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Sen. Barry DeKay introduces bill to repeal Healthy Soils Task Force statutes, requires one-time report
Summary
Sen. Barry DeKay introduced LB 794 to repeal statutes establishing the Healthy Soils Task Force, add a one-time requirement that the Department of Agriculture submit the task force's records to the Clerk of the Legislature, and preserve public access to the group's final report; the committee asked about report availability and funding and concluded the hearing with one proponent and one neutral letter on file.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Sen. Barry DeKay, who represents District 40 in northeast Nebraska, introduced LB 794 to repeal statutes that established the Healthy Soils Task Force and to require a one-time electronic transmission of the task force's documents to the Clerk of the Legislature so they are publicly accessible.
DeKay said the Healthy Soils Task Force was created in 2019 by his predecessor, Sen. Gregor, and that the group completed its work in December 2020. "LB 794 would repeal the statutes related to the Healthy Soils Task Force," DeKay told the Agriculture Committee. He added the bill is a statutory cleanup that follows last year's efforts to reduce redundant boards and commissions under LB 346.
The bill also includes a one-time reporting requirement directing the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to electronically transmit copies of documents submitted by the task force, including its final report, to the Clerk of the Legislature for publication on the Legislature's website. DeKay said the department already makes those documents publicly available on its own website. "There is no fiscal impact to the state by passing this bill," he said.
A committee member asked whether the final report is readily available online and requested that a link be provided to the Agriculture Committee. DeKay responded that it "should be available on the Department of Agriculture's website now, and it will be published on Clerk of the Legislature so that you can probably download it on the Clerk's website," and said he would follow up on the request. When asked about the task force's original funding source and whether any balance remained, DeKay said he did not know the funding source but would find out for the committee.
Sen. Sarah Hansen praised the procedural outcome: "So it's kinda nice to see a bill sunset on the date that it's supposed to, and we're moving on with it." The clerk recorded one proponent letter and one neutral letter in the hearing file; no in-person proponents or opponents appeared. The committee concluded the hearing on LB 794 without taking a vote.
Next steps: The hearing record will reflect the introducer's remarks, the committee's questions, and the submitted letters; any further action on LB 794 would occur at a subsequent committee meeting if the bill is scheduled again.
