Halfway there, but far to go

We’re over halfway through this year’s session.  There is still a lot of work to be done.  The committees are done with hearings for this year unless they have confirmation hearings for appointees to Boards and Commissions.  All-day debate started this week and beginning next week, there are several evening-hour debates scheduled. There is a short amount of time this year due to it being a 60-day session as well as the time spent debating how to most effectively spend the ARPA money.  Therefore, even if a bill is advanced out of committee it may not be debated this year unless a senator, a committee, or the speaker make it a priority bill.  If not designated a priority, a bill could also be amended into another bill that is moving through the legislative process.  

Last week the Education Committee heard my bill LB 711. Since my arrival in the Legislature, I have been working on ways to make the Board of Educational Lands and Funds (BELF) more responsive to the local communities and trying to find ways to improve the local tax bases.

As many of you are aware, Senator Mike Groene from North Platte resigned from the Legislature on February 21st. His resignation came after a workplace harassment complaint was filed against him. What you may not be aware of is that the Legislature has a written Workplace Harassment Policy that dictates the process that I, as chairperson of the Executive Board, must follow if a workplace harassment complaint is filed. 

The Policy provided two avenues to resolve a workplace harassment complaint. The first option is to contact both parties to seek an informal resolution of the complaint. If efforts at an informal resolution are not successful – and they were not in this situation – I am required to immediately ensure that the allegations are promptly and thoroughly investigated as provided in the Policy.  

During the informal process, the Policy requires that the complaint be kept confidential. This requirement is to protect the complainant from retaliation, additional workplace harassment, and to respect his or her privacy. Once it became clear that the informal process was not going to work, I appointed three members of the Legislature to a formal investigative panel. These three members are Senator Anna Wishart from Lincoln, Senator John Arch from La Vista, and Senator Tom Briese of Albion. The panel has hired an outside investigatory. In addition, the State Patrol has initiated its own investigation of former Senator Groene’s actions. 

I have asked the Legislative Panel to prepare a report that can be shared with the public. If appropriate, the Panel will also identify recommendations to improve our Policy for the Executive Board to consider.