Legislators advance bill to pay college athletes

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature continued with committee hearings and advanced a number of bills from general file during the week of Feb. 24-28.

LB 962, or the Fair Pay to Play Act, introduced by Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, gained first-round approval Feb. 25. The bill would allow college athletes in Nebraska to earn money from their name, image, likeness or athletic reputation, according to the bill’s statement of intent.

Athletes would be permitted to sign with an agent, and athletes may seek damages if a postsecondary institution or athletic association punishes them for pursuing compensation.

Under the proposal, studentathletes would be required to report any personal contracts to their respective college or university and would be prohibited from wearing apparel, or any other form of advertising, for a sponsor during official activities.

“Every other student on campus has the ability to go out and make money off of their skills, off of their talents, except for athletes,” Dave Gottschalk, Hunt’s chief of staff, said. “What inspired Sen. Hunt to do this was the idea of economic freedom and economic justice, so that all student-athletes have the same rights as students on college campuses.”

An amendment to the bill by Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln made clear that any financial compensation earned by an athlete would be considered should the athlete apply for need-based financial aid. Senators adopted the amendment 26-2.

Sen. Andrew La Grone sponsored an amendment that would make it so student-athletes would have one year from a cause of action to file a civil complaint against their postsecondary institution. The amendment passed following a 31-0 vote.

The bill advanced to select file with a vote of 36-4.

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A bill that would expand access to handicapped parking permits came before the Urban Affairs Committee Feb. 25.

LB 976, introduced by Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln, would allow neurological impairments to be a condition under which an individual could obtain a stateissued permit. The bill defines a neurological impairment as any disorder that interferes with an individual’s ability to walk and could include autism.

A 2018 state Department of Motor Vehicles report indicated there are approximately 144,000 handicapped parking spaces in Nebraska, and that the department processed 47,136 handicapped parking permits, meaning the inclusion of neurological impairments wouldn’t take parking spaces away.

No one testified in opposition to the bill, and the committee took no action on it.

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A bill aimed at helping first responders and emergency personnel mitigate the potential effects of post-traumatic stress disorder gained first-round approval Feb. 26, advancing from general file on a vote of 42-0.

LB 963, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer, allows responders to receive workers’ compensation if they are diagnosed with PTSD because of injury or stress.

In order to establish a case, first responders would need to satisfy three criteria: proof of prior mental health testing, diagnosis of a mental health illness from a mental health professional and proof of completed resilience training prior to the event, as well as a commitment to attending yearly thereafter.

The bill would also establish who is capable of making a PTSD diagnosis, ranging from practicing physicians to psychologists to clergy members.