Senator Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, won a surprising 23-10 vote on Senate Bill 53, which would allow a patient in a hospital or nursing home to have a family member visit during a pandemic.

The March 29 vote was bipartisan, with 13 Democrats and 10 Republicans in favor. The bill now heads to the House and an uncertain future, given that three previous House-sponsored bills on the same topic have failed to gain traction. Representative Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells, will sponsor the bill in the House. 

Sonnenberg is hopeful, telling this reporter those House measures did not address th...