Hello neighbor,

We are already halfway done with session this year, and unfortunately, it’s not looking good for property tax relief. LB 974 was debated last week, and opponents of the bill filibustered it for three hours until it was taken off the agenda. Under Speaker Scheer’s rule, Senator Linehan has to come to him with 33 yes votes before it will be put back on the agenda for another three hours. The Speaker requires 33 votes because that is how many it takes to vote to end a filibuster and vote on the bill.

If property tax relief does not pass, it endangers projects many people consider important, such as the business tax incentive bill and the University of Nebraska’s NExT project. The NExT project would be a partnership between the University and the state and federal government to cement the University’s status as the center for hazard response and preparedness for infectious diseases and other hazards.

The other major topic in the Legislature is the status of the YRTC program. There have been numerous issues with the YRTC facilities, last year at the Geneva facility, and constantly at the Kearney facility. The issues at the Kearney facility were exacerbated when the girls from the Geneva facility were moved to the Kearney facility as well. We need to do more to protect our staff. They are overworked and underpaid, leading to roughly a third of the positions being unfilled and many staff looking for other opportunities. They need more support from the administration, and I hope that CEO Smith will follow through on her promises to give them that support. The sooner we can reduce the number of kids in the Kearney facility, the better. The girls moving back to Geneva would be a good start.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me by email at dmurman@leg.ne.gov, by phone at 402-471-2732, or on my Facebook page.