Yearlong Daylight Savings Advanced; Sentencing, ARPA Bills Move

March 14, 2022, 5:38 p.m. ·

Senator Tom Briese in debate Monday (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)
Sen. Tom Briese in debate Monday (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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The Nebraska Legislature took a first step toward putting the state on year-round Daylight Savings Time Monday, while proposals for sentencing reform and spending $1 billion in federal funds advanced out of committee. From the Capitol, Fred Knapp of Nebraska Public Media News has this legislative update:

Sen. Tom Briese is the lead sponsor of the bill to put the state on Daylight Savings Time year round. Speaking the day after this year’s move to Daylight Savings Time took effect, Briese said people dislike changing their clocks, and there are good reasons for their opinion:

“The reasons to end the practice of changing our clocks twice a year are numerous, from parents calling us and telling us it make it harder getting their children out of bed in the morning after the change, to folks with epilepsy, especially parents of small children with the condition, telling us that it is dramatically more difficult to time their medication schedules, to hard scientific data from medical research that the practice actually costs lives, to studies pointing to reduced economic activity flowing from Standard Time,” Briese said.

Briese handed out articles and studies that he said showed effects of the time change ranging from an increase in heart attacks and car accidents to a decrease in consumer spending to support his proposal.

The proposal would not take effect until and unless Congress authorizes states to make such a change, and until and unless at least three neighboring states also agree to a change. Briese said Wyoming already has agreed, although it hasn’t taken effect there, either.

Sen. Steve Erdman opposed the proposal, citing practical concerns.

“In this time zone, in Lincoln, Nebraska, if we pass this, it’ll be after 8 o’clock – 8 o’clock a.m. – before the sun comes up in the wintertime – December, January when the days are short. After 8 o’clock. That is a significant problem for young people going to school and those activities that have to happen before you go do something at 8 o’clock : in the morning,” Erdman said.

Erdman also cited more celestial concerns.

“When God created time, he put the sun right in the middle of the sky at noon. And if it’s good enough for God, it’s good enough for me. And I’m not in favor of Daylight Savings Time, and I will vote ‘no’ on this every time. Now if you want to go Standard Time, I’ll vote with you and it probably won’t make any difference, because you probably have significant votes to do this,” he said.

Briese said school boards could change school starting times to address Erdman’s concerns about that. And he said using Daylight Savings Time year round, rather than Standard Time, would ensure more daylight hours for recreational activities and boost the economy.

“We talk about growing our state all the time. Creating opportunity. Creating economic growth. Adding employment. Adding jobs. And that should always be our goal. And I would suggest that yearlong Daylight Savings Time could be a valuable tool in our efforts to grow our state’s economy,” he said.

Senators voted 40-3 to give the bill first round approval.

Also Monday, the Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 to advance a bill of criminal justice sentencing reforms to the full Legislature for debate. The measure contains recommendations from a study assisted by the Crime and Justice Institute, or CJI.

Many of the recommendations were endorsed by the entire study group, including streamlining parole, increased funding for probation officers, expanding problem-solving courts, and providing supportive housing for people with parole violations, instead of sending them back to prison. But Gov. Pete Ricketts and others opposed some of them, including reducing drug penalties, easing parole requirements for older prisoners, discouraging mandatory minimum sentences, and modifying the use of consecutive sentences.

The committee voted for two amendments. The bill would originally have reduced possession of less than half a gram of prohibited drugs to a misdemeanor. Fentanyl would be excluded because of the drug’s potency.

The other amendment tightened parole eligibility for older prisoners. As originally proposed, they would have become eligible at age 70 after having served at least 10 years. Under the amendment, they would become eligible at age 75 after having served at least 15 years.

Sen. Steve Lathrop has said the sentencing reforms are needed to reduce future prison overcrowding. Sen. Suzanne Geist has said people convicted of drug crimes often have committed other offenses as well. Geist said a major fight is likely when the bill is debated.

And the Appropriations Committee advanced a proposal for how to spend just over $1 billion in funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. The largest recommended expenditures include $150 million to revitalize north and south Omaha and help develop a business park in north Omaha near the airport. And another $220 million would go for premium pay to attract and retain staff for nursing homes and providers of service for developmentally disabled people. The Legislature is expected to begin debate Tuesday on proposed changes to the state budget, with discussion ARPA funds likely next week.

ARPA recommendations (first one of two)
ARPA recommendations 1/2
ARPA recommendations (second of two)
ARPA recommendations 2/2