Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the appointments of Julie Slama and Andrew La Grone to represent District 1 and District 49, respectively.

Slama will fill the seat vacated by Sen. Dan Watermeier who was elected to the Nebraska Public Service Commission and La Grone will replace Sen. John Murante who was elected state treasurer.

The appointments will complete the terms ending in January 2021 and will be eligible to run for election in November 2020.

State lawmakers have introduced legislation to make it harder for candidates to misuse campaign contributions. So far, thirty senators have backed a measure allowing the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission to cross-check campaign finance reports with year-end balances of campaign committees to ensure the proper use of campaign funds.

The bill also prohibits loaning campaign funds and increases penalties for violations of the law. A similar bill was introduced last year but died before reaching the floor.

Sen. John Murante, the committee chair of the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee, where the bill is being held, said he will bring the bill up for discussion in the coming weeks.