Latest news with #Bostar
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Changes to Nebraska State Patrol survivors' retirement benefits ignite legislative fight
Recruits for the Nebraska State Patrol in a 2022 class photo. (Courtesy of the Nebraska State Patrol) LINCOLN — One state lawmaker's continued efforts to boost benefits for Nebraska State Patrol troopers, a largely consensus issue, ignited a rare fight among legislative allies. The fight flared up last week in the Nebraska Legislature after State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln and his ally, State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, struck a deal to add a proposal to increase survivors' benefits in the case of a trooper's death from 75% up to 100%. In the case of dependent children without a surviving parent, it would bump benefits up to 100% until the child turns 19 years old. Bostar has said the measure addresses a 'fairly cruel reality' when an officer dies and families are hurt again. He pointed to collegiate research out of Iowa and New York that troopers, because of the line of work, can have shorter life spans than spouses in different fields of work. 'It seems wrong to ask folks to do a job that will reduce their longevity while then punishing their family financially,' Bostar told the Nebraska Examiner last week. Ballard, who chairs the Legislature's Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee, called the measure 'common sense' and said it was 'weird' that public safety officials weren't fully compensated for their work. Ballard said Bostar's measure is a 'piece of that puzzle' to recruitment and retention. The State Trooper Association of Nebraska and multiple retired troopers supported the measure. Bostar's Legislative Bill 76, as introduced, would also have raised maximum annual cost-of-living adjustments for Patrol members' retirement benefits. A narrower version, just related to survivors' benefits, was amended into Ballard's Legislative Bill 645, related to school retirement, on April 24 in a 39-0 vote, without issue. At that time, the increased benefits would have taken effect this July 1. But four days later, Ballard filed an amendment struck with Bostar to kick the benefits bump two years out, moving it out of this already difficult budget cycle. An actuarial study estimated a $3.3 million annual cost, which Bostar has denied is the true amount and is the largest estimate he's ever gotten in pushing similar legislation. Even so, the amendment was adopted 41-0, and LB 645 moved on once again. The flare-up came last Wednesday after Ballard rose on a procedural motion to say that, absent any other legal changes, the provisions of Bostar's measure could not apply retroactively to existing spouses. He cited his committee legal counsel, the legal counsel of the related retirement state agency and the actuarial report. 'Any surviving spouse currently receiving 75% survivors' benefits will continue to receive 75% survivors' benefits,' Ballard said, withdrawing his motion, thus ending debate on LB 645. Without an immediate chance for anyone to respond, LB 645 passed 45-2. Bostar confronted Ballard after the vote, saying it was 'bull—' that an average loss of four troopers a year could lead to such a high price tag. 'How much you think their pensions are? $10 million?' Bostar told Ballard off the side of the floor near a table where reporters regularly sit. 'It doesn't add up.' Bostar told his colleague that it was the legal counsel or actuaries 'lying to your f— face, and it means you lied on the mic, and I'm going to say that.' The Retirement Committee legal counsel, Ballard and Bostar moved a few feet away to a side corner off the legislative floor where a reporter could hear the counsel tell Bostar that the state could be 'f— sued' if Bostar rebuffed Ballard and said his interpretation was the law was retroactive, possibly muddying the waters on the legislative intent if later challenged in court. But Bostar got on the microphone 10 minutes later and told his colleagues that he 'fundamentally' disagreed with the legal interpretation that Ballard cited. 'Because there is no other way for the math to work on the numbers that were handed down by the actuaries, by NPERS [Nebraska Public Employee Retirement Systems], it must apply retroactively,' Bostar said. 'Otherwise, the number wouldn't be $3 million. There is no other mathematical way for this to make sense.' 'While we're putting things on the record,' Bostar continued, he said he believes that all surviving spouses should 'rightfully' have their benefits increased to 100% 'That is what we paid for. That is what the actuaries clearly calculated,' Bostar said. The actuaries wrote that their understanding of legislative intent is that the changes would not apply retroactively, to which Bostar said the math still didn't pan out and that it was 'text on a page.' He said if the law wasn't retroactive, he could have made the change to do so, but that it has always '100%' been his intent and understanding for the change to apply to all families. An average of four troopers will unfortunately die in a year, Bostar said, but at least one won't be married, and another might die after their spouse has already passed. That would require annual retirement benefits for the remaining two troopers to be more than $6 million each year, Bostar said, but they're just 'not that generous.' State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with Bostar or Ballard, praised Bostar as debate continued on a different underlying measure. She said she could not express her gratitude 'sufficiently' for Bostar's leadership in helping first responders not only have fair wages but also a 'dignified and appropriate retirement.' Ballard had no immediate comment on the disagreement with Bostar, though both indicated they would continue to work on the measure. 'I'm committed to doing everything that I can to ensure that this gets implemented,' Bostar said. 'It's a wrong that we need to right.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska advances proposal to reduce inheritance tax as budget gap grows
State Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood asks a question during a hearing on Oct. 27, 2023, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A proposal to decrease Nebraska's inheritance tax advanced Tuesday with a 27-10 vote. Nebraska is just one of six states that still has an inheritance tax. The Cornhusker State is the only one that sends inheritance tax revenue exclusively to counties, with much of it used to fund bridges and roads. Elmwood State Sen. Robert Clements' proposal would lower the inheritance tax rate to 1% for children and 3% for distant relatives and non-relatives, but would not eliminate the tax. It would replace lost county revenue by increasing county fees, adding to the costs of motor vehicle inspections and marriage licenses. The proposal also would cost the state $3 million a year in projected revenue over the next two fiscal years, as it would increase the county's share of the state's insurance premium tax, at a time when the state budget shortfall continues to grow. It would increase fees on property and asset seizures to cover personal debts, advertising for delinquent properties, a higher tax on renewable energy generation, and it would eliminate some business tax breaks. Clements said his proposal, Legislative Bill 468, would help attract people to move to Nebraska and make the inheritance tax rate fairer. The Nebraska Association of County Officials, which backs the Clements bill, estimates the proposal could increase county revenues by roughly $8.9 million. Currently, Nebraska imposes a 1% tax on inheritances exceeding $100,000 for children, parents, and siblings. Higher tax rates are charged to more distant relatives — 11% for aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews after a $40,000 exemption. Non-relatives would have to pay 15% after a $25,000 exemption. Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom and the Nebraska Republican Party testified in support of the bill during its hearing in February, saying it would end the state's 'outlier' status in imposing an inheritance tax and stop wealthy residents from moving away to avoid the tax. 'Nebraska is losing retirees faster than we are gaining population from other states,' Clements said. 'Our inheritance tax contributes to this migration. I believe we can do better as a state in this area and give people more reasons to stay in our state.' State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said the debate on the inheritance tax continued the theme of the state 'balancing budgets on the backs of everyday hard-working Nebraskans.' Lincoln State Sen. Eliot Bostar filed two failed amendments: One would have eliminated the inheritance tax without replacing the revenue, and another would have let counties increase local sales taxes to make up the lost revenue. Bostar said that when he started in the Legislature, he had a misunderstanding about who paid the tax. 'There are a lot of fairly trivial things that if you have enough resources, you can do in order to avoid paying this tax,' Bostar said. 'So that leaves everyone in the middle.' Lincoln State Sen. Jane Raybould also had a failed amendment that would have tweaked the tax rates of the new proposal. She emphasized the 'unintended consequences.' Lawmakers have expressed concerns in the past that eliminating the inheritance tax could lead to higher property taxes but said Clements' proposal strikes a 'nice balance' of helping replace the lost revenue. 'I don't think there's any perfect way to reimburse, dollar for dollar, the counties for any lost revenues resulting from the changes proposed in the inheritance tax,' Syracuse's Sen. Bob Hallstrom said. But Hallstrom praised the Clements proposal's balance. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised issues about the increase in other fees and taxes to make up for lost county revenue. A few Democratic-aligned lawmakers expressed concerns about the measure's proposed increase in the nameplate capacity tax on renewable energy sources and its impact on school revenue. LB 468 would nearly double the nameplate capacity tax from $3,518 per megawatt of electricity generated to $6,560 per megawatt. 'I think that I would say it's pretty hard to be doubling this [Nameplate Capacity] tax to me,' Omaha Sen. Margo Juarez said. Some Republican-aligned lawmakers expressed worries over the elimination of some business incentives and the tax exemption for data center equipment. The bill also would do away with tax breaks in the ImagiNE Act for data centers and modernizing large businesses. Clements said school revenue wouldn't be negatively affected because of the increase in fees. Nebraska's budget shortfall, at least in part, is due to tax cuts that lawmakers passed in recent years. Throughout the session, lawmakers have proposed scaling back various tax incentive programs, reducing the state's school retirement contributions by $80 million, and increasing taxes on nicotine pouches. Clements said he would propose amendments to address lawmakers' concerns about where the inheritance tax replacement revenue comes from. He said he wants to eliminate the tax next year. 'Just because he's been committed to the issue for many years,' said Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said of Clements' proposal, 'it doesn't mean that this proposal results in good policy.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska lawmaker punts on push to send voters a shot at expanded sports gambling
State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, left, listens to State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Nebraska's voters won't decide on whether to legalize online sports gambling, at least not in 2026, after Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar decided Wednesday to end his campaign for Legislative Resolution 20CA this session. The debate on the proposal was expected to go four hours because of an expected filibuster, but in an unusual move, Bostar pulled the proposal before lawmakers could vote on it. Bostar told reporters he didn't feel like waiting until the four-hour time limit to whip votes to support his proposal. Bostar said he had 32 votes, but needed 33 to overcome a filibuster. 'I think it is responsible to move on with the agenda and move on to other things,' Bostar said. 'The votes changed back and forth throughout this entire process. It's a very dynamic and fluid situation.' His proposal will be left on 'select file' for the next legislative session, allowing lawmakers to resume second-round debate on the measure next year. Despite having 32 votes, by Bostar's count, his proposal barely survived the first round. State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, who chairs the Legislature's Revenue Committee, led the successful filibuster. He emphasized that his opposition is not a 'moral position against gambling as a whole,' but he feels it should be done in moderation. 'I can attest that many men in their 20s do not have the wisdom to abstain from things that are harmful to themselves,' von Gillern said. Throughout the debate, lawmakers against the ballot initiative spoke to the potential social harms of gambling, including depression, anxiety and bankruptcy, particularly for young men. Supporters saw it as new revenue for the state and a way for the Legislature to be in the 'driver's seat' of what the regulation looks like. Lawmakers used similar arguments that were made during the first round of debate. Bostar has estimated that the change would generate at least $32 million each year. Opponents questioned that reality and whether revenue was worth the negative effects of gambling. Earlier last month, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, State Auditor Mike Foley, and other past state and federal lawmakers urged state senators in a letter to reject Bostar's measure. Other groups, such as Stop Predatory Gambling and the Nebraska Family Alliance, have called Bostar's ballot initiative a 'direct threat' to families in the state. State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering echoed those concerns. 'We cannot build a stronger Nebraska by promoting habits that can hurt families and feed addiction,' Hardin said. Gov. Jim Pillen is out of step with his predecessors in voicing support for legalizing online sports betting. Currently, 32 states allow online sports betting since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting. Nebraska allows casino-style gambling at the state's six existing horse racetracks — so-called 'racinos.' Nebraskans approved the change in 2020. Several gambling lobbyists spoke in support of the amendment during a recent public hearing, pointing to public polling that showed support for online sports gambling. After failing to overcome a filibuster, the Cornhusker State remains one of the 18 states that haven't legalized sports betting, dealing a loss to the gambling industry that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in other states to convince lawmakers to legalize mobile sports betting. DraftKings and FanDuel have mobilized an army of former regulators and politicians to press for sports betting in state capitals. State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney said he supported the proposal because it will let the state decide the terms instead of trying to change things after the fact, alluding to the state legislative attempts to change recently passed ballot initiatives on minimum wage and medical cannabis. 'If we don't take care of it,' Clouse said, 'Somebody else will.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Expanded sports gambling in Nebraska faces uphill legislative climb to 2026 ballot
LINCOLN — Legalizing online sports gambling in Nebraska appears to be a risky bet for some state lawmakers. A proposed constitutional amendment advanced Monday but faces an uphill legislative climb, the Nebraska Examiner reports. Legislative Resolution 20CA, from State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, would put the decision on whether to legalize online sports betting to voters at the November 2026 election. It advanced 27-16 in the first round of debate in the 49-member body. But as at least one opponent promised a full-fledged filibuster during the next debate stage, the measure would need 33 votes instead. Nebraska social media age-verification bill moves forward 'Let's not leave this money on the table,' Bostar said, adding that Nebraskans are already placing bets but revenue is going to neighboring states. State Sen. Dunixi Guereca, a freshman whose Omaha district is on the Iowa-Nebraska border, repeated Monday what he said in his 2024 campaign: from his front porch, he can see people going over a bridge to Iowa, pulling off into a gravel lot and placing bets. He said Nebraska's inaction is moving tax dollars to Iowa. 'I don't want you to like sports betting,' Bostar said, 'but I would hope that you would find an offense in us giving our money away to Iowa.' State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, left, listens to State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Bostar said he knew his bill would face tight margins but that at least three of the six lawmakers who missed Monday's vote are in favor of his measure. It's getting the remaining three votes that could be tricky and could require flipping at least one current 'no' vote. Bostar pledged to work with his colleagues on any desired changes. Of the senators who haven't yet voted on Bostar's measure, State Sens. Beau Ballard of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Jane Raybould of Lincoln said they support it. State Sens. Rita Sanders of Bellevue and Brian Hardin of Gering opposed an identical measure in August. State Sen. Glen Meyer of Pender, the sixth lawmaker, said he remains 'on the fence.' Nebraska butcher shop adds 3 new meat vending machines Constitutional amendments have narrower changes that can be made compared to legislative bills. If approved next year, lawmakers would need to carry out voters' wishes in 2027. Bostar has repeatedly defended the legislative push as a way to keep lawmakers in the 'driver's seat of what regulation looks like' and direct new revenue toward property tax relief. Bostar has estimated that the change would generate at least $32 million each year. State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, who chairs the Legislature's Revenue Committee, led opposition to Bostar's bill. He distributed handouts during the debate about the potential social harms of gambling, including depression, anxiety and bankruptcy. Von Gillern said gambling is predatory by nature, particularly for young men who might face an 'illusion of control' from the rapid gratification of 24/7 access to online sports betting. 'Please don't sell out our young people for property tax relief,' von Gillern told his colleagues. In a letter Thursday to state lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.; former Gov. Kay Orr; former Huskers football coach and former U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne, R-Neb.; and State Auditor Mike Foley urged senators to reject Bostar's measure. The quartet, who have regularly opposed gambling, said lawmakers should 'protect our youth and families from the suffering that comes with the addiction that online gambling brings.' Osborne testified against the previous Bostar proposal last summer. Gov. Jim Pillen has voiced support for legalizing online sports betting, in contrast to his predecessors and his former NU coach and mentor. Pillen has made property tax relief a key goal of his administration. Multiple senators, for and against Bostar's measure, agreed that if lawmakers don't act, gambling advocates might push for getting a broader measure to voters next year anyway. State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney echoed Bostar that lawmakers needed to act now to determine what that should look like. He and Bostar said that when the Legislature fails to meet voters' demands — such as paid sick leave, minimum wage or medical cannabis — the people often go beyond original legislative attempts. Guereca said that if lawmakers waited, rather than the state collecting 20% of revenue for taxes, the potential revenue might drop, foregoing funds for tax relief or to help problem gamblers. State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln, who selected Bostar's measure as his 2025 priority, said passing LR 20CA would allow lawmakers to set proper guardrails and consumer protection measures around online betting. Changes to school retirement plan advance to full Nebraska Legislature State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, the only progressive to vote against Bostar's measure, said she has gambled at the WarHorse Casino and connected racetrack in her Omaha neighborhood. She said she read a lot of information during the debate and was struck about the scale of debt that could be built up in a matter of moments. 'I think that I would rather see people come to the casino, come to my neighborhood, have fun, and I guess make more of an effort than having it at your fingertips,' Juarez said. 'I could see how that could be so much more out of control.' State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area said taxation wouldn't help families, and State Sen. Jared Storm of David City called the measure 'taxation by exploitation,' most hurting young college students who might gamble away rent or tuition. 'As state senators, we have to stand up for those people,' Storm said. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, noting her son falls in that demographic, said she struggled with supporting LR 20CA while the Legislature is advancing online protections for youths on social media through LB 504 from State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln or LB 383 from State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman to require age verification. Bosn supported Bostar's measure while Storer did not. Storer said the measure should include an explicit provision requiring age verification to ensure bettors are 21 or older. State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Ben Hansen of Blair pushed back on opponents and said the Legislature shouldn't stand in the way. Brandt described it as becoming a 'nanny state.' Hansen pointed to other addictive behaviors — alcohol, smoking and refined sugar — and said if opponents were against addiction they had a line of other activities to go after. He said the line was between 'the side of liberty or tyranny' and that he would 'always err on the side of liberty.' State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha, who voted against LR 20CA, said she's not against the issue going on the ballot, but she said supporters should go through the petition process. Juarez said that petition process could be good, such as through more in-depth, one-on-one conversations with voters. Even if LR 20CA passes, not all supporters said they would vote for it on the ballot, such as State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. 'At the end of the day, if it goes on the ballot, I'm going to vote 'no,'' Jacobson said. 'But I think that people should have the opportunity to make that decision.' Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@ Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and X. This story was republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Housing advocates converge at Capitol, praise Bostar law that helps ward off investors
Amanda Brewer, chief executive of Habitat for Humanity of Omaha introduces Habitat homeowner Autumn Austin during a "Homeownership Matters" rally at the State Capitol Thursday. (Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity) LINCOLN — Habitat for Humanity of Omaha calls it the 'equity promise.' It's new, and essentially a 'pay-it-forward' pact in which the nonprofit's homebuyer clients who receive downpayment and other assistance agree to certain resale restrictions designed to keep a house affordable for generations to come. A problem Habitat saw in crafting the promise last year, however, was that property taxes owed by the homeowner could be thrown out of whack. Enter 2024 legislation pushed by State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, which is now law and allows such sales-restricted houses a property tax break via a special method that 'stabilizes' values in recognition of limited marketability. 'It's a huge huge deal for the people it fits,' said Amanda Brewer, CEO of Omaha Habitat. 'This is ensuring that there are affordable places where people can own a home in Omaha for the next 50 years.' Nebraska Habitat leaders see such potential in what the law can do to preserve homeownership accessibility for lower-income families that the organization honored Bostar this week with its 2025 Housing Champion Award. Bostar received the award during two days of Habitat-led housing advocacy activities that wrapped up Thursday in Lincoln. He and a panel of state senators spoke Wednesday night to statewide Habitat affiliates and housing allies including Front Porch Investments and the Nebraska Housing Developers Association. Conversations with lawmakers continued the next day, capped by a 'Homeownership Matters' rally in the State Capitol Rotunda. The rally drew about 75 housing advocates — some carrying signs that read, 'A house shouldn't cost anywhere near half your paycheck' — and several state lawmakers. Among them was Speaker John Arch of La Vista, a health care consultant, who underscored the role homeownership has in building a social network that helps mental and physical health. 'We as a society, as a state, need to focus on helping people get into homes so that those roots can be put down, community can be built, and society, as a result, benefits from that,' said Arch. He said the Legislature should be mindful of how to help especially first-time homebuyers, though Arch said he was not focused on pushing any specific housing-related bill over the finish line this session. 'We can do a number of things with tax incentives and making it easier for people to get in, but it's a challenge,' he said. 'Every year we need to be constantly searching for those new ideas.' The Bostar-backed legislation last year, which began as Legislative Bill 1217 and became LB 1317, was multifaceted and included several elements advocates say should help preserve and create affordable housing opportunities in Nebraska. Indeed, the part of the law that captured the most attention had to do with renter-occupied housing for low-income residents and adjusting property valuation methods for those Section 42 apartments. That spotlight prompted Habitat to approach Bostar about pursuing the change related to its situation, representatives said. The provision applies to affiliates statewide, as well as NeighborWorks and other charitable organizations with a homeownership mission. The law took effect in July. Habitat's Tracie McPherson said counterparts in other states worked several years to pass similar legislation, and she was grateful Nebraska lawmakers acted more quickly. 'We knew it was the right thing to do to keep affordable housing in our state,' she said. Bostar said the law makes strides toward a couple of the Legislature's top priorities: property tax relief and preserving affordable housing. McPherson said the changes should also help keep houses in local hands — and away from out-of-state investors that she said often turn them into costly rental property. Lacey Studnicka, program director for Habitat, called the Bostar-backed law 'transformational' in supporting the nonprofit's equity promise and goal to preserve affordable homeownership for working families. She said alarm bells had been going off as home prices spiked, putting houses out of the reach of nonprofits, such as Habitat, to sell to low-income residents. For context, she said, Habitat houses valued for tax purposes at $140,000 in 2019 in Omaha now are valued at $260,000. The Habitat Omaha board approved its 'equity promise' approach at the start of 2024, which also gave the nonprofit the first right to buy back the house. Here's how that works: The buyer agrees to covenants guaranteeing that another low-income family can purchase the home at an affordable price, if the homeowner chooses to sell or move. Habitat would get the first shot at buying the home back. A seller still builds modest equity based on a formula and the time they stay in the house. In one scenario, the resale price for a buyer of a Habitat home whose mortgage is $200,000 (after downpayment and other assistance) and who owned the property for just under 3 years, would be $205,800. The Bostar legislation then allows for a stabilization of property taxes, based on that first mortgage and a slight annual increase, said Studnicka. She said the homeowner must apply annually for the special assessment, similar to those seeking a homestead exemption. The special valuation method is limited to properties first held by a nonprofit such as Habitat, NeighborWorks or a local community foundation that sells homes to individuals who are low income. The sales restrictions must run for at least 20 years and limit the sale of the property to another individual with a low income. Bostar said he was grateful and encouraged by Habitat's reaction. 'Access to homeownership really represents access to the American dream,' he said. 'So much of a family's wealth and their ability to hand wealth down to their children to ensure they have a better life than their parents had rests with homeownership.' Habitat for Humanity Nebraska affiliates have identified four 2025 legislative priorities: Legislative Bill 531, introduced by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, would provide an exception to the requirement that buildings constructed with state funds comply with the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. LB 566, Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island, eliminates expiration dates relating to an income tax credit for the purchase of certain residential property. LB 622, Sen. Rob Dover of Norfolk, intends to make the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund more effective by getting funds to granting agencies quicker and making funds revolve as much as possible. It also proposes a documentary stamp increase for downpayment assistance. LB 643, Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln, would remove the tax advantage investor-owned housing has over owner-occupied housing for companies that own more than 30 properties.
