Written for the Custer County Chief
by Kelli Loos
Senator Halloran office number is 402-471-2712
What were they thinking?
In a rush to claim they actually accomplished something during the 2024 Nebraska legislative term, state senators passed 105 bills on basically the final day of the session, Thursday April 11, 2024.
Among those bills was a hodge podge of agricultural issues lumped into LB262. Within that bill, there is an increase in the corn check off, regulations regarding hemp production, and a myriad of other issues including the prohibition of my ability to buy eggs from my neighbor. This little jewel doesn’t just regulate egg sales but all of the following items (taken directly from the bill):
(a) Any part of an animal, vertebrate or invertebrate, or animal by-product;
(b) Fluid milk or milk products as defined in the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance adopted by reference in the Nebraska Milk Act;
(c) Raw eggs;
(d) Unpasteurized juice;
(e) Infused oils or honey;
(f) Sprouts;
(g) Low-acid canned food and hermetically sealed acidified food;
(h) Tofu, tempeh, or similar meat substitutes; or
(i) Kimchi, kombucha, or similar fermented foods.
We contacted at least ten senators and asked them why they would sign this bill, one that passed 47-0! It turns out that a last minute amendment, tacked on by Senator Halloran at the behest of Senator Brandt, was a resurrected bill from 2022 and was never presented in committee. It turns out that every senator we talked to was unaware that the bill they signed banned the sale of these items!! They claim to have voted in favor of it because they believed it to be supported by the Dept of Agriculture, which it was NOT!
To me this says several things. First of all, people need to know what they are voting for by READING THE BILLS before signing! While this bill may hit the skids before it actually gets to Governor Pillen’s desk due to the uproar that is underway, that may not be the case with other bills that were approved in the frenzy.
We had the same issue in 2023 when they passed the “Christmas Tree” bill that lumped a whole pile of nongermane bills into one bill and passed it on to the Governor. None of which is legal according to the Nebraska Constitution, by the way.
Why do we need 800-1,000 bills in a session? Do we really need that much more government infringement on our rights. Senators should pick a priority bill, it should go through the proper channels and be voted up or down. Finally, we need to get rid of filibustering and quit farting around with bills that don’t matter or worse yet, have a negative effect on the livelihoods of Nebraskans. DO THE JOB YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO OR GO HOME!!
Update Nebraska LB 262 in violation of many protocols in particular "Of one subject" Listen to the audio and act.