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LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 568
Introduced by Bostelman, 23.
Read first time January 17, 2023
Committee: Natural Resources
1 A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to energy; to adopt the Nuclear and Hydrogen
2 Development Act.
3 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
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1 Section 1. Sections 1 to 6 of this act shall be known and may be
2 cited as the Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act.
3 Sec. 2. The Legislature finds and declares that it is the policy of
4 the Legislature to support the advancement of advanced nuclear and
5 hydrogen industries.
6 Sec. 3. For purposes of the Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act:
7 (1) Department means the Department of Economic Development; and
8 (2) Work group means the Nuclear and Hydrogen Industry Work Group
9 created in section 4 of this act.
10 Sec. 4. (1) The department shall create the Nuclear and Hydrogen
11 Industry Work Group.
12 (2) The work group shall consist of the following eleven members:
13 (a) One representative of the Nebraska community college system;
14 (b) One representative of the Nebraska state college system;
15 (c) Two representatives of the nuclear industry;
16 (d) Two representatives of the hydrogen industry;
17 (e) One representative of a public power district;
18 (f) The Director of Economic Development or a designee of the
19 director;
20 (g) The chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee of the
21 Legislature or a designee of the chairperson;
22 (h) The chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
23 Legislature or a designee of the chairperson; and
24 (i) The chairperson of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs
25 Committee of the Legislature or a designee of the chairperson.
26 (3) The work group members described in subdivisions (2)(a) through
27 (e) of this section shall be appointed by the Governor.
28 Sec. 5. (1) The work group shall determine the workforce training
29 needs of the nuclear and hydrogen industries and provide an opportunity
30 for collaboration of such industries with the Nebraska community college
31 system and Nebraska state college system to develop education training
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1 courses.
2 (2) The department shall establish procedures and criteria for
3 awarding grants to community colleges and state colleges that implement
4 education training courses designed to alleviate the workforce training
5 needs of the nuclear and hydrogen industries identified by the work
6 group. Such grants shall be used for equipment, curriculum, programming,
7 or marketing needed to provide such education training courses.
8 Sec. 6. (1) The Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act Fund is
9 created. The department shall administer the fund to carry out the
10 Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act. The fund shall consist of money
11 transferred by the Legislature. The State Treasurer shall transfer five
12 million dollars to the fund from the General Fund as soon as
13 administratively possible after the effective date of this act.
14 (2) The State Treasurer shall transfer any money in the Nuclear and
15 Hydrogen Development Act Fund on July 1, 2028, to the General Fund as
16 soon as administratively possible on or after July 1, 2028, but not later
17 than July 30, 2028.
18 (3) The Nuclear and Hydrogen Development Act Fund terminates on July
19 31, 2028.
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