The best news this week is that it marked the end of hearings for the session. Over the past ten weeks' lawmakers have been having floor debate in the mornings and holding committee hearings in the afternoon. In Nebraska, unlike in other states, ever bill that is introduce has a public hearing before its committee of jurisdiction.
Thus, the legislature has held a hearing on more than 665 hearings, which includes some hearings on Legislative Resolutions. While it is a long and tedious process for both law makers and lobbyist, it a vital part of the check and balance system in the Nebraska Unicameral with the public being the "second house".
Sen. John Kuehn testifies on his lethal injection bill
(Photo by Fred Knapp, NET News)
Senators completed 53 days of this 90-day session on Thursday before leaving town for their second four-day weekend of the year. While the session is more than half way completed in the numbers of days, it is by no means at the halfway point in the amount of work they have yet to accomplish. With only a handful of the 109 priority bills (49 senator priority bills, 35 committee priority bills and 25 speaker priority bills) having made their way through the three legislative stages (General and Select Files and Final Reading) of the process, there is still many, many more to yet see floor time, some of which will be filibustered using what short time the Legislature has left to debate bills on the floor, almost ensuring that not all priority bills will see floor time this year.
Speaker Scheer stated that bills with a negative fiscal impact would be moved to the end of the que, as there is no money to fund them, thus why should the legislature take time debating this year.
He also stated that the next biennium budget would be advanced to the floor, by the Appropriations Committee, on the 69th legislative day, or April 21st and that there would be a budget briefing to senators on day 70, with the floor debate on the budget beginning on day 71. By the State's Constitution the legislature must advance to the floor the budget by the 70th day and the Legislature must pass a balanced budget by the 80th legislative day.
When lawmakers return Tuesday, March 28th, they will begin all day floor debate continuing to work through priority bills. Speaker Scheer announced that from this point forward till sine die, scheduled to be June 2nd, the Legislature will begin their day at 9:00a.m. each day, adjourning for lunch from noon to 1:30p.m. each day and working till 5:00p.m., with the exception being the last day of the week, in which they will adjourn early to midafternoon.
In addition, as the session progresses and nears June 2nd, the Speaker may institute "late night" session days. On these days, lawmakers will work past 5:00p.m. and could work as late as 11:59. p.m.
While the "Tax Plan" for this session has not been officially been advanced from the Revenue Committee there are hints as to what it may contain. Among the changes being discussed and outlined by Revenue Committee Chairman, Jim Smith, are:
- Suspension of the state's property tax credit program, which utilizes state income and sales tax revenues to fund property taxes, which are local taxes and not state taxes, but use state tax dollars as the offset and do not address spending increases at the local level.
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- Reduce corporate income tax rates;
- Lower the top individual income tax rate over an eight-year period. It would reduce the tax rate from its current level of 6.84% to 5.99%, or 0.11% each year. The concept of LB337, introduced by Senator Smith, as one of the governor's tax plan bills, and prioritized by Senator Lindstrom;
- Combine individual tax brackets and phase out personal exemption credits;
- Increase earned income tax credits;
- Make changes to how agricultural land is valued (income approach), a bill (LB338) introduced by Senator Brasch on behalf of the Governor and prioritized by Senator Brasch;
- increase state aid to schools; and · lower the maximum school property tax levy from $1.05 per $100 of valuation to $1.00.
Senator Smith also indicated that LB461 would become the vehicle for the Revenue Committee's tax plan and that he would not support any tax plan that did not contain income tax relief.
In addition, Senator Smith stated that LB44 (online sales tax collection), introduced and prioritized by Senator Watermeier, would not be part of the package, as the revenue that it would generate is widely unknown. While LB44 may be the right thing to do, it is just such an unknown on the revenue that it will generate that it should not be included as additional revenue in any tax plan.
