March 4.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry Legislative Report, January 18,
2008.
NHA accepting nominations for Advocacy Team of the Year
At the NHA 2008 Advocacy Day on Wednesday, March 5, the Association will
present the “NHA Advocacy Team of the Year” award. This award recognizes the
advocacy achievements of one hospital team during the 2007 legislative session.
Did you meet with your state senator in 2007? Did your hospital staff
communicate with elected officials on key issues affecting health care? If so,
your hospitals could have the "Advocacy Team of the Year." NHA member hospital
CEOs and Advocacy Team Chairs will be receiving nomination forms in the mail
this week, or you can download a form on the
NHA Web
site. The deadline for nominations is February 15. For more information, please contact Christy Rasmussen, director of
communications, at 402/742-8151 or
crasmussen@nhanet.org.
Hearing schedule for Jan. 23-25
Health and Human Services Committee
Weds. Jan. 23
LB 713 (Pahls) – Prohibit physicians from administering certain
fat-dissolving substances
LB 730 (Flood) – Change emergency medical services classifications and
training
LB 738 (Fulton) – Change brain injury registry notification and
reporting requirements
LB 797 (Health and Human Services Committee) – Change provisions relating
to health and human services
Thurs. Jan. 24
LB 782 (Howard) – Allow disclosure of child abuse and neglect
information
LB 793 (Burling) – Change which county pays for costs of emergency
protective custody and proceedings
LB 796 (Johnson) – Change medical radiography and radiation control
provisions
LB 765 (Gay) – Change provisions relating to certificates of need
Fri. Jan. 25
LB 806 (Wallman) – Change provisions relating to dog guides, hearing
aid dogs, and service dogs
LB 809 (Synowiecki) – Change provisions relating to metabolic screening
Sponsorship opportunities
available now for March 5 NHA Advocacy Day
The Nebraska Hospital Association's annual Advocacy Day event
is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, at the Cornhusker
Marriott Hotel in Lincoln. Advocacy Day is a key opportunity for you to communicate
face-to-face with your senator about important legislation that affects your hospital.
Scheduled speakers include Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Mike Flood (Norfolk);
Sen. Deb Fischer (Valentine); Scot Adams, Nebraska Health and Human Services director of Behavioral
Health; NHA President, Laura J. Redoutey, FACHE; Bruce Rieker, NHA vice
president of advocacy; and Carly Runestad, NHA director of health policy.
Sponsorships help make Advocacy Day possible. If your organization is
interested in sponsoring Advocacy Day, contact Bruce Rieker, vice president of
advocacy, for more details (contact information is below). In 2007,
more than more than 105 hospital representatives gathered at the Cornhusker
Marriott in Lincoln to learn about legislation that impacts health care delivery
in Nebraska. The Advocacy Day luncheon was attended by more than 150 from across the state, including 28 senators.
Further program details will follow. If you have questions about Advocacy Day,
please contact Bruce Rieker, vice president of advocacy at
brieker@nhanet.org or 402/742-8146.
Senators advance 'safe haven' bill, but changes expected
Nebraska could become the 49th state to adopt a safe haven bill, allowing a
parent to drop off a baby at the hospital without fear of arrest, if a
negotiated agreement developed Wednesday does not fall apart.
The goal of the new, negotiated safe haven proposal “would be to focus on the
welfare of the child,” said Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, the most vocal opponent
of the bill and a member of the group working out an agreement.
A parent could drop off a child of any age at a hospital and would not be
prosecuted for abandonment, under the negotiated version of the safe haven bill
(LB 157).
That child would be turned over to the existing juvenile court system and the
existing foster care system that deals with neglected or abused children,
explained Chambers and others involved in the negotiations.
This simple system would avoid all the pitfalls of the more complicated
legislation, senators said. And its appearance ended the debate over those
problems on Wednesday.
Read the full article.
— Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star, January 16, 2008.
Bill would exempt assisted-living homes from sales tax
(AP) —
Senators have advanced a bill to exempt nonprofit assisted-living homes from
paying sales tax on purchases.
Nursing homes and “intermediate care facilities” are already exempt. But Senator
Lowen Kruse of Omaha says assisted-living facilities have replaced intermediate
care facilities since Nebraska started licensing them some six years ago.
Senators voted to move the bill (LB 575) to the second round of debate.
An amendment from Senator Ron Raikes of Lincoln also adds the word “nonprofit”
to the law’s description of what organizations are exempt, including churches,
hospitals and clinics.
— Lincoln Journal Star, January 17, 2008.
Bill to repeal helmet law fails
Bikers will not be able to let the wind rustle their hair on Nebraska highways
because motorcycle helmets will continue to be required.
An effort to repeal the helmet law fell two votes short, 23-25, Tuesday morning.
The bill is dead for this session, said its sponsor, Sen. Kent Rogert of
Tekamah.
Rogert had tried to sweeten the bill with a provision requiring Nebraska
motorcycle owners to show proof they had at least $1 million in medical
coverage. He hoped the insurance requirement would draw votes from some senators
who worried about the public cost of paying medical bills for injured bikers.
But the insurance amendment and lobbying efforts of about 100 supporters,
members of ABATE of Nebraska, wasn’t enough to get first-round approval of the
bill (LB 235).
— Nancy Hicks, Lincoln Journal Star, January 15, 2008.
Bill targets overtime for state health workers
(AP) — State health workers at 24-hour facilities couldn’t be disciplined for
refusing to work more than 12 hours if there’s no emergency, under a bill that
could be considered by lawmakers. Employees of state-run health facilities have
complained to state senators about mandatory overtime at the state’s 24-hour
behavioral health facilities and veterans homes. The bill (LB 926) from Senator
Steve Lathrop of Omaha would prevent an employee from being required to work
seven straight days, and overtime would be voluntary. The exception would be
emergencies.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, January 16, 2008.
Sen. Harms hopes to be in full swing of session soon
(Scottsbluff Star-Herald) — Although state Sen. John Harms has been unable to
participate in the 100th legislative session yet, he's been keeping a watchful
eye on the proceedings. Harms, representative of the 48th Legislative District,
has been recovering after having surgery on Dec. 27 to remove a benign growth on
his colon discovered during a physical. Harms hopes to be in Lincoln, sitting in
his legislative seat during proceedings by the end of January. He said he has
been following this session's legislative proceedings on television. As a member
of the Appropriations Committee, Harms cited funding issues as key during this
year's session. He said he heard proposals from Gov. Dave Heineman to provide
tax relief to Nebraska citizens by offering property tax relief and tax breaks
for businesses that bring high-paying jobs to the state. Harms is hoping that a
$500 million reserve fund will stay in place, but he said he believes the state
of Nebraska is going to have to take a look at different ways to do business in
the future. The state needs to do some long-range planning and look at
streamlining government, Harms said. Two areas of the budget - Medicaid and
school funding - are projected to take up huge amounts of the state's resources
in coming years. Harms said the state should look at the inefficiencies in those
programs to resolve issues, otherwise, face taking funding from other programs
and needs.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, January 21, 2008.
Chief Justice Heavican to address senators
(Lincoln Journal Star) — It’s been a couple of decades since the chief
justice of Nebraska’s Supreme Court spoke to the entire Legislature, but Speaker
Mike Flood announced Chief Justice Mike Heavican will give a State of the
Judiciary address at 10 a.m. on Friday, bringing with him Nebraska Supreme Court
judges. “It’s an opportunity to hear from the court a summary of what is
happening in our third branch of government,” Flood told senators.
— Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Daily Update, January 21, 2008.
Top students could get scholarships to stay in Nebraska
Nebraska students who score in the top 5 percent in the state on the ACT college
entrance exam could get $2,000 scholarships to any of the state’s public or
private colleges or universities, under a bill from Sen. Tim Gay of
Papillion.
The scholarships could be renewed for four years by students who maintain 3.5
grade-point averages as full-time students.
Recipients could also transfer from one eligible school to another without
losing eligibility.
The bill is intended to keep top students in the state.
— Associated Press, January 18, 2008.
For more information about health-related legislative bills or resolutions, contact: Bruce Rieker, vice president, advocacy at (402) 742-8146 or brieker@nhanet.org.
NHA Rotunda Review is published by the Nebraska Hospital Association, 3255 Salt
Creek Circle, Lincoln, NE 68504. Phone (402) 742-8140, Fax (402) 742-8191. Visit our Web site at
http://www.nhanet.org. Christy Rasmussen, editor, at
402/742-8151, or email, crasmussen@nhanet.org.
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