Nebraska's Drought Law: L.B. 274

LEGISLATURE OF NEBRAKSA
NINETY-SECOND LEGISLATURE
SECOND SESSION
Legislative Bill 274
FINAL READING

Introduced by Wehrbein, 2

Read first time January 15, 1991

Committee: Agriculture

A BILL

1 FOR AN ACT relating to agriculture; to create the
2 Climate Assessment Response Committee; and to
3 provide powers and duties.
4 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
1 Section 1. (1) The Climate Assessment
2 Response Committee is hereby created. The office of the
3 Governor shall be the lead agency and shall oversee the
4 committee and its activities. The committee shall be
5 composed of representatives appointed by the Governor
6 with the approval of a majority of the Legislature from
7 livestock producers, crop producers, and the Civil
8 Defense Agency, Conservation and Survey Division and
9 Cooperative Extension Service of the University of
10 Nebraska, Department of Agriculture, Department of
11 Health, Department of Water Resources, Governor's Policy
12 Research Office, and Nebraska Natural Resources
13 Commission. Representatives from the federal
14 Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service and
15 Federal Crop Insurance Corporation may also serve on the
16 committee at the invitation of the Governor. The
17 Governor may appoint the chairperson of the Agriculture
18 Committee and the chairperson of the Natural Resources
19 Committee of the Legislature and any other state agency
20 representatives or invite any other federal agencies to
21 name representatives as he or she deems necessary. The
22 Governor shall appoint one of the committee members to
23 serve as the chairperson of the committee. Committee
24 members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary
25 expenses as provided in sections 81-1174 to 81-1177.

1 (2) The committee shall meet at least twice
2 each year and shall meet more frequently (a) at the call
3 of the chairperson, (b) upon request of a majority of
4 the committee members, and (c) during periods of drought
5 or other severe climate situations.
6 (3) The chairperson may establish
7 subcommittees and may invite representatives of agencies
8 other than those with members on the committee to serve
9 on such subcommittees.
10 (4) Any funds for the activities of the
11 committee and for other climate-related expenditures may
12 be appropriated directly to the office of the Governor
13 for contracting with other agencies or persons for tasks
14 approved by the committee.

15 Sec. 2. The Climate Assessment Response
16 Committee shall:
17 (1) Provide timely and systematic data
18 collection, analysis, and dissemination of information
19 about drought and other severe climate occurrences to
20 the Governor and to other interested persons;
21 (2) Provide the Governor and other interested
22 persons with information and advice relevant to requests
23 for federal disaster declarations and to the use of
24 funds and other types of assistance available to the
25 state because of such declarations;

1 (3) Establish criteria for start-up and
2 shut-down of various assessment and response activities
3 by state and federal agencies during drought and other
4 climate-related emergencies;
5 (4) Provide an organizational structure that
6 assures information flow and defines the duties and
7 responsibilities of all agencies during times of drought
8 and climate-related emergencies;
9 (5) Maintain a current inventory of state and
10 federal agency responsibilities in assessing and
11 responding to drought and other climate-related
12 emergencies;
13 (6) Provide a mechanism for the improvement of
14 methods of assessing impacts of drought on agriculture
15 and industry;
16 (7) Provide such other coordination and
17 communication among federal and state agencies as is
18 deemed appropriate by such committee; and
19 (8) Perform such other climate-related
20 assessment and response functions as are desired by the
21 Governor.

For more information, please contact the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2341.