LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would create a task force to investigate public health problems in Whiteclay has won final approval in the Nebraska Legislature.

Lawmakers passed the measure Monday with a 48-0 vote. The bill by Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln comes as the unincorporated village faces new scrutiny.

The town’s four beer stores sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer in 2015 despite having just nine residents. Whiteclay sits on the border of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission voted last week not to renew the stores’ requests to renew their liquor licenses. The decision is expected to be appealed.

The task force would include senators, public health officials and the Commission on Indian Affairs’ executive director.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill making it easier for family members to visit their sick or dying relatives.

Caregivers would be barred from arbitrarily preventing family members from visiting under a measure passed with a 47-0 vote Monday. District courts could order visitation rights for family if caregivers deny them.

Sen. Roy Baker of Lincoln says he prioritized the bill because caregivers sometimes take advantage of elderly adults with significant financial assets by alienating them from their families.

Children of radio personality Casey Kasem and actor Mickey Rooney have advocated for the bill and similar measures in other states. Family members of both men were kept from seeing them as they were dying.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s Libertarian Party could automatically appear on election ballots under a bill given final approval in the Legislature.

Lawmakers passed the measure Monday with a 48-0 vote. It would create a new way for parties to maintain ballot access, allowing them to divert more resources into local races and fundraising.

Parties could automatically appear on the ballot if they have at least 10,000 registered members. The Libertarian Party of Nebraska cleared the threshold late last year.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, a former Republican who registered as a Libertarian last year. Ebke has said she believes the bill will promote competition and force parties to hone their messages.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — People convicted of felonies would be able to vote two years earlier under a bill passed by the Nebraska Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 27-13 Monday to eliminate the state’s two-year waiting period for felons to vote. The measure would let them vote as soon as they complete their sentences, including any parole or probation.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, says it will help convicted felons who have served their sentences become more involved in their communities. It would affect about 7,800 felons in Nebraska.

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia already allow felons to vote after completing their sentences.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A plan to merge two state agencies that serve Nebraska veterans has won final approval from lawmakers.

Senators passed the measure Monday with a 49-0 vote. Gov. Pete Ricketts identified the plan as a way to streamline services for veterans and tap federal dollars to cover $1.4 million in expenses that are currently paid by the state.

Veterans’ groups and the state’s public employee union have applauded the idea.

The bill will place the state’s Division of Veterans Homes into the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Currently, the division is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna, the bill’s sponsor, has said the proposal will eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — People who seek medical help for opioid overdoses would be protected from drug charges under a bill that has won final approval from the Nebraska Legislature.

Senators voted 34-5 Monday to pass the bill to provide immunity from drug or drug paraphernalia charges to people who cooperate with medical professionals. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have similar laws.

The measure would provide immunity from civil liability to health care professionals who distribute medicine for life-threatening asthma attacks or allergic reactions.

It also would allow Nebraska doctors to prescribe medicine containing a marijuana extract for patients with seizures if the federal Food and Drug Administration approves the drug this summer.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative lawmakers in Nebraska are pushing for a bill that would allow teachers to use physical force to restrain disruptive students.

Supporters of the bill defeated an attempt to kill it Monday but don’t appear to have the 33 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

The bill would allow teachers to use force to restrain violent students and restrain students without force if they destroy property. It would protect teachers from legal action or administrative discipline.

Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, the bill’s sponsor, says it’s a common-sense law that will let teachers maintain discipline in the classroom. It would not affect the state’s ban on corporal punishment.

Opponents say the state should not pass any law allowing teachers to hurt children.