Now that the Legislature has adjourned Sine Die for 2010, I would like to share with you what I have been working on over the past five months.

Since I came to the Legislature, I have been focused on passing laws that strengthen South Omaha and Bellevue by creating good-paying jobs, protecting neighborhoods, and making government do more with less.

Here are just a few laws I helped pass this session:

*LB 935: Passing a Balanced Budget with NO Tax Increases

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I spend everyday influencing state government to be more accountable and transparent with your tax dollars. After negotiating a balanced budget that protected affordable housing funds for South Omaha, I fought to include a provision I crafted in the state budget that requires state agencies to submit a government efficiency plan that identifies ways for government to do more with less.

*LB 1081 and LB 918: Creating Good-Paying Jobs for Working Families

Like last year, job creation was my priority for this legislative session, which is why I made LB 1081, the Teleworker Job Creation Act, my priority bill. This law will utilize existing job training funds to help train and employ over 1,000 workers in South Omaha, Bellevue and across the state with teleworker jobs they can do from their own home. As the chief co-sponsor of LB 918, I helped pass this new law that will provide incentives to bring new data centers like Google and Yahoo! to Nebraska and create good-paying technology jobs in our community.

*LB 961 and LB 1020: Expanding Job Training and Fighting Against Tax Increases

With more workers losing their jobs, I have advocated for flexible job training programs that move people into high-skilled jobs. As a co-sponser of LB 961, I helped make our existing job training cash fund more flexible for South Omaha, Bellevue, and other key areas of our state that have experienced significant job losses. This year, I also worked with a coalition of labor unions and businesses to pass LB 1020, a law that provides job training for Nebraskans who collect unemployment, and accepts $43.6 million in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help reduce the need to raise unemployment insurance taxes.

*LB 563: Holding Dishonest Employers Accountable

As one of the chief co-sponsors of this legislation, I stand firm on holding businesses accountable that abuse independent contractors, hire undocumented workers, and avoid paying taxes through dishonest practices. LB 563 helps ensure that businesses in the construction and delivery services industry hire employees through a transparent, legal process, and stops businesses from cheating taxpayers by not paying taxes on their employees.

*LB 978 and LB 997: Making Energy Efficiency a Priority

Energy efficiency saves money and protects the health of our communities, which is why I introduced LB 978 and LB 997. With the passage of LB 977, the State of Nebraska will now purchase energy efficient appliances when it makes financial sense. Making energy efficiency a priority in Omaha and Bellevue is also now easier with the passage of LB 997, a law I wrote that requires Nebraska's cities and counties to include energy efficiency and usage in their comprehensive plans.

*LB 1048: Creating Green Jobs by Exporting Wind Energy

Nebraska ranks third nationally for wind energy potential, and with this wind comes the opportunity for thousands of new, green jobs. This is why I strongly support LB 1048, a law that encourages and allows businesses to develop, own, and operate facilities that export wind energy from Nebraska to other states. The potential for multi-million dollar investments in wind farms creates an opportunity for South Omaha and Bellevue to benefit from the creation of new manufacturing and construction businesses.

While I focused my efforts this year on creating jobs and making government do more with less, there is still much work to do in the next two years. The State of Nebraska faces over a $660 million deficit beginning in January 2011, which means my work on the Appropriations Committee will only get more challenging.

Beyond looking at ways to make your government more accountable and transparent over the next six months, I will be also working on eliminating a "double tax" on the City of Omaha's sewer separation project, and exploring affordable options for businesses and homeowners to finance energy efficiency upgrades to their property.

I would like to invite you to visit my website, www.heathmello.com, to stay informed with up-to-date information, and as always, please feel free to contact me with your concerns at hmello@leg.ne.gov or (402) 471-2710. Thank you once again for the opportunity to represent you in the Nebraska Legislature.

Working for you,

Senator Heath Mello
District 5