Property tax relief, business incentives on legislative front burner

The Nebraska legislature reconvened on July 20, after a break of more than four months due to the pandemic. When we recessed, we had 17 working days remaining to debate and pass legislation, and those days have been moved to late July through early August in order to complete our work. While things could always change again, we are currently slated to work through the 13th of August to finish out the 60 working days of our session.

In the intervening weeks and months, many Nebraskans have had their lives turned upside down, in terms of their health, their routine or their pocketbook. I know that the change was certainly an adjustment for my family as well.

My colleague, senator Mike Moser, of Columbus, actually came down with COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a few days. In speaking with him since, he’s imparted to me just how unpleasant the experience was.

While we must continue, and finish, the work we were elected to do, we are taking precautions while in Lincoln to ensure that senators aren’t bringing illness back home to their districts. We are also working hard to make sure that we finish what we are tasked with: serving Nebraskans. And the best way to serve Nebraskans is to provide them with real and meaningful property tax relief. That has been my priority since Day One and it remains so.

By the time you read this, the legislature will likely have debated several bills representing major proposals, including property tax relief and a business incentives package.

While some folks have tried to paint these measures as competing with one another, I maintain that the best policy for all involved would be to consider them as a package, to be passed together. I can’t say what the situation will be like by the time you read this, certainly not by the end of session, but I anticipate that the path to success for these measures will be a package deal.

In addition to those major proposals, there are dozens of bills at various stages of consideration still waiting to be debated and passed. Included in that list is my personal priority bill, LB 930, which would help to protect the hard-won dollars in the Property Tax Credit Fund from a future legislature. While it wouldn’t prevent the fund from being depleted, by establishing a statutory minimum of $275 million, it would put one more step in the way of those who would take and repurpose that money without making property taxpayers whole.

You can reach me by email at [email protected] or by calling my office at 402-471-2631. Currently, the legislature is in session, and I or my staff are in the office during regular business hours. If we are in meetings or on another call, we always work to get back to you as soon as we are able.