Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
1-10-2020

Wednesday, January 8th was the first day of the second session of the 106th Legislature. Nine of my bills from last year carried over to this session. The following is a brief overview of the new legislation I am working on so far this year:

LB 818 proposes updating the nameplate capacity tax for industrial wind turbines. This tax is paid in lieu of property taxes, and it has not been updated since it was introduced ten years ago. This bill would adjust the tax by the consumer price index each year so the amount paid in taxes by the wind companies keeps up with inflation. Right now, inflation of the dollar means the real cost of the tax is reduced every year, while people paying property taxes keep paying more and more.

LB 819 is my bill to un-tax Social Security benefits. Nebraska is one of only a handful of States that apply income taxes to Social Security. This is wrong. I think this money will do far more good for Nebraska if it stays in the hands of the people who earned it.

I introduced LB 821 at the request of the city of Rushville to update the law concerning city planning and zoning commission meetings. Now the law requires them to meet quarterly. If there is no business before the commission, they shouldn’t have to meet just to immediately adjourn. That burns out volunteers and doesn’t accomplish anything for the people. My bill changes the law so they only have to meet once a year unless there is new business to be dealt with.

LB 823 adds a safeguard to public power’s use of eminent domain. Projects would use eminent domain because an out-of-state organization requested the project, then voters in the affected counties would decide in a special election if eminent domain should be authorized.

LR283CA is my proposed constitutional amendment to change one word in the constitution. Instead of “every” citizen can vote, this would read “only” citizens can vote in our elections. This would make clear in our state constitution that non-citizens are not authorized to vote in public elections.

LR284CA is a constitutional amendment I am proposing to eliminate the state income tax. Business incentive bills with the label “economic development” slapped on them will be heavily debated this session. I just can’t see how letting government bureaucrats pick winners and losers in Nebraska’s economy is a good idea. Instead, lets become the tenth state in the union that doesn’t have an income tax. Let the rising tide lift all the boats. Lowering taxes is the best economic development program there is.

LR285CA is a proposed constitutional amendment to redirect a portion of the $45 million in annual revenue the state collects from the lottery to a fund that is designed to address the on-going staffing and overcrowding problems in Nebraska’s Department of Correctional Services. Once the problems are fixed, the money reverts back to its current distribution.

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.