We’re Number…17

“Never give in – never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small…never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” Winston Churchill. Methinkst, the Prime Minister, speaketh of State Senator Steve Halloran.

Halloran, a conservative from Hastings, has long believed our federal tax system and spending policies are broken. His solution? Adopt the Faithful Delegate to Federal Article V Convention Act and join a convention of the states to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. Not a small lift.

Halloran introduced LB1058 in 2018. The Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs (GVMA) Committee heavily amended his bill, predictably perishing on General File. In 2019 he reintroduced the language as LB451. The partisan and evenly split GMVA Committee deadlocked, so the bill did not advance. Again in 2021, that same Committee split and held onto his bill, LB195.

Craftily, Halloran introduced a second Federal V bill last year, Legislative Resolution 14. It too failed to advance from the GMVA Committee, but Steve and friends (e.g., Senator Mike Flood) rallied support to pull LR14 out of the Committee and onto General File. Then the 2021 session ended. But don’t give up yet. Nebraska has biennial legislative sessions. So bills introduced in 2021, and not indefinitely postponed, carried over to 2022.

LR14 was filibustered hard on General, Select, and Final Reading. Mainly by those darned term-limited kids in the cheap seats. LR14 escaped each round of debate and beat back the Final Reading filibuster by a single vote. Today, the Legislative Resolution sits on Governor Ricketts’ desk awaiting his signature to make Nebraska the 17th state to join the Convention. Somewhere Winston is surely smiling.

__________________________________________________________________

2022 Introduced Bills

LB694 (Blood) Provides a statute of limitations for exposure to hazardous or toxic chemicals, prescription drugs, or medical devices.
LB730 (Lindstrom) An employer that employs a qualified apprentice or trainee for at least seven months of the taxable year is allowed a $1,000 nonrefundable credit against the income tax paid.
LB761 (Dorn) The Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Act provides $10 million for agricultural producers to lead the nation in precision ag connectivity, sustainability, traceability, and autonomy. In addition, to provide high-speed internet service to high-cost and remote areas.
LB805 (Hughes) Change provisions relating to prioritization for applications and intent to appropriate under the Noxious Weed Control Act.
LB806 (Bostelman) Provisions relating to land drainage by the landowner.
LB925 (Gragert) Resilient Soils and Water Quality Act and state intent regarding appropriations.
LB938 (Linehan) Change corporate income tax rates.
LB939 (Linehan) Change individual income tax rates.
LB941 (Slama) Sales and use tax exemption for net wrap.
LB987 (Briese) Prohibits school districts from raising property taxes beyond 3% growth.
LB1023 (Hilgers) 3,600 surface acre lake east of the Platte River.
LB1030 (Friesen) Exempts all tangible personal property from property tax.
LB1074 (Bostelman) Would provide $50 million in grants to irrigation districts to be used for repair or construction of any headgate, flume, diversion structure, check valve or any other physical structure used for irrigation projects.
LR264CA (Erdman) Constitutional amendment prohibits the imposition of taxes other than retail consumption taxes and excise taxes.

Select File

LB723 (Briese) Change provisions relating to the calculation of tax credits under the Nebraska Property Tax Incentive Act to protect at least $173 million in property tax relief for Nebraskans in 2024.

General File

LB91 (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.
AM96 Defines native and nonnative plant species, seed germination, storage, testing, viability, and sales.
LB290 (M. Cavanaugh) Oppose – Adopts the Paid Family & Medical Leave Insurance Act.
LB986 (Briese) The bill limits the property tax request for a school district by its property tax request authority. However, the limit does not apply to the tax request required to retire bonded indebtedness.

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.
LB133 (Erdman) Monitor – Adopts a consumption tax and eliminates other taxes.
LB329 (Wayne) Monitor – The minimum average wholesale gasoline price would be $2.44.
AM411 The amendment provides employers with tax incentives for hiring felons, including those on parole or probation.
LB422 (Briese) Monitor – Reduce state sales tax from 5.5 cents to 5 cents and eliminate some sales tax exemptions.
LB483 (J Cavanaugh) Monitor – Creates a $250,000 climate change study and plan.
LB543 (Brandt) Support – Agricultural Equipment Right-To-Repair-Act.
AM284 – Comprehensive rewrite, including definitions of documentation, fair and reasonable terms, software, etc.
LB622 (Friesen) Monitor – Limits real property valuations’ growth and provides adjustments to assessed values.