Legislature holds public hearings on bills

This week saw the legislature in session for only three days to conclude public hearings on more than 600 bills and resolutions introduced this year. It is also at this point in the legislative session when only bills with priority status make the agenda. Every senator is authorized to designate one bill as his or her personal priority bill. Committees are allowed to select two bills, while the speaker of the legislature can designate up to 25 bills as speaker priority bills. Since committees are limited in the number of bills that they can select, they tend to incorporate a number of other bills into the committee amendments when the bill is advanced and prioritized.

As I mentioned last week, I selected LB1301 as my personal priority bill. It would address foreign land ownership in Nebraska. The bill is currently still pending in committee awaiting the completion of a committee amendment by the bill drafter. Some of the other bills that have been designated as a priority include the following:

LB1120 by Senator Hardin would require affidavits stating that a purchaser of real property near military installations is not affiliated with any foreign adversary.

LB1169 by Senator Erdman would make the State Historical Society, or History Nebraska, a code agency under the direction of the governor.

LB126, by Senator Day, would provide a partial homestead tax exemption to veterans who are partially disabled due to a service-related disability.

LB 1284, by Senator Walz, would provide state funding to expand K-12 computer science education.

In the chamber, senators continued debate on LB1067, by Senator Clements, which proposes to eliminate the inheritance tax within five years. As introduced, LB1067 would provide replacement income through reimbursement to counties for state inmates held in county jails and grant counties the flexibility to use tourism dollars for any other county purpose. During the debate, proponents and opponents spoke about the morality of the tax, the revenue it generates for county governments and the practicalities of its elimination. Proponents argued that an inheritance tax is an unfair tax that punishes people wishing to make their children’s lives better and hinders the passing on of family farms and ranches. Opponents generally agreed with the idea that inheritance tax should be eliminated but raised concerns that county governments would be deprived of a large source of revenue that would force them to increase property taxes. County governments tend to use inheritance tax dollars to build up a rainy-day fund (because it is an inconsistent form of revenue) and pay for unexpected or unusual project expenses. Examples cited included emergency repairs, special projects, and one-time purchases of equipment. Many opponents would like to see the state offset lost inheritance tax dollars with state dollars to ensure counties do not raise property taxes if LB1067 is enacted. Debate on LB1067 was halted for the week to provide time for continued negotiations.

Finally, my first legislative bill, LB51, was passed by the legislature this week. LB51 is a technical cleanup bill that would remove outdated language that referred to the practice of state senators making long-distance calls on the state telecommunications systems using state credit cards and calling cards. This practice has not been used in many years, and LB51 would conform state statute with the internal policy changes adopted by the Executive Board of the legislature in December 2022. LB51 was passed by the legislature on a unanimous 44 to 0 vote.

You can always contact me with your thoughts and opinions on bills that have been introduced. Call my Capitol office telephone number at 402-471-2801 or send email to [email protected]. My mailing address is: Senator Barry DeKay, District #40, P.O. Box 94604, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.