107TH LEGISLATURE, 1ST SESSION – DAY 82

On Thursday, Governor Pete Ricketts highlighted the historic results of the First Session of the 107th Legislature in his annual “Sine Die” address to the Unicameral on the final day of its 2021 regular session.  The budget passed by Senators provides combined tax relief of over $1.8 billion to Nebraskans over the next two years.  That’s the greatest amount of tax relief any Legislature has delivered in at least a quarter-century—and likely the largest amount in the history of the State of Nebraska.  This represents an average of 18.5% of the State’s budget over the next two years. During the address, the Governor thanked the Senators for making historic progress on the key priorities he set in January, including property tax relief, veterans tax relief, and broadband infrastructure.  He also thanked Legislators for their work to assist state agencies as they responded to the coronavirus pandemic.   Gov. Ricketts praised the Unicameral for controlling spending in the State’s next two-year budget.  Additionally, he applauded Senators for taking action to pass legislation based on lessons learned from the pandemic, such as providing expedited reciprocity for many licensed healthcare professions. 

I am proud of the progress made in Session one of the 107th Legislature. Great things happened this year, and I look forward to seeing many more advances in the next Session. In the meantime, I am looking very forward to being back home and spending time with my family and the great people of District 17!

BROADBAND EXPANSION BILL SIGNED

This week Governor Pete Ricketts signed LB 388 into law during a ceremony at the State Capitol.  The bill provides $20 million in matching grants annually to expand access to high-speed broadband across Nebraska.  LB 388 was introduced by Senator Friesen at the request of Gov. Ricketts and prioritized by Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln. LB 388 will bring fast, reliable broadband connectivity to an expected 30,000 households.  Broadband networks funded by LB 388 will be built to upload and download speeds of 100 Mbps, which is much faster than the current minimum standard of 25/3 Mbps set by the Federal Communications Commission. I was honored to serve on both the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee that heard the bill and passed it out onto the Floor. 

RENEWABLE FUELS MONTH

Governor Pete Ricketts has proclaimed May as “Renewable Fuels Month” in Nebraska. Representatives from the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Ethanol Board, Renewable Fuels Nebraska, and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture are all significantly invested in seeing renewable energy launched even more significantly in our state. I was honored to help by sponsoring LB595, an ethanol sales and use tax exemption which was signed by the Governor this week. 

NOTICES OF VALUATION CHANGE

The Nebraska Department of Revenue, Property Assessment Division, reminds property owners that real property Notices of Valuation Change will be sent by county assessors on or before June 1, 2021. If there was an increase or decrease from the 2020 assessed valuation of a real property parcel to the 2021 assessed value, the county assessor is required to send a notice of valuation change to the property owner of record as of May 20, 2021. If a property owner disagrees with the assessed value, whether or not a notice of valuation change has been received, a protest may be filed with the county board of equalization. The valuation protest may be filed in person or by mail with the county clerk in the county where the property is located, on or before June 30, 2021. Requirements for filing a protest are on the Notice of Valuation Change. For more information regarding filing a protest, please contact the county clerk where the property is located. County contact information is available at revenue.nebraska.gov/PAD/county-assessors-and-parcel-search. 

VETERANS TAX RELIEF BILL

We had a ceremony this week at the Governor’s Residence to sign LB 387, a bill that allows military retirees to exempt 100% of their military retirement pay from Nebraska state income tax. I was honored to join Governor Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director John Hilgert, as well as other veterans groups and Senators.

“STOP 30 x 30” TOWN HALL IN NORFOLK

Recently, Governor Pete Ricketts announced that he will be hosting a series of “Stop 30 x 30” town halls across Nebraska.  30 x 30 is a goal set by President Joe Biden to permanently protect in its natural state 30 percent of the nation’s land and waters by 2030. At the town halls, Gov. Ricketts and others will deliver remarks about the 30 x 30 plan, and how Nebraskans can push back on President Biden’s radical climate agenda.  

More information about Governor Ricketts’ opposition to 30 x 30 can be found at www.Governor.Nebraska.gov. The Stop 30 x 30 Town Hall in Norfolk will be at 1:00-2:00pm,Thursday, June 3, 2021 at the Johnny Carson Theater, 801 Riverside Blvd.

PROPOSED HEALTH STANDARDS

I strongly encourage all Nebraskan’s to read the Standards and inform themselves about content that is being considered. I plan to spend the summer traveling to Legislative Districts across Nebraska, to hear concerns firsthand, so legislation can be enacted next Session to address the issue. Take some time to review the entire document for yourself and let the State Department of Education know what you think. A draft Health Education Standards are available for review at:

https://www.education.ne.gov/healthed/health-education-standards-development/

You can submit a formal comment by emailing nde.standardsinput@nebraska.gov. 

DISTRICT 17 COVID-19 

The number of positive tests reported for the periods May 21, 2021 to May 28, 2021 in District 17 are as follow: 

Dakota County +16 (4108) 4133

Thurston County: +12 (1188)

Wayne County: +2 (1162)

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 at 402-471-2716 or jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.