“We are adjourned sine die,” that is Latin for “without a day” to reconvene. The 106th Legislative Session came to a close on Thursday, August 13, 2020. In the course of the 106th Session, the Speaker reported that the Legislature passed approximately 258 bills. The Session was packed and, when we reconvened after the COVID-19 interruption, the last 17 days did not miss a beat. We got a lot done and have much more to do. My colleagues and I will be working through the interim on various bills left undone. January begins a new Legislative year and many will be working to bring forward some bills that didn’t make it out of committee come back to the floor in new form.

Two Important Bills passed on the Last Day:
On the last day of Session, the Legislature passed two historic and monumental bills. LB1107, that delivers property tax relief that has been a long time coming; and LB814 that bans dismemberment abortions in Nebraska.

As I noted in an earlier newsletter, LB1107 is not all that I had hoped for but did incorporate portions of the former property tax relief bills LB974 and LB1106, along with the business incentives of LB720 and funding for the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) NExT project. Within the bill, property tax payers will be eligible for a refundable income tax credit based upon a percentage of the amount of property taxes paid towards school funding. That percentage grows annually to a maximum percentage, dependent upon revenue growth in the State. The bill sets aside future revenue growth for return to taxpayers for property tax relief. The business incentive portion of LB1107 encourages financial investment and good paying job growth in Nebraska. The incentives are performance-based, meaning companies must perform before they are able to realize the benefits of the incentives. Finally, the UNMC project will bring in more than $1 Billion dollars from federal and other investment before the State makes its contribution.

LB1107 was not all that we had hoped for, but it is a historical start. As I have done from the beginning, I will continue to work for more property tax relief for District 17 and all Nebraska residential, commercial, and agricultural property owners.

On Thursday, August 13, 2020, the Legislature also passed LB814, which prohibits dismemberment abortions from being performed in Nebraska. The Governor held a public signing of LB814 on the Capitol steps on Saturday. I was honored to be among the pro-life Senators standing with the Governor and with Senator Geist, the bill’s introducer. There were hundreds of Nebraskans in attendance. The Governor also recognized Julie Schmit-Albin, who has worked tirelessly for the unborn for over 30 years. In fact, on Thursday, the Governor also signed a proclamation designating August 13 as “Julie Schmit-Albin Day” in honor of her hard work that has helped keep Nebraska a pro-life state.

Other Important Bills Passed as well:
There are many bills to mention, but I do want to let you know about a couple I am especially proud to have supported. I was pleased to support LB1008, which was brought on behalf of the Governor and signed into law during the last days of Session. LB1108 provides $1 million in additional funding to state colleges’ Career Scholarship Programs and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services to establish the Corrections Workforce Development Pathways program, a partnership between Peru State College and NCS. Wayne State College is among the colleges that will be offering the scholarships for students in critical workforce areas needed for Nebraska economic growth.

Additionally, beginning with the tax year 2022, veterans receiving military retirement pay will find 50% of that pay exempted from income tax under Senator Brewer’s bill LB 153. We value those who have served our country and want to make sure they will honor us with their continued presence in the State. It was essential that LB153 become law so that Nebraska is competitive with neighboring states. I was especially proud to support this bill.

As you know, I sit on the Natural Resources and Transportation and Telecommunications Committees. Important Committee priority bills that were passed during the last 17 days of Session were LB632 and LB992. There were a number of bills included in each priority bill. LB632 was a Natural Resource Committee priority bill that makes technical clarifications in the section of state law providing for procedures to be used for improvements in rural water districts. LB632 also brings statewide uniformity to plastic bag bans by limiting authority for such bans to be placed in State law. LB632 passed with a 46-0 vote.

LB992 was a priority bill from the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee for the purpose of providing statutory changes recommended by the Rural Broadband Task Force. Increasing broadband service in rural areas remains a priority for me and for the Committee and I was happy to see LB992 pass on Final Reading with a 47-0 vote.

Rural Investment: In addition to what was happening at the Legislature, it is worth noting that the Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $10,556,000 in Cherry-Todd Electric Cooperative to build and improve critical electric infrastructure that will benefit more than 6,000 rural residents and commercial customers in South Dakota and Nebraska. I will be looking further into this investment and will report to you in a later newsletter to what degree District 17 may benefit.

As always, it is of great importance that I hear from my constituents to effectively do my job as your voice in the Legislature. I encourage you to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me by phone at 402-471-2716 or by email at jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov