Priorities

This week, the Judiciary Committee will close out their final public hearings of the session while Speaker Hilgers continues to prep the kids for full-day floor debate.

A large majority of bills remain in committees. This week sets up perfectly for committees to do their work and dispatch their bills. It’s Legislating 101: (a) kick decent bills out to General File, (b) kick bills to the dirt that still need work, or (c) kick really dumb bills to kingdom come where maybe no one will ever introduce them again.

Priority Bills play a big part in the legislative process. Senators each get one Priority. Each committee two, and the Speaker wields twenty-five of the little sweethearts. A Priority Bill is not guaranteed a successful outcome. It must first advance from a committee to General File. Once there, a Priority Bill is assured to be scheduled for floor debate and not get lost in the shuffle. Thursday, senators, and committees must designate their priority bills. The Speaker will announce his 25 picks on St. Patrick’s Day. There’s a joke in there somewhere.

Chair of the Revenue Committee, Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, is steering the tax reform bus this session. She has help from her committee, the Governor, and the Nebraska Chamber. It appears the committee will introduce tax shifts and adjustments (likely income tax reductions) and take the plan on the road between this session and next. We will know their vision soon, so hold onto your billfold.

Bill Tracker

Select File

LB177 (Lindstrom) SUPPORT – Increases the time for the perfection of Fertilizer and Agricultural Chemical Liens, and increases the time for the perfection of Seed Lien or Electrical Power/Energy Liens from the current sixty (60) days to one hundred twenty (120) days after the last delivery of goods or services covered by these respective liens.

General File

LB90 (Halloran) MONITOR – Amends the Nebraska Pesticide Act by reallocating the pesticide registration fee distribution. It further amends the Nebraska Commercial Fertilizer and Soil Conditioner Act by allowing the Director to adjust the inspection fee each July 1.
LB91 see AM96 (Brandt) MONITOR – Expands the date after germination or viability testing that native flower and grass seeds may continue to be sold or offered for sale without retesting and allowing seed viability testing instead of germination rate testing for certain seeds.

Held In Committee

LB52 (Lathrop) MONITOR – Immunity for injury or death resulting from COVID-19 exposure.
LB79 (Briese) MONITOR – Changes the minimum amount of relief provided under the Property Tax Credit Act.
LB84 (Bostelman) MONITOR – Changes provisions relating to tax incentive performance audits and redefines a term under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act
LB133 (Erdman) MONITOR – Adopts a consumption tax and eliminates other taxes.
LB139 (Briese) MONITOR – Provides general safe harbor and premises liability protections on potential COVID-19 lawsuits.
LB239 (Hilkemann) INDEFINITELY POSTPONED – MONITOR – Restricts phone use while driving to hands-free only.
LB290 (M. Cavanaugh) OPPOSE – Adopts the Paid Family & Medical Leave Insurance Act.
LB329 (Wayne) MONITOR – The minimum average wholesale price of gasoline to be used to calculate the state gas tax shall be $2.44.
LB422 (Briese) MONITOR – Reduce state sales tax from 5.5 cents to 5 cents and eliminate some sales tax exemptions.
LB430 (Revenue) MONITOR – Property tax shell bill.
LB432 (Revenue) MONITOR – Sales tax shell bill.
LB433 (Revenue) MONITOR – Income tax shell bill.
LB483 (J Cavanaugh) MONITOR – Creates a $250,000 climate change study and plan.
LB543 (Brandt) MONITOR – Adopts the Agricultural Equipment Right-To-Repair Act, which would allow farmers to fix their own machinery.
LB622 (Friesen) MONITOR – Limits real property valuations’ growth and provides adjustments to assessed values.
LB625 (Vargas) MONITOR – Imposes a surtax on certain taxable income and uses the tax proceeds for early childhood education.
LB634 (J. Cavanaugh) OPPOSE – Hearing 3/10 – Provides a cause of action for unsafe disposal of treated seed.
LB644 (B. Hansen) MONITOR – Property Tax Request Act to increase transparency for impacted political subdivisions to raise their property tax levies.
LB672 (Murman) SUPPORT – Changes the sales and use tax exemption on agricultural machinery and equipment.
LR5 (Graegert) MONITOR – Recommendations from the Healthy Soils Task Force delivered to the Legislature.
LR11CA (Erdman) MONITOR – Constitutional Amendment creates a consumption tax and eliminates other taxes.