Legislative Update #11
Tick Tock run the Clock!! Yesterday was Day 80 of the ‘90’ Day session, and I’m TIRED!
The Budget was sent to the Governor yesterday, and on Wednesday another 30 or so bills were sent to him as well. So, if you count production in terms of bills being passed, this session has been a productive one. So far, 110 bills have been signed by the Governor, 36 more are sitting on his desk, and 53 are awaiting final passage by the Unicameral.
It was an interesting week for sure, although Jensen Rogert Associates didn’t have much on the debate floor. Two bills died in motion this week and one is on life support. LB468, a bill to end the inheritance tax in Nebraska, fell 2 votes short of shutting down the filibuster, so it will not be rescheduled this year. LB258, a bill to slow down the increases to minimum wage, failed to have the required 33 votes to pass on Final Reading. This bill changes a ballot initiative on minimum wage, so it’s a higher requirement than the usual 25 votes. What happened is hilarious to me... A Senator was in the Rotunda giving some friends a tour of the Capitol during the final debate - other Senators saw this, removed their objections bringing the bill to a vote, and the Touring Senator missed the vote… he was the 33rd vote. WHOOPSIE!!
A 3rd bill allowing food stamps (SNAP) for convicted drug felons made it to the Governor’s desk, but he vetoed it literally within 2 hours of its passing. That veto override will happen on Monday, where I predict the life support will be removed, and the bill will die.
We are just about out of time to do much else. Monday will likely be an all-day debate on LB170, a bill that raised $100M worth of taxes on services, tobacco, vape, and other items for ‘property tax relief’. The bill only puts the money in the General Fund, and lots of Senators aren’t thrilled about raising taxes on some Nebraskans to benefit others, so this bill might have some real trouble. I certainly hope it goes down in flames!
Tuesday will be a likely all-day debate on LB677, a bill to put into place a regulatory system for the Medical Marijuana ballot initiative that passed with 71% approval by Nebraskans last November.
Then we’re looking at passing those bills on Final Reading and debating a bunch of bills that are highly contested, so the final 6-8 bills will be a SLOG. That being said, this firm’s clients have a lot of interest in the items to come the next 2 weeks, so I will be chained to a bench in the Rotunda for something like 100 hours as we wind down session. Can someone please bring me some refreshments and snacks!??
Enjoy the beautiful weekend!!
~Kent