There are three weeks left in the First Session of the 108th Legislature and we are hitting crunch time. This week we focused on budget bills advancing them to Final Reading to meet the day 80 deadline required by our rules. Once the budget bills are passed, we will take up bills on Final Reading. Bills that have a fiscal impact may not be considered prior to the budget being passed.

One bill included in the budget package was LB281. This bill establishes a matching grant program under the Department of Economic Development for nonprofit 501(c)(3) youth outdoor education camps to repair facilities destroyed by a natural or manmade disaster. One such facility could be the Halsey 4-H camp.

The Legislature also advanced the Education Committee priority bill to Final Reading. This bill is an education package which contains several additional bills. The primary bill, LB705, allocates money received from the Nebraska Lottery to several education funds.

LB385 as amended into LB705 creates the Nebraska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act. The act would establish a grant program using lottery funds for eligible teachers. New teachers would be eligible for a $2,500 grant at the beginning of years 2, 4, and 6 of their employment. Teachers with a certification in a high-need area such as special education or math will be eligible for a one-time grant of $5,000 after signing a contract to complete a school year of full time employment.

LB583 was also advanced to Final Reading. This bill provides for $1,500 per student in foundational aid to each school district within the school funding formula. Further, the bill also expands State funding for special education by reimbursing 80% of special education costs. The bill will help ease school districts’ reliance on property taxes and ensure our schools have the funds to provide necessary education for children with special needs.

The Legislature ended our week on Thursday by advancing the property tax relief bill LB243, originally introduced by Senator Briese. This bill increases the funding for the Property Tax Credit Fund from $313 million to $560 million. It also requires the fund to grow equal to the increase in assessed value of real property in the state. The bill further creates a new mechanism for the percentage of annual increase that a school district may request in regards to their levy authority.

As a final note, If you ever miss one of my updates or would like to go back to review a previous update they are available online you can visit nebraskalegislature.gov select “senators” on the left side of the page. Click “Senator Webpages” then click “Bruce Bostelman” and finally “Senator Blog” under the resources section of my legislature page.

For additional or more specific information on bills please visit nebraskalegislature.gov. You may also reach my office at 402-471-2719 or bbostelman@leg.ne.gov