Add Greater Omaha Chamber RSS Feeds. 
There are many opportunities for members of the business community to serve on various boards and commissions that impact the lives of Nebraskans. Please consider participating in state government in this manner and encourage a co-worker to do the same. Contact Peggy King at 402-471-1971 or view a letter from Gov. Heineman for more information.
House and Senate Approve Transportation Authorization Extension
After three days of scheduling and cancelling votes, the House this morning approved a 90 day extension of federal surface transportation programs on a 266-158 vote. Unlike earlier attempts, this required only a majority vote. The Senate quickly followed with voice-vote approval of the extension.
House to Vote Tonight on Transportation Short-Term Extension
The House will vote sometime after 5:30 p.m. today on legislation (HR 4239) to extend the federal surface transportation authorization to June 30th. The current authorization expires at midnight Friday.
Though the Senate has approved a full authorization (albeit running only through September 2013), the House has yet to gather support for either its version of the bill or the Senate version.
Senate Approves Highway Authorization
The Senate today approved S 1813, a bill to reauthorize federal surface transportation programs, on 74-22 vote.
Under the Senate proposal, the authorization would be known as MAP-21, for Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. This would replace SAFETEA-LU, which replaced TEA-21, which replaced ISTEA.
This is a two year authorization. Legislation introduced in the House would provide for a five year program, though floor debate has yet to occur on that bill. The House is expected to take up consideration of the Senate bill, or a similar measure, soon, as the current temporary authorization expires this month.
Funding remains a sticking point. The Senate bill provides for spending $109 billion over two years. The House version would provide for less overall spending but would remove programs such as mass transit from the Highway Trust and concentrate more funding on road construction.
Senate Transportation Debate Continues
Senators have gotten through consideration of 20 of the 30 amendments offered to S 1813, the transportation reauthorization, adopting four and rejecting 16. Some amendments relate to federal transportation policy, some to issues such as energy production, and some to issues such as health care law. Debate resumes at 9:30 Wednesday morning.
Senate Trying Again on Transportation Bill
Senators took up consideration of surface transportation funding authorization legislation this morning. Voting on a long list of amendments is scheduled to begin at 1:15 Thursday afternoon.
Transportation Bill Stalls in Senate
A cloture motion on a substitute version of the Senate's surface transportation reauthorization bill failed today on a 52-44 vote. The issue remains stalled in both the House and Senate.
There are broad differences between the House and Senate bills, but as yet neither body has been able to garner support for the respective proposals.
An obvious sticking point is funding. Neither proposal provides a method of making up the difference between revenues that flow to the Highway Trust and the overall amount of spending, even if spending were to remain flat or even decrease.
Small Business and Health Care Law
Small business owners should find this recent Wall Street Journal article helpful as they seek understanding of how national health care policy affects them. You can read the full article by following the link.
What The Health Care Law Will Mean for Your Small Business
By EMILY MALTBY
Wall Street Journal
DECEMBER 7, 2011
As a small-business owner, you may find your head spinning when trying to figure out what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may bring.
For more information about public policy issues issues, contact Joseph Young, director of public policy, or Tim Stuart, legislative counsel, at 402-474-4960.