This week finalized all priority bill designations with a total of 107 senator, committee and speaker bills/constitutional amendment(s) being designated as so. Below is a listing of those Priority bills that are of "interest".
List Priority Bills of Interest
LB477
, introduced by Senator McCollister, at the request of NPCA, was chosen as one of the Agricultural Committee's two priority bills.
The bill is still in committee and awaits final language adjustments before being advanced to the floor of the Legislature for debate. It is anticipated that common ground can be reached with all within the petroleum industry on a few portions of the bill that need clarification.
Prioritized
|
Bill Number
|
Introducer
|
Status
|
One liner
|
Senator Watermeier
|
|
|
Select File
|
Adopt the Remote Seller Sales Tax Collection Act
|
Agriculture Committee
|
|
|
Referral
|
Prohibit certain unlawful acts as prescribed relating to the Weights and Measures Act
|
Senator Morfeld
|
|
|
Delivered to Governor
|
Change provisions of the Credit Report Protection Act and the Financial Data Protection and Consumer Notification of Data Security Breach Act of 2006
|
Education Committee
|
|
|
Referral
|
Require voter approval for school district building fund levies
|
Senator Erdman
|
|
|
Referral
|
Adopt the Property Tax Relief Act
|
Senator Smith
|
|
|
Referral
|
Adopt the Nebraska Property Tax Cuts and Opportunities Act, change income tax rates, and eliminate certain exemptions and credits
|
Business and Labor Committee
|
|
|
General File
|
Change provisions relating to lump-sum settlements under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act
|
Senator Wishart
|
|
|
Referral
|
Authorize testing of autonomous vehicles by a city of the primary class on its roadways
|
Transportation and Telecommunications Committee
|
|
|
Referral
|
Create the Rural Broadband Study Task Force, change provisions relating to the Nebraska Telecommunications Universal Service Fund, and change powers and duties of the Public Service Commission as prescribed
|
Senator Hughes
|
|
|
Referral
|
Provide a super-two rural highway classification and change maximum highway speed limits as prescribed
|
Senator Brewer
|
|
|
Referral
|
Change provisions relating to hearings before the Nebraska Power Review Board and electric generation using wind
|
Senator Briese
|
|
|
Referral
|
Adopt the Property Tax Request Limitation Act, provide sunset dates for certain tax exemptions and incentives, and change other revenue and taxation provisions
|
Revenue Committee
|
|
|
General File
|
Change provisions relating to confidential tax information, refundable income tax credits, and homestead exemptions
|
Revenue Committee
|
|
|
General File
|
Change provisions relating to inflation adjustments, personal exemptions, and standard deductions
|
Speaker Scheer
|
|
|
General File
|
Change dollar threshold for certain purchasing requirements under the County Purchasing Act
|
Senator Friesen
|
|
|
Referral
|
Provide a minimum amount of state aid for each school district
|
Senator Harr
|
|
|
Referral
|
Authorize certain tax credits, change the sales tax rate, and provide for school foundation aid and certain grant programs
|
General Affairs Committee
|
|
|
Referral
|
Change provisions of the Nebraska Liquor Control Act and music licensing provisions
|
Senators also surpassed the halfway point of the session in days completed, completing day 32 of this 60-day session on Friday of this week. While they have passed the midway point in the number of days completed, they have by no means come close to the half way point on the amount of work that needs yet to be accomplished.
This coming week, Monday and Tuesday, will complete the public hearing process with all day floor debate beginning on Wednesday.
For the remainder of the session lawmakers will concentrate on priority bills, as this is all they will have time left for and there is no guarantee that all priority bills will see floor debate. In an effort to try and allow as many bills as possible to have their "day in court", aka day on the floor, the Speaker announced back in January that he intends to begin "late nights" on March 12. "Late nights" are days in which floor debate will go past the typical 5:00pm adjournment time of all day floor debate and under the Legislative rules can go as late as 11:59pm.
As the last few days of hearings near, below are those of interest this coming week.
2018 Hearings of Interest
|
Hearing Date
|
Bill Number
|
Introducer
|
Committee
|
On Liner
|
2/26/18
|
LB1134
|
Vargas
|
Business & Labor
|
Adopt the Nebraska Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
As stated in the bill's Statement of Intent: "LB1134 establishes the Nebraska Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The federal WARN act, which requires employers to notify employees and the Department of Labor of planned layoffs of more than 100 workers, has existed since 1988. The Nebraska WARN Act expands on federal law by requiring notification to employees and the Department of Labor of planned layoffs of more than 25 workers."
|
2/26/18
|
LB1109
|
Harr
|
Business & Labor
|
Create the Grow Nebraska Through Quality Employment Strategic Partnership.
The bill's Statement of Intent describes the purpose of the bill to: "...creates the Grow Nebraska Through Quality Employment Strategic Partnership. The goal of the partnership is to create a statewide strategic plan in order to, among other things, (1) develop a high-quality, high-paid workforce; (2) identify high-demand areas in our workforce; (3) identify barriers to teens and young adults entering into the workforce; and (4) identify workforce supply shortage areas.
|
2/26/18
|
LB747
|
Thibodeau
|
General Affairs
|
Provide for bottle clubs under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act.
As stated in the bill's Statement of Intent: "Bottle clubs were regulated in Nebraska like bars for over fifty (50) years. In 2004, the Bottle Club license was eliminated, and any existing licenses became Class I Restaurant licensees. The Bottle Club was thought to be an outdated business model and the classic Bottle Club had not existed since the 1980's. There are now businesses which are using the "bring your own booze" model to circumvent the regulatory oversight of a liquor license. This bill addresses that grey area by creating a definition of a Bottle Club and requires a business operating as a Bottle Club to obtain the correct license. It also enhances the penalty for operating a Bottle Club without a license."
|
2/27/18
|
LB1088
|
Wayne
|
Revenue
|
Adopt the Nebraska Education Formula and the Remote Seller Sales Tax Collection Act, terminate the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act and the Property Tax Credit Act, and eliminate certain tax exemptions.
Adopts the Nebraska Education Formula and the Remote Seller Sales Tax Collection Act, terminate the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act and the Property Tax Credit Act, and eliminate certain tax exemptions.
This bill is 200 pages in length and among some of its provisions:
- it increases the state sales tax rate by ½% from 5.5% to 6.5%;
- removes the exemption from sales and use tax for repair and replacement parts of motor vehicles, watercraft, rolling stock (both railroad and common/contract carriers).
- Eliminates the Property Tax Credit Fund and appropriates any funds in such to the Nebraska Educational Fund that is established in the bill.
- Adds a similar section to that of LB44 (Internet Sales Tax bill) to collect sales and use tax on internet sales.
- Removes the same exemptions that are found in LB1021 in reference to fuels, and agricultural equipment for sales and use tax.
- Makes multiple changes to school aid funding and school/teaching requirements.
|
2/27/18
|
LB1026
|
Wayne
|
Revenue
|
Authorize issuance of highway bonds, create a fund, and change existing highway funding provisions. 25% of $$$ goes to expressways and federally funded priority corridors. Remaining 75% to high priority transportation projects, as determined by the NDOT.
|
2/27/18
|
LB1021
|
Schumacher
|
Revenue
|
Eliminate certain sales and use tax exemptions. Removes sales tax from unpermitted tractors.
|
2/27/18
|
LB941
|
Wayne
|
Revenue
|
Change the calculation of the tax on the average wholesale price of gasoline. Sets the wholesale average at $2.44 per gallon.
|
Of the major items yet to come to the floor of the Unicam are the adjustments to the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 biennium budget.
The Appropriations Committee, according to media sources, by a five to three vote is looking to maintain the current 2% cuts in the current fiscal year's budget.
In addition, the committee is looking to recommend 1% budget cuts to the University of Nebraska and state and community colleges for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, as opposed to the 4% cuts recommended by Governor Ricketts in his budget proposal.
Likewise, the committee is looking at reducing the Governor's 4% cuts to state agencies to 2% for the same time period.
This action is tentative at this point, as the Nebraska Economic Advisory Board will be meeting this coming week, and exactly how much spending flexibility will be available to the Legislature will be firmed up upon the board's meeting.
Legislative rules require that the bill carrying the adjustments to the two-year budget be on General File by the 40th legislative day, which is March 9th, and such bill be passed by the 50th day, which is March 27th.
LB829
, introduced by Senator Erdman and his priority bill, wasintroduced to provide $1.1 billion in property tax relief and heard before the Revenue Committee on January 25th appears to be stalled in committee. Media reports state that the Revenue Committee has informally agreed not to move LB829 to the floor of the Legislature.
As stated in the Bill's Statement: "LB 829 is a property tax relief bill. The bill would enable Nebraska property owners to get a credit or refund on their State income tax return equal to 50% of that portion of their property tax bill which goes to fund K-12 education. For most property owners LB 829 will result in a 30% reduction in their property taxes.
LB1090
, a bill introduced by Senator Jim Smith, and moved to General File on February 21st, would make adjustments to Nebraska's tax code in light of the recently passed income tax reform on the federal level. The bill is intended to offset the projected $200 million in state tax increases to Nebraskans as a result of the loss of exemptions in the federal tax policy changes.
As stated in the bill's Statement of Intent, "LB 1090 would restore the $134 personal exemption credit that was effectively repealed by the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill also establishes the Nebraska standard deduction as $6,750 for single taxpayers and $9,900 for head of household filers. The standard deductions for married, filing jointly returns is double the standard deduction for single returns. The additional amounts for age or blindness are $1,300 for married taxpayers and $1,600 for single or head-of-household taxpayers. Under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the federal method of indexing for inflation was changed to Chained CPI, which grows somewhat more slowly than the Consumer Price Index that has been used for many years. LB 1090 would adjust the individual income tax brackets, the person exemption credit, and the standard deduction based upon the Consumer Price Index - All Urban Consumers for tax years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2018."
LB1098
, a bill that would make c
hanges to the dollar threshold for certain purchasing requirements under the County Purchasing Act, was advanced to General File on Friday of this week.
As stated in the bill's Statement of Intent, "The purchase thresholds associated with The County Purchasing Act (23-3101- 23-1115) have been in place since the last adjustment by the legislature in 2003. Since that time there have been significant changes in technology and the overall cost of all types of goods and services. In order to expedite procurement of goods and services, and provide open and fair competition, LB1098 changes "Triggering Dollar Amounts" to the following:
-Less than $10,000- (Agency Purchase Authority) No bids required. Current amount is $5,000 -$10,000- $50,000
- Request for at least three informal bids. Current amount is $5,000-$20,000
-In excess of $50,000- Must be competitively bid. Current amount is $20,000
-Purchases cannot be divided into several smaller purchases to avoid competitive bidding."