We had another short, but very busy week. Monday was a recess day. We did three late night sessions debating the budget this week. In spite of the $1 billion deficit, the budget we have still increases spending 1.5%. Many of us feel this is unacceptable, so the budget as written faces a lot of push-back. I think some of my colleagues are using some pretty rosy predictions about future revenue growth that I don’t think will actually be there. If we don’t cut more spending in this budget, I think there is a good chance the Governor will end up calling a special session later in the year where we will have to come back and do across-the-board spending cuts. We shall see how this all unfolds in the days ahead. I hope the legislature can muster the courage to make some carefully considered cuts now instead of waiting for a Special Session and using an ax to do it.

LB 461 is a bill from Sen. Smith (Papillion) on income and property taxes. It was debated again this week. I introduced an amendment (AM 1104) to this bill, but it was so far down in the queue it was never was debated / voted on before the time was up. When the time for debate the speaker has allocated has passed, a motion called “cloture” is made. What this does is end debate on every other motion or amendment pending so a vote can be taken on just the underlying bill. It takes 2/3 of the legislature (33) votes to “invoke cloture” and end debate. The cloture motion on LB 461 failed on a vote of 27 “for” with mine included in that number. 9 voted “against” the motion. Since the motion failed, this means debate would continue. Since the time allotted by the speaker was all used up, no further debate was allowed and LB 461 was effectively killed for this session.

It is important to pay close attention to cloture votes because they are often more important than voting on the bill itself. 13 senators were “present but not voting” on this cloture motion. Such a vote is often just as good as a “no” vote, but it is a lot easier to explain to a constituent. I really don’t like “present but not voting” on cloture motions which is why I made a motion and tried to change the rules early in the session.

LB 461 was far from perfect, but failing the cloture vote prevented voting to advance the bill to select file where we would have another chance to amend it. I fear LB 461 may have been the last chance to do something about property taxes in Nebraska this session and that really upsets me. Property taxes are out-of-control in Nebraska. We have the 5^th highest property taxes in the country and it is getting worse. They are crushing AG producers which is the biggest driver of the Nebraska economy. They drive people and business out of the State. They are out of control because the way Nebraska funds K-12 schools. The current system is terribly unfair to rural school districts. That system is completely broken and in urgent need of reform. Nebraska is 49^th in the country in terms of State aid to schools. It is the #1 concern of the constituents in the 43^rd District and despite everything my colleagues and I have done, we simply can’t get the bills we need passed because there are too many senators in the legislature who love taxing and spending.

There might be another bill I could offer my property tax amendment to coming up, but like everything else this year, finding 33 votes to invoke cloture so we can actually take a vote on the bill is very difficult.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov or call us at (402) 471-2628.

We had a short, but very busy week. Friday was Arbor Day and the legislature was not in session. We got a lot of bills passed final reading and sent to the governor. We debated some controversial bills, got started on the budget, and did our first (of many) late night sessions.

My priority bill, LB 340, was signed in law by the governor this week. LB 340 takes the control of Nebraska’s Veteran Homes out of the Department of Health and Human Services and puts it under the control of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is a very good thing for a host of reasons. LB 340 is also the first piece of legislation I have ever had signed into law as a new Senator. I want to thank the many folks who have congratulated me on this. More is coming!

Sen. Groene’s (North Platte) LB 595 was heard this week. I think it is a good bill. It would protect teachers and school administrators from violent students. It was a hotly debated bill. The opposition filibustered it and filed a large number of amendments and motions against it. Like everything else this session, Sen. Groene will have to round up 33 votes to invoke cloture (stop debate and vote on the bill) in order for this measure to advance. We’ll see how this works out.

Sen. Linehan (Omaha) made a fairly rare motion to “pull” one of her bills out of committee to General File. LB 651 would adopt strict standards for school reading proficiency and would cause children to be held back in school if they fail to meet the standard. I support this bill but I seriously doubt it will go anywhere this session. I hope I’m wrong.

Sen. Smith (Papillion) introduced LB 461 last week. In my opinion, this is probably one of the most important bills we will debate this session. It makes significant changes to property and income tax laws in Nebraska. Along with many others, I have introduced an amendment to this bill. AM 1104 makes a few very important changes and additions to the bill. I think LB 461 will come up for a second round of debate sometime in the first week in May. I will have a very hard time supporting LB 461 if the changes and additions I have proposed in my amendment are not included in the final bill.

Debate began on the budget this week. Nebraska is over $1 billion in the red. The legislature must make some serious spending reductions to balance the budget. Wednesday we received another “Revenue Forecast” which predicted another $55 million LESS in revenue, making the requirement to come up with a balanced budget even more difficult. The arguments on the floor are along two lines of thought. Those who want “more revenue” (raise taxes) so State spending on their favorite programs can continue without interference, and those of us who believe money is best left in the hands of the people who worked for and earned it, and we should cut State spending instead.

I think the people of Nebraska are the best judge of what to do with their money. Just because the forty-nine of us Senators got elected to public office doesn’t suddenly make all of us a bunch of masterminds who know best how to spend someone else’s money. We need to focus on making sure the essential, constitutional functions of State Government have adequate resources (law enforcement / public safety, courts, correctional facilities, infrastructure and schools) but beyond that, I think a spending idea must demonstrate it serves an urgent public necessity and not just some special interest. We will spend most of what remains of the legislative session arguing about the budget, so I will be commenting further about it in the weeks ahead. I am finding out that Ronald Reagan was right; there is nothing quite so permanent as a government program.

Let me close with a word on the White Clay situation. I have received quite a number of calls and emails both for and against closing the liquor stores there. To start with, please remember that a State Senator has no more influence over those decisions than an ordinary citizen does. Secondly, I have always said and I will continue to say that I want to see the law followed. Whether or not beer is sold in White Clay has to be a decision reached after the law has been followed. Nebraska’s motto is “Equality before the law” and I want to see that motto lived up to in this and every case. Clearly, that process is well underway. At some point soon, I believe the Courts, the Attorney General and the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission will sort out this situation and reach a decision. Until then, speculation doesn’t make anything any better, so I urge folks, regardless of which side of this issue you are on, please let the legal system work through this issue. Regardless of the final decision, I will continue to lead the effort to make things better in White Clay. I will not spend my term as your State Senator turning a blind eye to this lawless place and simply kick the can down the road as my predecessors have done. Beer or no beer, whats going on in White Clay is wrong and it needs to change.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov or call us at (402) 471-2628.

We had a hot week in the Legislature. They haven’t turned on the air-conditioning yet, and they have apparently already solved all the easy problems in Nebraska because the calendar is full of bills that are tough issues.

LB 640 was heard on the floor this week. I also co-sponsored this bill. It would dramatically change the formula used to provide much more State-aid to schools, and bring much-needed property tax relief. I really like this bill, and Sen. Groene (North Platt) did a great job with it, but like a lot of other good bills this session, there simply isn’t thirty-three votes to end the filibuster (end the opposition debate with a “cloture” motion) and get to a vote on the bill where we only need twenty-five votes to pass it. It’s a fact of life with anything that is the least bit controversial this year. A lot of really good bills will simply sit and be carried over to next year because they do not have thirty-three votes to end the filibuster. The legislature’s failure early in the session to reform the “cloture” rule is something we get to the see the results of everyday.

Debate began on LB 461 this week. This is the Governor’s bill brought by Sen. Smith (Papillion). The bill would completely change how AG ground property taxes are assessed and bring income tax relief as well. I introduced an amendment to this bill, AM 1104. It makes changes to some technical language, but most importantly it also addresses residential and commercial property taxes as well. It drives down valuations on all three classes of real property at the same time. I think this approach is vital. Ag ground property taxes are not just too high. When farmers and ranchers have to take out second mortgages, when they can’t sell a crop of grain or cattle that even covers the tax bill for the ground, when folks on a fixed income have to start taking money out of a retirement account to pay the property taxes on their house – that’s not just taxes being “too high” – that is taxation that has become immoral. Every Nebraska property owner is being crushed by out-of-control property taxes. This isn’t just and “urban vs. rural” issue. I really hope there is time left for my amendment to be debated on the floor and it becomes part of this bill. Property Taxes are the #1 issue in the 43rd district. We shall see how debate continues next week.

I cannot tell you enough how important it is we continue to hear from you. Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov or call us at (402) 471-2628.

I always begin this update with “floor debate on priority bills continued this week.” It did as always, but this week we had two important bills before the Legislature, both of which I co-sponsored. LR 6 is a Resolution that would add Nebraska to the ten States that have already passed applications to Congress. This calls for a Convention of States for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution. I have received a lot of calls about this subject. Please keep them coming.

The idea this will become some run-away convention that re-writes the whole constitution is simply false. You may have heard from a group promoting this idea. If you would like to learn more about this issue, please give my office a call and speak to my Legislative Aide, Tony Baker about this. Please remember – the Article V Convention of States can only PROPOSE amendments to the US Constitution. 38 States still need to ratify them before they become part of the constitution whether 2/3’s of Congress proposes the amendment, or 2/3s of States propose them.

LB 68 was heard on the floor again this week. I also co-sponsored this bill. It would enforce Nebraska State Law on the carrying of guns State-wide without exemption by cities and towns. An amendment for Omaha was included. This was a hotly debated measure, but the introducer, Senator Hilgers of Lincoln, was able to put together the 33 votes needed to break the filibuster and invoke cloture. The vote was a close one, but the cloture motion prevailed by 33 votes and the bill advanced.

The Governor’s Bill, LB 461, will be debated on the 21st. This bill changes how agricultural land is valued by the County Assessor from a “comparable sales” method to an “income” method. States around Nebraska are doing this already. It will be a historic change in how property taxes for agricultural ground are assessed in Nebraska. The idea is ground will be valued based on how much income can be derived from farming or ranching on that ground. The staff and I continue to analyze these bills, but I am very encouraged by what I see so far. The Revenue Committee and the Governor’s Office have worked very hard on this. Like I said last week, I think real property tax reform for agriculture ground is really going to happen this session.

I cannot tell you enough how important it is we continue to hear from you. Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov or call us at (402) 471-2628.

04/07/17 Update:
Floor debate on priority bills continued this week. The speaker established the “Late Night” schedule to begin soon, so the legislature will be in session well into the evenings. This was a busy week, and things will only get busier. The White Clay Hearing at the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission was held this week. Closing arguments will be April 14th and they will render a decision on the Liquor Licenses in White Clay by May 2nd. The hearing on the challenge to Sen. Chamber’s residency was Friday, April 7th. He prevailed.

LB 68 was heard on the floor this week. This bill would enforce Nebraska State Law on the carrying of guns State-wide without exemption by cities and towns. An amendment for Omaha was included. This was a hotly debated measure. It wasn’t immediately clear if the votes to break a filibuster and invoke cloture (33) were available, so the bill was taken off the agenda.

On that point it’s important to note that this very same thing will happen again and again with other controversial bills this session. If the introducer “doesn’t have cloture” (33 Senators who have pledged to support a motion to end debate) then the bill simply won’t be back on the agenda. Given the first third of the session was spent on the rules argument, there just isn’t any time left. It’s not fair to other priority bills waiting in the queue for the body to keep arguing on a bill there isn’t the votes to stop debate and take a vote on. I support Speaker Sheer’s decision to enforce this policy. It’s a good idea.

The Revenue Committee reported a bill I co-sponsored, LB 640 (Sen. Groene, North Platte), to general file. Keep an eye on this one. This is a GREAT bill to reform education funding and take pressure off property taxes. LB 338 (The Governor’s AG Property Tax Bill) is also out of the committee after being heavily amended with language from other good bills. It is now called LB 461 and it has an amendment AM 954. Keep an eye on these too. The staff and I are currently analyzing these bills. There are a few important changes to some of the language I have in mind, so I will be discussing an amendment to the amendment with the Governor’s Policy Research team and members of the Revenue Committee, but we are really close with this bill. The Committee and the Governor’s office have worked very hard on this, and it is a night and day difference from what was first introduced. If we can pass these two measures, I think real property tax reform for agriculture ground is really going to happen this session. I was very pessimistic about this happening until I saw LB 461 and AM954. Now I am cautiously optimistic about it. Now is the time to call and write every Senator in the legislature and urge them to support these bills. We need the “33” Senators I spoke of to get these passed and we cannot do it without YOU!

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. I wish you could see how important citizen involvement is to this process. The “2nd House” of the Nebraska Legislature is vital. Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.

Floor debate on priority bills continued this week. It was the first week of full day sessions with all of the committee hearings behind us. Debate on mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of human trafficking (LB 289) was very spirited and took up two full days. I was surprised by the number of Senators who objected to tough, long sentences in prison for people convicted of this despicable crime. I certainly didn’t object.

LB 356, a bill that would fund about $75,000 for a “Civic Engagement” program faced tough bi-partisan debate, so much so the Speaker used a very rare rule and put a “Speaker Hold” on the bill so it could be properly amended. The tough debate on this bill I believe foreshadows things to come. We have a very tough budget situation where we are nearly $1 billion dollars in the red. Bills that will cut tens of millions in spending are coming up. Every penny counts, even $75,000 for civic engagement. Had the speaker not put this bill on hold, I would have voted against it. We MUST cut spending. We have no choice. Nebraska’s Constitution requires a balanced budget. I am so thankful it does.

The Revenue Committee has met in Executive Session all week. So far, they haven’t reported any bills to the floor. By my count there are about fifteen bills that address property taxes in the Revenue Committee. The governor’s bill, LB 338, will likely come out of the committee, as well as others. My bill, LB 576, would cap property taxes for four years beginning in 2019. I think it’s a great idea, but I am not filled with optimism this bill will make it out of the Revenue Committee. There are quite a few really good ideas on property taxes in the form of several different bills this session. I think there will be a bill come out that is amended to include a number of these different good ideas.

My priority bill, LB 340, was advanced to Enrollment and Review on a 39-0 vote last week. This bill will reorganize State agencies so the Department of Veterans Homes will come out of the Department of Health and Human Services and go under the Director of Veterans Affairs. It is going to be on the agenda next week for debate and voting to select file. I don’t want to jinx it, but I think this will be the very first piece of legislation I get signed into law by the Governor. It saves tax money and delivers better care for Nebraska’s Veterans.

I received a lot of calls this week on LB 502. This bill would establish “Constitutional Carry” of firearms, otherwise known as “Permit-less Carry.” This has generated a lot of interest both pro and con. This caused me to learn an old political lesson.

I learned that the voices of opposition are always more numerous and much louder than the voices of support. I mention that because it is just as important for me to receive calls and letters from people who SUPPORT something I am doing as it is for me to hear from those who OPPOSE something before the legislature. I do my best to “represent” the 43rd District. To do that, I need to hear from everyone. No matter which side of something you are on, please take a few seconds and give us a call. 402-471-2628.

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.

Floor debate on priority bills continued this week. For the first time this session, I can honestly say the “pace” of the debate and action on bills on the floor was “fast” compared to what I have seen thus far. One thing worthy of note is the amount of interest generated by budget and appropriations bills. With the budget shortfall we face, spending cuts will no-doubt feature prominently in the debates ahead. One bill we debated this week cut a small amount of spending. That debate went all the way to a cloture vote (a motion to stop debate). If this is any indication of things to come, the months ahead are going to be filled with very long days and very tough debates as other measures that make much more significant spending cuts come up.
All that said, I want to be crystal clear on one point: I will not vote for a bill that raises taxes. Period. In the weeks ahead you will hear a lot about the need to “raise revenue.” Just remember that is political speak for “raise taxes.” You will hear all about how this or that spending cut is going to “hurt” some group who currently benefits from the program in question. I don’t want to appear heartless to anyone, but as far as I am concerned, the people I am worried about “hurting” are the ones who have to PAY the taxes, not the ones who consume them.
I introduced my very last bill on Thursday the 23rd in front of the Judiciary Committee. LB 502 would establish “Constitutional Carry” of firearms, otherwise known as “Permit-less Carry.” More than a dozen States already have this law on the books and Nebraska shares a border with two of them. I strongly believe a person shouldn’t have to get a permit from the government to exercise a constitutional right. Did I have to take a class and pay for a permit to exercise my first amendment right and write this newspaper column? The 2nd amendment is the only constitutional right you have to ask permission to exercise. This is just wrong.

I’m still hopeful my bill that would establish a two-year moratorium on commercial wind energy development in the Sandhills (LB 504) will be voted out of committee. The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Dan Hughes (LD44) opposes the bill. Without his support, it will remain in committee for the rest of the session. For those folks interested in seeing this bill debated on the floor of the legislature, I encourage you to politely call Sen. Hughes and urge him to support it.

The Revenue Committee has met in Executive Session all week. None of the many tax-related bills in that committee have been reported out. My bill to put a four-year cap on property taxes beginning in 2019 (LB 576) is one of them being considered by the committee. There are quite a few really good ideas on property taxes in the form of several different bills this session. I believe one bill amended to include a number of these different good ideas will likely come out of the committee. This is very tough work. Fixing this extremely complex problem at a time of low commodity prices and very low tax revenues is incredibly difficult. I would urge people interested in my bill to contact the members of the Revenue Committee, most especially the Chairman, Sen. Jim Smith (LD 14) and politely ask them to advance LB 576 to general file.

My priority bill, LB 340, was voted out of committee and debated on General File this morning. It was advanced to Enrollment and Review on a 39-0 vote. This bill will reorganize State agencies so the Department of Veterans Homes will come out of the Department of Health and Human Services and go under the Director of Veterans Affairs. I think this bill is going all the way to the Governor’s desk! It saves tax money and delivers better care for Nebraska’s Veterans.

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.

Floor debate on priority bills continued this week. A lot of time continues to be spent on the “Choose Life” license plate. This is a controversial issue and has generated a lot of debate and cloture votes. The Helmet Law Bill from Sen. Lowe of Kearney is also a controversial issue where debate went to a cloture vote. That failed by one vote which was disappointing. Sen. Lowe is a good senator. Like Senator’s do, he tirelessly promoted his bill with all the Senators of the body. I supported him. He had received promises from several who pledged to vote for cloture (stopping debate) and they changed their vote at the last minute. I am taking the time to explain this because I hear from folks all the time who tell me they don’t like the political partisanship they see in our non-partisan legislature. I would urge folks to remember that integrity; being true to one’s word, is far more important than political ideology. Lack of integrity causes far more problems in our Unicameral than any political party ever did and I am sad to report I see it every day.

My bill that would establish a two-year moratorium on commercial wind energy development in the Sandhills (LB 504) survived a kill motion and is now “held in committee” and will very likely stay there without any action for the rest of the session. The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Dan Hughes (LD44) opposes the bill, and as long as he does, it will never come out of the committee to the floor of the legislature for debate. I would like to thank the many hundreds of my constituents in the 43rd District who took the time to come testify for the bill, and who have called and written letters and emails to the committee. Thank you for being Nebraska’s “2nd House.”

The Revenue Committee will meet in Executive Session very soon. My bill to put a four-year cap on property taxes beginning in 2019 (LB 576) will be on the agenda. I have worked closely with the eight members of the Revenue Committee and as I write this the vote is too close to call. We need five votes to advance the bill to general file. As I have said before, Nebraskans should not have to suffer future increases in property taxes while waiting for the legislature to fix this extremely complex problem. I would urge people interested in this bill to contact the members of the Revenue Committee, most especially the Chairman, Sen. Jim Smith (LD 14) and ask him to vote to advance the bill to general file.

I have two bills left to introduce:

LB 503. Stops the State from collecting union dues from employees.
Business & Labor Committee, 20 March at 1:30pm, room 2102.

LB 502. Implements “Constitutional Carry” for guns.
Judiciary Committee, 23 March at 1:30pm, Room 1113.

I’ll be doing a Town Hall in the district this Saturday. Please join me at the Bunkhouse in Valentine at 8:00am on Saturday the 25th of March. It’s at 109 East Highway 20.

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.

We had a short week this week with a recess day on Friday. Floor debate on priority bills continues, although we are way behind compared to previous years. I worry we will not be able to hear all the priority bills. The bottom line on bills is if it has not been designated a priority bill by a senator, a committee, or the speaker, I seriously doubt it will make it to the calendar and be heard on the floor.

I introduced two bills this week. LB 501 clarifies language in the law about the requirement to post signs that govern the concealed carry of handguns on private property. Since it was a “gun related” bill it faced a spirited debate from Sen. Chambers (LD11) and a lot of questioning from the other members of the Judiciary Committee.
LB 576 would put a four-year cap on property taxes beginning in 2019. This bill drew a lot of attention in the Revenue Committee. I was very impressed by the number of folks from the district who came to testify. As I have said before, Nebraskans should not have to suffer future increases in property taxes while waiting for the legislature to fix this extremely complex problem. That said, I am not hopeful this bill will make it out of the Revenue Committee, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be heard on the floor because of how little time is left in the session. I suspect a number of other Property Tax measures will face the same fate. During my testimony for this bill, I publicly stated I would make it my priority bill next session if the measure fails to make it to the floor this year.

The Natural Resources Committee met in Executive Session this week. A motion was made to kill LB 504, which is the bill I introduced to put a two-year moratorium on commercial wind energy in the Sandhills. The motion was defeated so the bill remains “held in committee.” The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Dan Hughes (LD44) did go on record opposing the bill. When the committee report is published I will name how the Senators voted on the kill motion. At present, the committee has not voted to advance the bill. Even though a motion to advance the bill would likely fail, I want that vote anyway. At the very least, the people of Nebraska, and in particular those in the Sandhills, deserve to know how the Senators of this committee would vote on a motion to advance this important issue. I would urge my constituents to contact Chairman Hughes and members of Natural Resources Committee and ask them to vote on a motion to advance LB 504.

The two committees I sit on (Government, Veterans and Military Affairs; and Banking, Commerce and Insurance) continue to hear bills every day. We are meeting in executive session and voting on a large number of bills.

I have two bills left to introduce:

LB 503. Stops the State from collecting union dues from employees.
Business & Labor Committee, 20 March at 1:30pm, room 2102.

LB 502. Implements “Constitutional Carry” for guns.
Judiciary Committee, 23 March at 1:30pm, Room 1113.

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. The last day of committee hearings is the 23rd of March. After that, the legislature is in session all day (and probably into the night on some days!) Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.

This week things were moving right along for a while, but we’ve become bogged-down with a filibuster on LB 46 which would create a “Choose Life” license plate. There was a tragedy on Thursday at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. The legislature is now looking into this situation. I believe this will take priority on the floor in the week ahead, as we look into what happened. I would urge folks to wait for the State Patrol to finish its investigation. The report will no doubt contain recommendations for all to consider.
I introduced three bills this week. Two of these bills were controversial. LB 504 will establish a two-year moratorium on commercial wind energy development in the Sandhills, and LB 505 will require State agencies to report certain information about refugee re-settlement in Nebraska. These bills drew considerable attention from the public and testimony ran late into the evening. I was humbled by the people supporting these measures who came from far and wide in the middle of calving season to testify. Thank you!
March 8th I will introduce LB 501 which cleans up some language in the law governing the concealed carry of handguns on private property, and on March 9th I will introduce LB 576. This bill would put a four-year cap on property taxes beginning in 2019. I want people to know I understand the incredible importance of reducing property taxes in the district and Nebraska. This is a very old problem. The people of Nebraska have been very patient for decades as the legislature has tried and failed to solve this problem. At the very least, Nebraskans should not have to suffer future increases in property taxes while waiting for the legislature to fix this extremely complex problem. If we can pass LB 576 into law, hopefully a “cap” on property taxes looming in the future may generate the kind of political will necessary to solve this problem once and for all. I see my bill as a great “companion” to one or more of the other property tax bills being considered. I think it makes any other idea to fix this problem easier. The bottom line is kicking this can down the road again is not an option. Property taxes, especially on agricultural ground in the district, aren’t just “too high.” I believe they have reached the point where they are immoral.
The two committees I sit on (Government, Veterans and Military Affairs; and Banking, Commerce and Insurance) continue to hear bills every day. I chaired the Government committee this week when LR1CA was heard. This measure would put a question on the ballot in the next election that would amend Nebraska’s constitution requiring an ID to vote. There was a lot of public interest in this measure. Testimony for this hearing ran late into the evening.

I have four bills left to introduce:

LB 501. Clarifies laws concerning signage prohibiting concealed-carry.
Judiciary Committee, 8 March at 1:30pm

LB 576. Puts a cap on Property Taxes.
Revenue Committee, 9 March at 1:30pm

LB 503. Stops the State from collecting union dues from employees.
Business & Labor Committee, 20 March at 1:30pm

LB 502. Implements “Constitutional Carry” for guns.
Judiciary Committee, 23 March at 1:30pm.

I want to thank everyone who contacts my office letting us know where you stand on bills before the legislature. Please keep your calls and letters coming. The last day of committee hearings is the 23rd of March. After that, the legislature is in session all day (and probably into the night on some days!) Please contact the office if you would like to set up a time to visit with me, or you have any concerns about what is happening in YOUR legislature.