Legislative Update – NGCSA – February 2011
The 102nd Nebraska Legislature convened on January 5, 2011. The Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court administered the oath of office to 24 senators. Bills are introduced during the first ten days of session, wherein 698 bills were introduced. Of those bills, the following were flagged as possibly of interest to the golf industry.
LB 48 (Janssen) – LB 48, sponsored by Fremont Sen. Charlie Janssen, would adopt the Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act. The bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee on January 10, 2011. No public hearing date has been set.
LB 101 (Schilz) – LB 101, introduced by Ogallala Sen. Ken Schilz, would eliminate Daylight Saving Time in Nebraska. This bill is intended to examine whether Daylight Saving Time still meets the purpose for which it was created, and to examine the challenges that currently exist with changing time twice a year. Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, federal law permits each state to exempt itself from Daylight Saving Time. LB 101 also would adjust election-polling hours to ignore Daylight Saving Time. The bill was presented before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on January 20, 2011. Senator Schilz said the bill would be beneficial for people who must keep consistent schedules, such as diabetics. He said two states, Arizona and Hawaii, have opted out of daylight saving time. The committee took no immediate action on the bill.
LB 113 (Dubas) – LB113, introduced by Fullerton Sen. Annette Dubas, would prohibit discrimination in employment based on the individual’s credit history or credit report unless the information directly relates to a bona fide occupational qualification for employment. The bona fide occupational qualification harmonizes with other Nebraska statutes dealing with employment discrimination. LB 113 was presented before the Business and Labor Committee on January 31, 2011.
LB 233 (Krist) – LB 233, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Bob Krist, would decrease the number of members of the Legislature from 49 to 45. LB 233 was referred to the Executive Board Committee on January 13, 2011. On January 25, the bill referred to the Redistricting Committee. No public hearing date has been set.
LB 498 (Louden) – LB 498, introduced by Ellsworth Sen. LeRoy Louden, would change water resources provisions relating to in situ uranium mining. LB 498 was referred to the Natural Resources Committee on January 20, 2011. No public hearing has been set.
LB 560 (Cornett) – LB 560, sponsored by Bellevue Sen. Abbie Cornett, would provide for sales and use taxes on certain services. LB 560 could potentially tax the sale of admissions, which means the right or privilege to have access to or use a place or location. Additionally, the bill would place a tax on the gross income received for landscaping services, yard maintenance services, seed planting services, and snow removal services. LB 560 was referred to the Revenue Committee on January 21, 2011. No public hearing date has been set.
LB 569 (Coash) – LB 569, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash, would require employers to e-verify the immigration status of new employees. The bill states that every public employer and public contractor shall register with and use a federal immigration verification system to determine the work eligibility status of new employees physically performing services within the State of Nebraska. LB 569 was referred to the Judiciary Committee on January 21, 2011. No public hearing date has been set.
LB 674 (Harr) – LB 674, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, would prohibit or restrict certain electronic monitoring of employees by employers. An employer shall not electronically monitor an employee unless the employer gives prior notice to all employees who may be affected or the employer has reasonable to believe that an employee is engaged in inappropriate conduct. LB 674 was referred to the Business and Labor Committee on January 21, 2011. No public hearing date has been set.
