It is hard to believe we have reached the final week of the session. The time has moved quickly, and the pace now reflects the urgency of the work that remains. Thursday was the last opportunity for any bill to be scheduled on General File and beginning this Tuesday, the Legislature turns its full attention to Select File and Final Reading to give bills an opportunity to become law. At this stage, priority bills take center stage, and every hour on the floor carries added weight.

The brand committee bill LB1187 is one I want to address directly. It is important to revisit where things stand after last week's floor debate and vote, as this admittedly became hard to track and has created some confusion. The Agriculture Committee advanced LB1187 out of committee, with AM2886, which proposed several changes to brand law that neither myself, Senator Jacobson or Senator Strommen could support. Those provisions would have fully exempted dairy heifer development, grossly restructured the board, and allowed cattle to move across the state from either side of the brand inspection area for grazing or temporary care without inspection. I strongly opposed those changes because they threatened the integrity of a system that producers rely on every day.

On Tuesday, March 31, Senator Jacobson introduced AM3037, which reversed the most concerning provisions. Dairy development was brought back under inspection, the language allowing movement without inspection was removed, and the board structure was rebalanced. As a result, no segment of the industry is exempt, the inspection system remains intact, and the Brand Committee retains the funding necessary to continue its work. AM3037 was adopted into the committee amendment, AM2886, which was amended into LB1187 so in short, Jacobson’s AM3037 is now the bill moving forward.

There has been discussion about whether this outcome represents a win. Over the last two years we have faced bills that either proposed to completely exempt feedlots from all inspections and audits all the way to Sen. Hansen’s bill to completely abolish the Nebraska Brand Committee and make all inspections voluntary. Seven of the eight members of the Ag Committee supported both of these bills and momentum was growing to usher some version of them across the finish line. Senator Jacobson and I have stood our ground and refused to compromise anything that would break the chain of inspection and weaken the integrity of this valuable system. Jacobson’s AM3037 has preserved all of those key provisions, keeping every segment accountable to audits and/or inspections. There are certainly elements I would have liked to have approached differently, but preserving accountability and maintaining a system that protects proof of ownership was the priority and remains intact, so in short, yes, I consider this a win. Throughout this process, I heard from many of you, and those conversations directly shaped how I approached each step. Your voices were heard, and they matter. I cannot express how important your engagement in this issue was, so thank you! I will continue to fight to make sure you continue to be heard.

With the session coming to an end, the work does not stop. The interim provides a new opportunity to take a closer look at the issues still facing our communities, continue conversations, and begin preparing legislation for the next session. I look forward to getting back out across the district, visiting with constituents, hearing your concerns, identifying areas of need, and working on legislation that can help address them.

Respectfully, Senator Tanya Storer