Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
1-31-2020

My bills to take stolen guns off the street and reduce income taxes on military retired pay advanced from select file to final reading this week. This happened without any debate followed by a voice vote. I’ve never had a bill advance like that. It is incredibly rare to see virtually unanimous support for a bill as it moves through the three stages of floor debate. Nebraskans should take pride in their Legislature for moving so decisively on these important issues.

Cattle prices continue to worry me. Many family ranches cannot even break even with the current price. A number of ranches aren’t accessible because of flooded or damaged roads and bridges across the district. Many county governments face road repair costs that far exceed their budget. I’ve heard talk of bond issues or even possibly raising county tax levies to address the problem. A lot of cattle have to be trailed for miles to load a semi. Based on my unofficial survey of ranches around the district, it appears we only put up about 1/3 of the hay crop ranchers normally have. A lot of hay was put up wet this year. I’ve been told that feeding this lower quality “washy” hay has even affected conception rates in bred cows. All and all, the ranching community across the Sandhills continues to face serious challenges.

With all that in mind, I wonder how in the world a rancher can afford to pay $150-175 per cow just to cover the property tax bill. When I hear different proposals to lower property taxes, I often hear “how are you going to pay for it?” The “you” in this sentence means “the legislature.” This really bothers me. How the legislature figures out how to fund something is what we were elected to do. This thinking is wrong-headed. It puts the emphasis and focus on the wrong group.

I’m not saying the question is wrong, I’m saying the question is directed at the wrong person. Instead of worrying about how the legislature will fund a program to lower property taxes, we need to worry about how much longer we can expect the citizens of Nebraska to pay these crushing taxes. Instead of worrying about the TAX SPENDERS, we need to worry more about the TAX PAYERS.

LB 974 is “the” property tax bill for this session. I support the bill, but I have a number of concerns about it. I know the big Omaha and Lincoln schools don’t like it and will probably try to kill it. It hasn’t been voted out of the committee yet. As soon as it is, the Speaker has indicated he will put it at the top of the agenda. He may also make it a “Speaker Major Proposal” which changes some rules to help expedite the bill. If it fails to advance, I fear this will create a lot of hard feelings in the body. If the good will among senators is gone, a number of other important bills that will be debated after LB 974 may face stiff opposition. I urge people to follow the debate on LB 974. It’s the most important one we will have this session.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at; tbrewer@leg.ne.gov. Mail a letter to; Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1101, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509 or call us at (402) 471-2628.