“While this is welcome news to the voters whose access to the ballot box was threatened by the polling place closures, it doesn’t change the fact that the Douglas County Election Commissioner has the authority to arbitrarily close polling places without any accountability to the affected voters. This ongoing saga only reenforces the need to examine election officials’ authority to redraw precinct lines, as well as the method by which election commissioners are appointed in Douglas County.”

Under current Nebraska statute, election commissioners are appointed by the Governor in the three largest counties in the state (Douglas, Lancaster, & Sarpy counties). By contrast, election duties in Nebraska’s other 90 counties are either administered by the elected county clerk or by an election commissioner appointed by the county board.

Mello also drew attention to the fact that requests from both Douglas County state senators and Nebraskans for Civic Reform for an investigation into the polling place closures by Secretary of State John Gale had been denied, and expressed hope that a request by U.S. Senator Ben Nelson for an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice would be granted.

“Re-opening some polling places without examining the underlying problem is simply not acceptable.” said Mello. “Voters deserve to know why certain polling places were closed and others were not, and why those closures were predominantly in low-income neighborhoods in North and South Omaha.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 23, 2012

For More Information:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710

“Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970, Earth Day marks the acknowledgment of the importance of preserving our natural environment. Over the past 42 years, Earth Day has evolved into the largest civic observance in the world, with more than one billion people participating in annual Earth Day activities.

“While Nebraska has seen some positive efforts to promote wind energy generation over the past few years, we still have decades worth of work to do modernizing our solid waste management policies and promoting energy conservation as an economic development opportunity. As a State Senator who cares deeply about our environment, I will continue to strongly advocate for policies that promote and incentivize recycling and promote energy efficiency as a key to solving our state’s future energy needs.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 22, 2012

For More Information:
State Senator Heath Mello
(402) 471-2710

“As a pro-all-of-life Catholic State Senator, I care deeply about the health and life of unborn children. LB 599 has always been, first and foremost, a pro-life issue because it will protect the health and lives of these little Nebraskans and ensure that unborn babies have every opportunity to be born healthy.

As a co-sponsor of this legislation, I’ve always believed that the restoration of this prenatal care program for unborn children not only promotes human life and dignity, but also is a fiscally responsible measure to prevent longer term and more expensive costs to the State of Nebraska due to low birth weight babies, preventable birth defects, and difficult births.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710

For More Information:
April 11, 2012

“Even before he arbitrarily closed half of the polling places, Douglas County voters had unequal access to the ballot box due to Commissioner Phipps’ refusal to implement satellite voting,” said Mello. “Given his recent actions making it far more difficult for South Omaha voters to vote on election day, the least he could do is expand early ballot options for the affected voters.”

In addition to satellite voting, Mello urged Phipps to duplicate a successful program utilized by Lancaster County that would make voting by mail easier for Douglas County voters. Known as permanent early voting, the program would allow voters who signed up to automatically receive a vote-by-mail application for each election. Legislation which would have required all counties to create such a program (LB 631) was introduced in 2011 but has not advanced in the Legislature.

“Unfortunately, the Election Commissioner has repeatedly shown through his recent actions that he has no interest in expanding voter access,” said Mello. “Voters deserve better from their public officials, and Phipps needs to stop making excuses and improve the election system for all Douglas County residents, not just those who live west of 72nd Street.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 5, 2012

For More Information:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710

LINCOLN, NE – Earlier this week, Nebraska State Senator Heath Mello (District 5, South Omaha) introduced an amendment (AM 2629) to a pending bill (LB 727) before the Nebraska Legislature which would clarify that materials used in the construction of the new U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) headquarters would not be subject to Nebraska state sales tax.

Under existing state law, construction materials used for federal building projects are exempt from sales tax if the federal agency purchases the materials directly from a supplier or designates the private contractor for the project as its official purchasing agent. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the Stratcom project, has refused to fill out the forms required to designate a purchasing agent due to concerns about being held legally liable for private contractors’ actions. Following a public hearing before the Revenue Committee on AM 2629, a compromise was tentatively reached on an administrative change which would address the liability concerns expressed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

“I appreciate the hard work of my colleague Senator Abbie Cornett, the Offutt community, U.S. Senator Ben Nelson, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Nebraska Department of Revenue in finding a workable solution to this serious problem,” said Senator Mello. “My concern has always been ensuring this important national security project didn’t get caught in state government red tape. Without this compromise, we risked delaying the construction of these facilities or worse, endangering them altogether.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 3, 2012

For More Information:
Trevor Fitzgerald, Legislative Aide
(402) 471-2710

LINCOLN, NE – Yesterday, Nebraska State Senator Heath Mello (District 5, South Omaha) introduced an amendment to a pending bill before the Nebraska Legislature which would clarify that materials used in the construction of the new U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) headquarters would not be subject to Nebraska state sales tax. Under existing state law, construction materials used for federal building projects are exempt from sales tax if the federal agency purchases the materials directly from a supplier or designates the private contractor for the project as its official purchasing agent. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the Stratcom project, has refused to fill out the forms required to designate a purchasing agent due to concerns about being held legally liable for private contractors’ actions.

At a press conference earlier today, U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said that uncertainty about the tax issue could potentially delay construction of the Stratcom project. Mello’s amendment would provide that materials purchased by private contractors for use in the construction of the project would be exempt from state sales and use taxes. The amendment also includes language that would exempt construction of the new Omaha Veterans Affairs Hospital, which like the Stratcom headquarters is slated to begin construction in the next few years.

“The State of Nebraska should not stand in the way of these important federal projects, particularly when the construction materials are already exempt under state law,” said Mello, “Without this clarifying language, we risk delaying the construction of these facilities or worse, endangering them altogether.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 28, 2012

For More Information:
Trevor Fitzgerald, Legislative Aide
(402) 471-2710

“LB 923 is a bi-partisan bill that builds on current language in federal law that require the use of American iron and steel for federal highway projects. Many of these policies have been in place for more than 80 years, and ‘Buy American’ provisions for federal highway projects were actually expanded by President Ronald Reagan.

“According to a 2009 report by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, for every three dollars we spend buying American, we put one more American back to work than if we had not bought American. Nationwide polling has also shown strong public support for ‘Buy American’ provisions across the political spectrum, with 90% support among Republicans, 94% support among Democrats, and 88% support among Independents.”

“In addition to helping existing Nebraska manufacturers like NuCor Steel, these ‘Buy American’ provisions will help encourage American manufacturers to keep jobs in the United States. If American manufacturers clearly know that the State of Nebraska will be a stable consumer of American-made goods, they are far more likely to keep their operations in America instead of shipping them to China or India. While LB 923 was not advanced for debate by the full Legislature this session, I will continue to work on this and other policies that will help keep good-paying manufacturing jobs in Nebraska.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710

UPDATE: The following blog post is posted in response the Platte Institute Opposition to LB 923: http://americanmanufacturing.org/blog/buy-america-common-sense-economics-nebraskas-and-nations-manufacturers

“Despite the fact that middle-class Nebraskans have been clamoring for the state to address our high residential property taxes, Governor Heineman continues to focus on reducing taxes for the wealthiest 20%,” said Mello, “Even the ultra-conservative Tax Foundation, a group whose data Governor Heineman cites as evidence in support of his package, shows that Nebraska ranks worse in property taxes in comparison to any other tax ranking considered by LB 970.”

The 2012 Tax Foundation Report, which was unveiled yesterday, ranked Nebraska’s overall tax climate as 30th among the fifty states. Of the five different tax burdens considered by the report, Nebraska’s property tax ranking was 37th, the worst of five rankings assigned to the state.

In response to Heineman’s proposal, Mello has introduced LB 977, the Property Tax Relief Act. Under the bill, Nebraska homeowners would receive approximately $76 million in property tax relief. Through a homestead exemption of the first $8,000 in a home’s value, the average homeowner in Nebraska would receive more than $150 in property tax relief annually.

Unlike the existing Property Tax Credit program, Mello’s bill is specifically targeted to residential property taxpayers, ensuring that Nebraska residents, not out-of-state landowners, receive the bulk of the benefits.

“LB 977 represents the most significant middle-class tax relief package we could consider this session,” said Mello. “If we are going to discuss any tax changes this session, property tax relief must be part of the debate.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 26, 2012

For More Information:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710
  

“If Governor Heineman clearly believes that despite our current budget situation, that we can afford to cut taxes, I believe property tax relief should be the focus of that conversation,” said Mello, “My constituents and hundreds of thousands of Nebraskans across the state have been demanding that when we discuss tax relief, that we focus on addressing our state’s high residential property taxes.”

In response to Heineman’s proposal, Mello introduced LB 977, the Property Tax Relief Act. Under the bill, Nebraska homeowners would receive approximately $76 million in property tax relief. Through a homestead exemption of the first $8,000 in a home’s value, the average homeowner in Nebraska would receive more than $150 in property tax relief annually.

Unlike the existing Property Tax Credit program, Mello’s bill is specifically targeted to residential property taxpayers, ensuring that Nebraska residents, not out-of-state landowners, receive the bulk of the benefits.

“LB 977 represents the most significant middle-class tax relief package we could consider this session,” said Mello. “If we are going to discuss any tax proposal in the coming months, property tax relief must be part of the debate.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2011

For More Information:
Senator Heath Mello, (402) 471-2710

LINCOLN, NE – Earlier today, Nebraska State Senator Heath Mello (District 5, South Omaha) announced the introduction of LB 923, a bi-partisan legislative proposal to require the purchase and use of American-made iron, steel, and manufactured goods by Nebraska state agencies.

Based upon concepts proposed by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a coalition of American manufacturing companies and the United Steelworkers, the “Nebraska Buy American Act” would require that public works contracts by state agencies contain provisions that the manufactured goods used or supplied in performance of the contract be manufactured in the United States. The “Buy American” provisions of the bill would be waived if American-made goods were not available in sufficient quantity, or if the purchase of American-made goods would increase the cost of any contract by more than 10%.

“In addition to helping our existing Nebraska manufacturers, these ‘Buy American’ provisions will help encourage American manufacturers to keep jobs in the United States,” said Mello, “If American manufacturers clearly know that the State of Nebraska will be a stable consumer of American-made goods, they are far more likely to keep their operations in America because of the demand in the marketplace.”

Recent public opinion research conducted by the Alliance for American Manufacturing shows strong bi-partisan support for using American-made goods when taxpayer dollars are on the line. In 2011 national polling, 90% of Americans favored the use of “Buy American” provisions to ensure that taxpayer-funded government projects use only U.S.- made goods and supplies wherever possible.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2012

For More Information:
Trevor Fitzgerald, Legislative Aide
(402) 471-2710