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New Bill Introductions Complete - Committee Hearings Underway
In the first ten days of the 2012 session, senators introduced 468 new bills and six proposed constitutional amendments.
Taxation
LB 970: Introduced by Sen. Cornett on behalf of the Governor, this would reduce individual and corporate income taxes and eliminate the county inheritance tax.
- The new top tax rate for individual income tax would be 6.7 percent (down from 6.84 percent), and would take affect for a married couple at $60,000 of taxable income.
- The new top corporate tax rate also would be 6.7 percent, down from 7.81 percent.
- The combined individual and corporate income tax reductions would be $51,803,000 in FY 12/13; 130,894,000 in FY 13/14; and $143,916,000 in FY 14/15.
Of the three-year $326.6 million total, 84 percent would be for individual income taxes.
The Revenue Committee hearing on LB 970 is January 26.
LB 974 (Sen. Pirsch): Lower individual and corporate income tax rates by lowering the primary rate to 3.6 (down from 3.7).
LB 1102 (Sen. Wightman): Increase the inheritance tax exemption for close relatives from $40,000 to $100,000. Decrease the tax paid by distant relatives from 13 to nine percent. Decrease the tax paid by non-relatives from 18 to 13 percent. Each change would be phased in over three years.
LB 956 (Sen. Ashford): Allow cities, with voter approval, to increase local sales taxes to 1.75 or 2 percent. This would require a city to enter into an interlocal agreement with a county or school district with the intent to unify governance of transportation, infrastructure, economic development, public safety, education, or information services. Only a portion of the revenue from the tax would have to be used for unification efforts. Bonds could be issued for any municipal purpose and paid for with the sales tax revenue. The ballot question on approval of the tax would have to include details on the use of the revenues, and, if appropriate a listing of reductions or elimination of other taxes. The additional sales tax would have a ten year sunset.
LB 745 (Sen. Fischer): New local occupation taxes or changes to existing occupation taxes would be subject to a public vote, a designated use for revenues, and a sunset. Revenue Committee hearing January 25.
LB 716 (Sen. McCoy): Prohibit Omaha from imposing taxes in the three mile extraterritorial jurisdiction. Also, prohibit city regulation of large dogs in the zone.
LB 731 (Sen. Mello): Refundable income tax credit for businesses, nonprofits, and government subdivisions that increase recycling. The credit would be the average fee for depositing a ton of trash in a landfill. This would be paid for with present litter reduction tax revenues. Ten percent of both the Litter Reduction and Recycling Fund and the Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Fund would be dedicated to this tax credit program. (These funds provide grants for myriad litter reduction and recycling efforts).
LB 749 (Sen. Cornett): Exempt tanning services from state and local sales tax. (Tanning services are subject to a ten percent federal tax as part of the health care law.)
LB 830 (Sen. Hadley): Sales tax exemption for biochips. These are used for genotyping or analysis of plants and animals. Revenue Committee hearing January 25.
LB 872 (Sen. Hadley): State income apportionment. Apply the sales only factor for serves in the same manner now used for sale of goods. Revenue Committee hearing January 27.
LB 983 (Cornett): Remove a time limitation on the research and development tax credit.
LB 1108 (Sen. Pirsch): Allow the sales tax exemption on manufacturing equipment for all purchasers rather than those whose primary activity is manufacturing.
Economic and Community Development
LB 1089 (Sen. Nelson): Appropriate $50 million for a UNMC treatment and research facility.
LB 1065 (Sen. Fulton): Appropriate $17 million for a UNMC College of Nursing facility in Lincoln.
LB 1055 (Sen. Hadley): Appropriate $19 million for a UNMC College of Nursing and Schools of Allied Health Professions facility in Kearney.
LB 1066 (Sen. Hansen): Appropriate $5 million to plan a UNL veterinary sciences facility.
LB 955 (Sen. Nordquist): Appropriate $500,000 to promote the US Olympic Swim Trials.
LB 1128 (Schumacher): New Markets Job Growth Investment Act.
LB 863 (Sen. Coash): Include film production as a qualified business under the Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act (LB 840).
LB 918 (Sen. Cornett): Community Development Law. Change maximum area a city can declare blighted from 35 percent of area to seven percent of property valuation. Urban Affairs Committee hearing January 24.
LB 924 (Sen. Mello): Amendments to the Nebraska Redevelopment Act. Change membership of the authorizing board; change provisions relating to the area and project applications; change provisions relating to the division and treatment of property tax; provide duties for the county assessor, city or joint entity, and Property Tax Administrator; extend the deadline for the filing of applications under the act; and redefine terms.
LR 376 CA (Sen. Mello): Allow TIF projects to run for 20 years (30 in the case of property previously owned by the state). Also, replace the term "blighted and substandard" with "in need of rehabilitation or redevelopment."
LB 729 (Sen. Mello): Under the Community Development Law, authorized activities as part of redevelopment projects would include demolition of unsafe or unfit buildings. Costs of bond repayment could be assessed to the property owner. Urban Affairs Committee hearing January 17.
LB 911 (Sen. Lathrop): Provide that the Nebraska Training and Support Trust Fund can be used to train employees of not-for-profit as well for for-profit businesses. Business and Labor Committee hearing January 23.
LB 888 (Sen. Cornett): Income tax credit for restoring historic properties. The credit would equal 25 percent of costs of restoration, and 35 percent if the owner is tax exempt. The credits could be sold or carried over to subsequent tax years.
LB 1033 (Sen. Cornett): Add a Nebraska Advantage tier to provide incentives for wind, hydro, solar, and biomass electricity production.
LB 1085 (Sen. Harr): Tourism Development Fund. Utilize state sales tax revenue generated at new hotel and retail facilities near the Omaha convention center, arena, and ballpark complex for state and local tourism promotion. The funds would be divided 50/50 between Omaha and the state.
Transportation
LB 1098 (Sen. Council): This would repeal the law approved in 2011 that dedicates revenues from a quarter percent of the state sales tax to high priority highway construction projects.
LB 1112 (Sen. Flood): This would add availability of local matching funds to the factors the Department of Roads uses to prioritize highways.
Business Regulation
LB 909 (Sen. Lautenbaugh): Provide a workers compensation defense to employers by declaring that a person injured on the job is willfully negligent if they make false statements about their physical condition during the employment application process.
LB 738 (Sen. Gloor): Increase workers compensation burial benefits from $6,000 to $10,000.
LB 906 (Sen. Wallman): Increase workers compensation burial payment from $6,000 to 13 times the state's average weekly wage. (The average wage for 2012 is $710.)
LB 855 (Sen. Fulton): Increase the amount that retailers retain from sales tax collections as compensation for collecting the tax. This would bring back the pre-2003 collection fee of one half percent of amounts above $3000.
LB 866 (Sen. Ken Haar): Prohibit employment discrimination based on a person being unemployed. Fines of up to $10,000 per violation could be imposed. Business and Labor Committee hearing January 23.
LB 912 (Sen. McCoy): Prohibit local jurisdictions from adding protected classes to antidiscrimination laws that affect private employment and housing that are not protected classes under state law.
LB 959 (Sen. Janssen): Provide legal immunity to businesses that provide performance, conduct, and evaluation information about current or former employees to prospective employers.
LB 829 (Sen. Louden): Allow, at the request of city councils or county boards, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission to designate alcohol impact zones and impose restrictions on sales of alcoholic beverages in those zones.
LB 791 (Sen. Mello): Shared work unemployment compensation. This would be a voluntary program by which an employer and employees would agree than in lieu of layoffs, work hours would be reduced and unemployment insurance would be used to offset lost wages. Business and Labor Committee hearing January 23.
LB 1008 (Sen. Fulton: Workers compensation medical treatment guidelines.
LB 1012 (Sen. Lautenbaugh): Workers compensation medical treatment and disability.
LB 1151 (Sen. Lathrop): Eliminate the 2014 sunset on workers compensation claims based on first-responder mental injuries.
Governance
LB 971 (Sen. Harms): Merge the Department of Economic Development and Department of Labor.
LB 1053 (Louden): Create the Nebraska Tourism Commission and eliminate the DED Travel and Tourism Division.
LB 717 (Sen. Council): Provide that all school districts in Nebraska could have boards with no more than five members. Government Committee hearing January 18.
LB 720 (Sen. Lautenbaugh): Decrease the size of the Omaha Public Schools Board from 12 to five members. Provide salaries for Board members. Government Committee hearing January 18.
LB 991 (Sen. Krist): Appoint a committee to study establishing a single school district in each county.
LB 870 (Sen. Adams): Establish a school performance accountability system. Education Committee hearing January 17.
LB 835 (Sen. Nordquist) and LB 838 (Sen. Pahls): Set up a state health care exchange.
LB 923 (Sen. Mello): Buy American Act. Require American made iron steel, and manufactured goods used in public works projects to receive a preference in purchasing. Government Affairs Committee hearing January 26.
LB 975 (Sen. Smith): Public contract bidding. Prohibit requiring or barring collective bargaining agreements as part of a public construction contract.
LR 358CA (Sen. Carlson): Constitutional amendment to increase allowable consecutive terms in the Legislature to three.
LR 373CA (Sen. Lautenbaugh): Constitutional amendment to increase the salaries of state senators to $32,000.