Every day in the Nebraska Legislature is a learning experience for senators but especially the incoming class. This week there were days spent entirely on just one bill and days when we debated many bills in just a few hours. It was enlightening to see how a bill can be advanced and how another can be defeated, after a lot of discussion back and forth from different points of view.  I am appreciating the process and acquiring as much information as I can in these early days of the session.

Two of my bills were heard in committee this week. LB 107 went before the Urban Affairs Committee and deals with plumbing board issues. This bill would change terms on the board from three years to four; eliminate the requirement that the board meet every two weeks and make it easier to meet when needed; bring fees, fines and licensing requirements up to date and clarify city jurisdiction lines. The bill was brought to me by the city of Beatrice and is supported by the Nebraska League of Municipalities as well.

LB 239 is a simple bill to bring county public hearing notices into line with state requirements. This bill was heard by the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs committee and is similar to a couple of other initiatives to clean up state statutes and put everyone on the same reporting deadlines.

Among bills presented in committee by my fellow senators this week was a constitutional amendment to increase the pay of state senators to one half of the median household income of Nebraskans as reported in the most recent Census. The last time the salary for senators was raised, to a thousand dollars per month, was in 1989. Senator Vargas, who introduced this resolution, pointed out the low level of compensation keeps many qualified people from serving because they simply cannot afford it. A higher pay level would allow more individuals to participate in our citizen legislature but certainly would not be enough to encourage anyone to become a “career politician”, especially with term limits. This issue, if approved by the Legislature, would go before the voters in the November 2020 election.

Three bills in the Revenue Committee this week focused on collecting sales tax from internet retailers. Even though the Supreme Court ruled that states can collect, the laws of Nebraska need to be updated before this can happen. Both LB 284 and LB 291 require online retailers with sales greater than $100,000 or at least 200 transactions to remit sale tax to the state. LB 18 would direct that money to the state’s property tax credit fund.

LB 284 and LB 291 would also require that the tax would be collected by marketplace facilitators – meaning sites such as Amazon and Ebay would need to remit tax from all their suppliers, often referred to as third party sellers. The Nebraska Retail Federation and Grocery Association both supported these bills and say they would protect local brick and mortar retailers and help them to compete.

The state tax commissioner, Tony Fulton, cautioned that the estimate of the collection of an additional $19 million could not necessarily be anticipated, and was already taken into account by the Economic Forecasting Board. Other projections have the collection amount coming in much higher.

My work with the Appropriations Committee continues on a daily basis. We keep in mind the forecasts from the advisory board as we review the various proposals, which this week included the Governor’s budget.

Thank you to all who have contacted my office with your concerns and opinions. I also appreciate all who have requested to be added to my weekly email newsletter list. Reach out at any time to mdorn@leg.ne.gov or call 402-471-2620.