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Carol Blood

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Carol Blood
File:Carol Blood.jpg
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2017
Preceded byTommy Garrett
Personal details
Born (1961-03-05) March 5, 1961 (age 63)
McCook, Nebraska, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceBellevue, Nebraska
OccupationConsultant

Carol Blood (born March 5, 1961) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. In 2016, she was elected to the unicameral Nebraska Legislature, representing District 3 in Sarpy County. She defeated Republican incumbent Tommy Garrett. Blood is a member of the Democratic Party. The legislature is nonpartisan.

Early life and career

Blood was born in McCook, Nebraska. She attended Adams Central High School in nearby Hastings, Nebraska. In 2008, Blood was elected to the Bellevue, Nebraska, City Council as the at-large representative. She was re-elected to the city council in 2012. She previously served as executive director of the La Vista Chamber of Commerce. Blood has been a member of the Bellevue Public Safety Foundation Board since 2005, serving as chair for seven years. The organization supports police and fire department activities in Bellevue. Blood currently lives in Bellevue with her husband, Joe. They have three children and eight grandchildren.[1]

Political career

2014 election

In 2014, Blood was defeated by Tommy Garrett in a race to fill the two years remaining of a four-year legislative term vacated by state senator Scott Price, who resigned in November 2013.[2]

Garrett had been appointed to the seat by Governor Dave Heineman. In Nebraska, an appointed state legislator must run in the next election to keep their seats.[3]

Blood and Garrett, who both ran uncontested in the nonpartisan primary, moved onto the general election. In the primary, Blood received 1,706 votes, or 49.4%, of the 3,453 votes cast. Garrett received 1,747, or 50.6%. In the general election, Blood received 4,179, or 46.3%, of 9,024 votes cast. Garrett received, 4,845 votes, or 53.7%.[4][5]

2016 election

In 2016, Blood defeated Republican incumbent Tommy Garrett with 7,959, or 51.4%, of the 15,488 votes cast. Garrett received 7,476 votes, or 48.3%.[6] Blood's campaign focused on "common sense tax relief" and eliminating taxes on social security and military retirement once Nebraska lawmakers address a $1 billion budget shortfall.[1][7]

Blood said her history of "evidence-based budgeting" will help with tax reform. She also has said education and public safety are among her top priorities.[8]

Legislative tenure

2017 session

Blood serves on the Agriculture, General Affairs, and Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs committees.[9]

During the session, Blood introduced Legislative Bill 80, which passed on a vote of 45-0-4. The bill made law clerks unclassified employees to allow counties more flexibility to transition clerks to full-time attorneys.[10]

She also introduced LB85, which called to make people ineligible to run for elected office if they held any outstanding penalties from the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. The bill, which passed on a vote of 48-0-1, also prohibits anyone from being appointed to an elective office until any civil penalties and interest are paid.[11]

Blood introduced LB86, which passed on a vote of 46-0-3, to eliminate the requirement for county clerks to open all bids for high and bridge repair contracts before a county board.[12]

The Nebraska senator introduced LB88, which aimed to remove employment hurdles for military spouses by allowing them to obtain temporary required licenses for health care professions. Wives and husbands of active military are permitted to get a temporary state license for professions including medical doctors, registered nurses, massage therapists, and funeral directors. The bill also allows audiologists to sell hearing aids without requiring an additional license.[13]

Blood said LB88 was a priority to make Nebraska a more “military-friendly state,” which directly affects her district—home to many people, who work at Offutt Air Force Base. Ultimately, LB88, or the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and the Nurse Licensure Compact, passed on a vote of 49-0-0.[14]

2018 session

During the 2018 session, Blood met directly with the Nebraska Supreme Court and negotiated reduced fees for military spouses seeking to join the Nebraska State Bar Association.[15][16]

Blood also introduced LB685, which provides priority funding for special needs military dependents under the Development Disabilities Service Act. The bill passed on a 48-0-1 vote. The bill adds dependents of active duty military members, who are severely disabled, to the list of treatment priorities at the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services. The change allows prioritized treatment for those in need and those not covered by Tricare.[17]

Blood presented LB682, which provides consumer protection and civil relief for military service members. The bill passed on a 45-0-4 vote. It permits active duty members of the military or Nebraska Army National Guard, who receive orders to leave the state, to forgo paying early terminations fees on contracts such as technology services or gym memberships.[18]

The senator’s LB681 (Physical Therapists Interstate Compact) became a part of the Health and Human Services Committee’s omnibus LB731, which passed on a 49-0-0 vote. Blood’s LB686 (Psychologists Interstate Compact) was added to the HHS Committee’s omnibus LB1034, which passed on a 49-0-0 vote. Both compact bills remove barriers to employment. [19][20][21]

Blood’s LB692, which called to require the state department of corrections to conduct a regular staffing analysis report, became a part of the Judiciary Committee’s LB841, which passed on a 42-1-6 vote.[22][23]

Teletype machines for blind, deaf veterans

In May 2018, Blood brought to light that the veterans affairs hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, did not have teletype machines capable of receiving text-based calls from deaf, hearing-impaired, or blind veterans. The machines are used to accommodate the basic needs of those veterans including filling prescriptions, scheduling appointments, and contacting the nurses hotline. The lack of these devices causes many veterans to arrange alternate transportation for VA services.

Blood learned of the issue when she talked to Shawn Wilbur, head of the Nebraska chapter of the Blinded Veterans Association. Blood then brought the issue to B. Don Burman, director of the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, VA officials at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and President Donald Trump.

In response to Blood's concerns, the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System ordered the machines to be used at the VA hospital in Omaha.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Carol Blood Legislature". Carol Blood Legislature. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  2. ^ Scott, Stewart. "Garrett named to represent District 3". Bellevue Leader. December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Stoddard, Martha, and Joe Duggan. "After previous appointee resigns, Heineman picks Garrett for Nebraska Legislature". Omaha World-Herald. December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  4. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 13, 2014", p. 34. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  5. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2014" Archived January 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, p. 19. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  6. ^ "General Election". Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  7. ^ Stoddard, Martha, and Emily Nohr. "Nebraska lawmakers facing nearly $1 billion budget shortfall next year". Omaha World-Herald'. October 29, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "Carol Blood Candidate Profile". KETV. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  9. ^ "Nebraska Legislature Standing Committees". Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  10. ^ "Nebraska Legislature". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  11. ^ Nitcher, Emily. "Bill would force candidates to pay fines for campaign finance or ethics violations before running for office again". Omaha World-Herald'. January 19, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  12. ^ "Nebraska Legislature". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "Nebraska Legislature". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  14. ^ Stoddard, Martha. "Nebraska Legislature advances bill to give qualified military spouses temporary health care licenses". Omaha World-Herald”. March 24, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  15. ^ “Nebraska Supreme Court Rule Allows Reduced Fee for Military Spouses Seeking to Join Nebraska Bar”. “State of Nebraska Judicial Branch”. March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018
  16. ^ “Nebraska Amends Licensing Rules in Support of Military Spouse Attorneys”. “Military Spouse J.D. Network”. March 14, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018
  17. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  18. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  19. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  20. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  21. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  22. ^ Young, Joanne. “Major prison reform package advances”. “Lincoln Journal Star”. February 28, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  23. ^ “Nebraska Legislature”. Retrieved May, 9, 2018
  24. ^ Liewer, Steve. “Omaha VA adding teletype machines to talk with blind, deaf veterans”. “Omaha World-Herald”. July 15, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018
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