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Dist. 40 Report
Last week, the Legislature gave first-round approval to the two budget bills which propose adjustments to the biennial budget that was passed last year.
As I mentioned last week, the Legislature creates a two-year, biennial budget in odd-numbered years, and that budget must be balanced.
The spending approved must not exceed the amount of revenue projected by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board in their most recent meeting prior to the end of the session. This frequently results in a mid-biennium budget adjustment in even-numbered years, like what the Unicameral is working on this year.
This year, senators are tasked with filling a $646 million projected deficit by March 25th of this year.
During first-round debate, senators proposed a number of amendments to the budget bills. Notably, one amendment was filed by Senator Brandt to remove a one-year $3.65 million appropriation for K-12 private school education scholarships. Following a drawn-out debate, this amendment was rejected by a 23 to 17 vote. Senator Brandt has filed another amendment in hopes of trying to again remove this appropriation from the budget during debate on Select File.
Another amendment filed, by Senator Storer, was approved which would reinstate $34,000 in funding to the Niobrara Council for its operations and to defend its conservation easements.
The Niobrara Council was formed in 1997 to assist the National Park Service in managing and protecting the Niobrara National Scenic River resources in Brown, Cherry, Keya Paha, and Rock Counties.
At the end of first-round budget debate, the projected deficit remained at approximately $125 million. This deficit will still need to be addressed. Multiple ideas have been floated to fill this remaining gap, but it is still unclear if any proposal has the votes to be adopted. For example, Senator Juarez has proposed passing her bill LB330 to increase the sales tax on alcohol from 5.5 percent to 15.5 percent.
Other senators remain adamant that across-the-board cuts across most state agencies should be the path forward.
The Appropriations Committee has continued meeting to find other possible reductions to the state’s budget and will present a list of additional proposed cuts to the floor when the budget bills return for debate on Select File.
Finally, the Legislature moved a number of bills to Final Reading and the Governor’s desk.
One of my bills, LB828, received final approval. LB828, as amended into LB1001, would eliminate a long-standing prohibition in Nebraska law which makes it illegal for non-profit organizations to conduct a sweep-stake.
Additional bills that advanced to the next stage of debate include LB1155 by Senator Dorn which updates provisions of law relating to legislative oversight of the state’s child welfare and correctional systems and LB1101 by the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee which reduces the state contribution to the Nebraska Retirement Fund for Judges based on the recommendation of an actuarial study carried out by the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems.
I invite you to let me know your thoughts or concerns.
My Capitol office telephone number is (402) 471-2801 while my email is [email protected]. My mailing address is: Senator Barry DeKay, District #40, P.O. Box 94604, State Capitol, Lincoln, NE 68509.
