Columns

Greetings District 43! Here's the latest from your State Legislature. Here is a brief recap of bills heard last week in the committees I serve on.

February is the shortest month for almost every profession in the world, but in education February can seem to drag on forever. I actually heard someone say the other day that it was January 45th. Schools have sickness circulating, activities keep kids scrambling to stay caught up, and the lovely Nebraska weather can lead to seasonal depression. During this time of the year, more than any other, it is imperative to look for the good in the world around you.

The “penny” and the “pound” are British monetary values. The British “penny” is worth about ½ cent American.

This week the Transportation & Telecommunications Committee advanced my bill LB 667 on to General File for floor debate. I am pleased to see this move out of committee as it will provide a more robust reimbursement process for warranty work for our local dealers.

Definition of BBQ: It’s the only type of cooking a “real man” will do. When a man volunteers to do the ‘BBQ’, the following chain of events are put into motion: 1) The woman goes to the store.

It may be record setting cold in Nebraska, but in the Caribbean it’s SCUBA diving season, and that means it is the time to look for one of my favorite animals; the octopi (plural for octopus). Octopi are interesting, harmless and fun to watch.

Reporters interviewing a 104 year old woman: “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked. She simply replied, “No peer pressure.” The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.

This week in the Transportation & Telecommunications Committee, LB 449 introduced by Sen. Fredrickson generated the most discussion. This bill attempts to change the NDOT roads funding to a formula base which would shift more money to Omaha and away from rural Nebraska. This is not supported by NDOT and does not appear to have support from the committee. I have and will continue to fight against this from advancing as it would be detrimental to District 43.

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, “I’m tired, and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.” She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunches.

The first bald eagle that I ever saw was at Walden State Recreation Area near Hay Springs when I was about 10-years old. I was hooked! Shortly after that the bald eagle along with the whooping crane and gray whale were placed on the Endangered Species List.