LINCOLN - In his latest legislative column, State Sen. Bob Hallstrom noted that the first bill he introduced as a freshman lawmaker was signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen.

LB 72 harmonizes Nebraska’s controlled substance definitions with the federal government.

Hallstrom’s bill on regulation of the herbal substance marketed at Kratom advanced from general file.

 

Here is the senator’s column

Committee hearings continue and the turnout for the public hearings has been exceptional. It has been inspiring and humbling to meet concerned citizens from across our state.

It is that time of year when interest groups begin to cascade on the State Capitol. This week I met in my office, or in the rotunda, with student nurses representing the Nurses Association, representatives from ESU 4 interested in special education issues, and employees of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from the Long-Term Care Association. Soon the 4th grade classes will be arriving in Lincoln to learn more about the State Capitol and their State Government.

During the campaign, I promised to use my experience with the Legislature to hit the ground running on your behalf and I hope that I am delivering on that promise. Another seven of my bills have been advanced from committee which contain business-friendly provisions and streamline our judicial process.

I was privileged to have LB 72 (Uniformed Controlled Substances Act) pass Final Reading and be signed into law by Governor Pillen on February 26. I was proud that this was the first bill that I introduced to reach the Governor’s desk, as well as the first from the “freshman class” of newly-elected senators.

This past week, my bill LB 230 (Kratom Consumer Protection Act) was debated on General File and advanced. Kratom is an herbal substance that comes from the same family tree as coffee and can have stimulant and medicinal effects. My bill attempts to regulate the industry more closely, so that consumers can use kratom responsibly, as well as protect them from deceptive marketing practices and unsafe synthetic substitutes.

The March 14th deadline for designating priority bills is rapidly approaching. Each individual senator is allowed to designate one priority bill, with each standing committee allowed two committee priority designations and the Speaker of the Legislature able to designate 25 bills as priorities. Once the priority bill deadline passes, the bills so designated will dominate the remainder of the 2025 Legislative session.

I welcome your input on issues of interest and importance to you. I encourage you to follow along on my Facebook page designated as Senator Bob Hallstrom, for updates on legislation and District 1 activities. Please feel free to contact me directly at Senator Bob Hallstrom, District 1 State Capitol, PO Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509; Telephone (402)471-2733; or email me at [email protected].