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Guest Opinion
The Legislature has officially entered an interim period between the first and second regular sessions of the 109th Legislature.
The interim provides time for senators and their staff to begin preparing for the next regular session, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Yet Senators also remain busy with interim studies to research topics of interest in hopes of bringing stakeholders to the table. This year, I introduced three interim studies: LR178, LR179, and LR180.
LR178 is a placeholder interim study that could allow me, as Chair of the Agriculture Committee, to bring to the committee’s attention a new matter or issue that is within the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committee. The previous chair, Senator Halloran, introduced a similar resolution last year, LR400, which resulted in a public hearing this past November so that the committee could be briefed on a newly implemented federal disease traceability rule for livestock that was put forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
LR179 is an interim study to review occupational regulations under the Nebraska Livestock Dealer Licensing Act for the purposes of the Occupational Board Reform Act.
The Occupational Board Reform Act was passed by the Legislature in 2018 and requires the various standing legislative committees to carry out a review of all state job licensing laws every five years to identify less restrictive alternatives to licensing. One goal is to determine whether licensing requirements are currently sufficient, need to be modified to be less restrictive, or can be repealed outright.
LR180 is another interim study that will examine the current and future availability and sustainability of nursing facilities for Nebraska. The study will also examine the barriers to providing adequate access to care, including the cost of care, workforce issues, resident demographics, licensure and regulation, and Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Today, more than 34 percent of Nebraska’s population is over the age of fifty, and that number increases to over forty percent in rural areas of the state.
By 2030, census estimates predict that the state’s 65-year-old and over population will grow by nearly 100,000 people compared to 2021, which is an increase of 30 percent. As more people age, it is vital that there is access to nursing home facilities, especially in rural parts of the state.
I brought LR180 following my work with the Village of Butte and the recent closure of nursing home facilities in places such as the City of Laurel to see what can be done at the state level to make it easier for nursing homes to be newly established and continue to operate in the state, especially in rural areas.
I invite you to let me know your thoughts, ideas, concerns, or suggestions. Feel free to call my Capitol office anytime at (402) 471-2801 or email me at bdekay@leg. ne.gov. My mailing address is: Senator Barry DeKay, District #40, P.O. Box 94604, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.
