LINCOLN — All passengers, including a driver’s relatives, would be covered by auto liability policies in Nebraska if the governor agrees.
Lawmakers voted 36-8 on Friday to repeal the state’s “guest” law, which bars passengers from getting liability insurance payments if they are injured in a vehicle driven by a relative.
The law currently excludes spouses, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings and in-laws from coverage.
Opponents say the bill amounts to a government mandate and would increase the cost of auto insurance.
Most auto policies also include medical coverage, which can pay for anyone’s injuries but might provide only $5,000 worth of coverage.
Legislature Bill 216, introduced by State Sen. Norm Wallman of Cortland, also would repeal a similar exclusion for relatives of airplane pilots involved in plane accidents.
Among other bills passed Friday:
Ÿ Stores could electronically scan and store information from their customers’ driver’s licenses under LB 261, passed 34-10.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah, would allow stores selling alcohol, tobacco or lottery tickets to scan the bar codes on the backs of driver’s licenses and state identification cards to determine a person’s age. The age and card identification number would be stored for potential use by law enforcement.
Stores also could scan licenses and store additional information when a person shows identification to cash a check or make another transaction. The bill would prohibit stores from selling, sharing or trading the information and from using the information for marketing purposes.
Those protections weren’t enough to reassure Jaimee Napp, executive director of the Identity Theft Action Council of Nebraska. She called the measure a “retailer convenience bill at the expense of customer privacy” and said its passage was “unfortunate.”
Ÿ Nebraska’s Commission on Mexican-Americans would be renamed the Commission on Latino-Americans under LB 139. Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln, who introduced the bill, said the change would reflect the diverse backgrounds of people served by the commission.
Ÿ The Nebraska Board of Educational Lands and Funds could issue leases for solar or wind energy projects on its properties under LB 235, introduced by Sen. Greg Adams of York.
The bill would provide possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars, in addition to the current farming and grazing leases, for the benefit of schools.
Ÿ Construction contractors would have to be paid within 30 days of submitting a bill under LB 552, passed on a vote of 45-0.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Tom White of Omaha, would require that contractors then pay subcontractors within 10 days. Interest would be added to late payments. The bill sets out situations in which payment can be withheld.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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