Several Bills Introduced and Debated in Nebraska Legislature

April 28, 2017 Leave a comment


By Senator Lydia Brasch

Week sixteen of the first biennium of the 105th Legislature consisted of days 66 through 69 of this 90-day session.

On Friday we began debate on LB 461, our Revenue Committee’s tax package. A significant portion of it is the Agricultural Valuation Fairness Act, LB 338, which I introduced at the request of the Governor. After much discussion and work, LB 461 contains LB 338 as AM 954 and 1095 – as well as many portions of LB 602 sponsored by Senator Steve Erdman – which utilizes an income potential approach for valuation of agricultural and horticultural land. This is an essential part of the complete tax reform package. Moving away from the market approach to an income potential approach will be fairer, more sustainable, and more predictable over the long term in valuing agricultural and horticultural land. LB 461 creates an Agricultural Valuation Fairness Committee that will develop income and expense estimates for all agricultural and horticultural land in Nebraska, as well as capitalization rates necessary to produce uniform and proportionate assessed valuations. LB 461 would also add an additional $30 – $40 million a year to the state aid formula for schools. Three hours of full debate took place and we adjourned for the weekend. LB 461 will return to the floor for the remaining three hours of debate before a vote is taken.

On Tuesday we debated LB 640. There were a lot of moving parts in this bill. First, it split the school districts’ budgets into two components. In one, only 55% of a school’s budget could come from property taxes. The other 45% was again split into two components. In one, 75% of the remaining 45% would come from state aid, and the other 25% of the remaining 45% could come from local property taxes, but only by a two-thirds vote of the local school board. The bill would have also lowered the assumed amount of a school district’s resources, which is used to determine how much state aid school districts receive via the TEEOSA formula. The bill also lowered the maximum levy rate for school districts from 1.05 to 1.00. The intent of this bill was to equalize a grossly unequal method of funding schools via state dollars. If LB 640 is passed, most property taxpayers in Nebraska would see their property tax burden significantly decrease, especially those in the unequalized districts. However, no action was taken on this bill as it did not have the 33 votes necessary to break a filibuster. The Legislature may debate it again in the future if a compromise can be reached. I support this bill.

We also debated LB 661. This bill protects the identity of any person or entity that manufactures or supplies compounds, medical supplies, or equipment, or prescribes the substance or substances utilized to carry out an execution. This is a necessary step in helping to ensure that capital punishment can and will be used in Nebraska. Senator Kuehn, who introduced the bill, persuasively made the point during floor debate that the reason a measure like this has become necessary is because extreme anti-death penalty activists harass, intimidate, and bully drug manufacturers and others involved in assisting the state in carrying out justice. Last November, the citizens of Nebraska had a chance to show the Legislature where they stood on the death penalty when they voted at the polls. The citizens of Nebraska showed – by an overwhelming majority – they want to keep the death penalty. It is now up to the Legislature to ensure that the death penalty can be utilized. Three hours of debate did not result in a vote, but it will return for a vote with three more hours of debate remaining. I will vote in favor of this bill.

 

Please contact me, or our staff with questions or concerns at (402) 471-2728 or by email at lbrasch@leg.ne.gov; or stop by Room 1022 if you are in the State Capitol. If you would like to follow the Legislature online please visit http://netnebraska.org/basic-page/television/live-demand-state-government. Live broadcasting is also available on NET2.

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News From Bancroft Senior Center

April 25, 2017 Leave a comment


Bancroft Senior Center News by Connie Bargmann  

*If you are 60+ and need information on programs designed to help keep you stay in your home longer or if you need legal help, contact Connie at 402-648-3387 or in the evening at 402-648-7648. There are no membership fees or attendance requirements and new faces are always welcome.

* We have the following medical equipment to loan out on an as need basis, wheel chair, bath seats, toilet seat riser and portable toilet chair, crutches or walkers. Call 402-648-3387 during office hours.

Meals on Wheels

*Would you like to get Meals on Wheels? Anyone over the age of 60 years and lives within the city limits are eligible for these meals. You may sign up anytime for the Meals on Wheels program; you can get the meals delivered however many times you want them each week. You must call 402-687-2332 before 8:30 a.m. if you want a meal that day. The suggested donation for the meal is $4.00.

 

Weekly Activities:

Wed. April 26: Chime practice at 9:00 a.m. Coffee times at 10:00 a.m. Fitness chair exercises at 1:00 p.m. Come and play Skip-Bo at 1:45 p.m.

Thurs. April 27: Tai Chi Class at 9:30 a.m. Free coffee, sweet rolls and cookies, all day, for Volunteer Appreciation week. Come and play hand & foot, pitch or pinochle at 1:30 p.m.

Fri. April 28: Stop in for coffee. Make your appointment for the foot clinic starting at 9:00 a.m. Sign up to play in the pitch tournament at 1:30 p.m.

Mon. May 1:  Stop in and have coffee. Bring a covered dish for the noon potluck dinner; cards will be played after lunch.

Tues. May 2: Tai Chi class at 9:30 a.m. Coffee time at 10:00 a.m.  Cards will be played at 1:30 p.m.

Wed. May 3: Chime practice at 9:00 a.m. Coffee time is at 10:00 a.m. Fitness Chair Ex. at 1:00 p.m. Come and play Skip-Bo at 1:45 p.m.

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Oakland’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt

April 14, 2017 Leave a comment


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Spring Fling Tomorrow

April 14, 2017 Leave a comment


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Blessed Easter Weekend to Everyone

April 14, 2017 Leave a comment


Sunrise service at Riverside Baptist Church. Jeff and Elvin Gilliland made the crosses. Photo Credit/Denise Gilliland, Editor and Chief, Kat Country Hub.

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Easter Egg Hunt at Oakland Heights Saturday!

April 12, 2017 Leave a comment


Oakland Heights News by Nancy Silvey

We have a lot of things going on this week, on Thursday April 13th we will be having a Maundy Thursday service at 2:30 pm by Pastor Hoden, then on Friday April 14th at 2:30 pm is the Good Friday service given by Pastor Hineline. On Saturday April 15th at 10:00 am the Lions Club will be hosting a Easter Egg Hunt here at Oakland Heights Nursing Home. On Easter Sunday April 16th, we will be having a Easter Breakfast at 8:00 am for residents and their family members. Next week on Thursday April 20th Charlie Davis will be here to play the Harmonica at 2:30 pm then at 5:30 pm is the monthly Waffle Supper. On Friday April 21st is Happy Hour at 2:30 pm. We have a resident celebrating a birthday next week Eleanor Sanderson on April 19th.

Church Service for Easter Sunday April 16th will be given by Evangelical Free Church at 2:30 pm with a luncheon following service.  On Monday April 17th is Communion with First Lutheran at 2:30 pm.

Activities for the week of April 17th  to April 22nd    are as follows, reading with Jill, Manicures, Sing A Long, Game Day, Bingo the w/Salem,  Reading Group, Bible Fellowship, Let’s Play Ball, Crafty Cooking, and Lawrence Walk

Volunteers signing in last week were; Dani Moseman, Pat Anderson, Di Ruwe, Robyn Johnson, Judy Nelson, Mary Donavan, Patty Miller, Betty Hanna and Nadine Anderson.

Guests signing in this past week was: Mark and Pam Parker visiting.

 

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This Day in History: Civil War Begins

April 12, 2017 Leave a comment


The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Bay. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection.”

As early as 1858, the ongoing conflict between North and South over the issue of slavery had led Southern leadership to discuss a unified separation from the United States. By 1860, the majority of the slave states were publicly threatening secession if the Republicans, the anti-slavery party, won the presidency. Following Republican Abraham Lincoln’s victory over the divided Democratic Party in November 1860, South Carolina immediately initiated secession proceedings. On December 20, the South Carolina legislature passed the “Ordinance of Secession,” which declared that “the Union now subsisting between South Carolina and other states, under the name of the United States of America, is hereby dissolved.” After the declaration, South Carolina set about seizing forts, arsenals, and other strategic locations within the state. Within six weeks, five more Southern states–Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana–had followed South Carolina’s lead.

In February 1861, delegates from those states convened to establish a unified government. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was subsequently elected the first president of the Confederate States of America. When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, a total of seven states (Texas had joined the pack) had seceded from the Union, and federal troops held only Fort Sumter in South Carolina, Fort Pickens off the Florida coast, and a handful of minor outposts in the South. Four years after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, the Confederacy was defeated at the total cost of 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers dead.

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Caregiver Support Group to Meet Monday

April 11, 2017 Leave a comment


The monthly Caregiver Support Group will meet at the Bancroft Senior Center, Monday, April 17, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. We invite all caregivers to come and enjoy the afternoon with us. We share our thoughts on what we do to keep the people we are caring for comfortable and happy.  We watch educational videos and read articles on many different topics that may affect the ones we are caring for and also how to keep the caregiver strong and healthy.

The Bancroft senior center will be having a chicken fried steak dinner on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the senior center from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. They will be serving a delicious home cooked style meal including mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, applesauce salad, deserts, dinner roll and beverage. Come and join us for dinner we welcome you.

 

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News From Bancroft Senior Center

April 11, 2017 Leave a comment


 Bancroft Senior Center News by Connie Bargmann  

*If you are 60+ and need information on programs designed to help keep you stay in your home longer or if you need legal help, contact Connie at 402-648-3387 or in the evening at 402-648-7648. There are no membership fees or attendance requirements and new faces are always welcome.

* We have the following medical equipment to loan out on an as need basis, wheel chair, bath seats, toilet seat riser and portable toilet chair, crutches or walkers. Call 402-648-3387 during office hours.

Meals on Wheels

*Would you like to get Meals on Wheels? Anyone over the age of 60 years and lives within the city limits are eligible for these meals. You may sign up anytime for the Meals on Wheels program; you can get the meals delivered however many times you want them each week. You must call 402-687-2332 before 8:30 a.m. if you want a meal that day. The suggested donation for the meals is $4.00.

 

Weekly Activities:

Wed. April 12: Chime practice at 9:00 a.m. Coffee times at 10:00 a.m. Fitness chair exercises at 1:00 p.m. Sign up for the pitch tournament at 1:30. Lesa Bargmann will be having another class on using rubber stamps to design any type of all occasion, photo album pages or the boarder around a special photo; this class is free and everything needed for the class is provided, the class starts at 1:30 p.m.

Thurs. April 13: Tai Chi Class at 9:30 a.m. Sign up to play in the pinochle tournament at 1:30 p.m.

Fri. April 14: Stop in for coffee. The center will be closed in the afternoon. Meals on wheels will be delivered today.

Mon. April17:  Today is the caregiver support group meeting at 2:00 p.m.

Tues. April 18: Tai Chi class at 9:30 a.m. Coffee time at 10:00 a.m. Sign up for the pitch tournament at 1:30 p.m. This evening is a French toast and pancake supper, serving from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Wed. April 19: Chime practice at 9:00 a.m. Coffee time is at 10:00 a.m. Fitness Chair Ex. at 1:00 p.m. Sign up if you would like to play 5-handed pinochle today at 1:45 p.m.

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Responsible Tax Reform

April 11, 2017 Leave a comment


By Governor Pete Ricketts

One of my top priorities as Governor is to reduce the tax burden on all Nebraskans to grow our state.  The Tax Foundation ranks Nebraska 14th highest for income tax collections per capita and USA Today rates us 5th highest for property taxes.  We can, and must, do better.

 

As I travel Nebraska, people share with me their personal stories about how taxes are hurting their families and businesses.  Roxie and her husband run a small restaurant and family farm near Fremont.  Last year they took out a second mortgage on their house to pay their property and income tax bill.  For Roxie, tax reform is the difference between keeping the business and farm, or shuttering their operation. This is not an isolated situation.  I hear these stories from Nebraskans in every corner of our state.  Each story deepens my resolve to deliver better tax policy to Nebraskans.

 

I have been working closely with Revenue Committee Chair Jim Smith and Agriculture Committee Chair Lydia Brasch to put together a tax reform package that will provide meaningful tax relief to families and small business owners now.

Nebraskans in every county want to see a change in how property taxes are assessed, and families want to keep more of the money they earn.   This is why this tax reform package reforms both ag land valuations and reduces income taxes.

 

Property tax reform must be delivered for our farm and ranch families.  Income taxes must be reduced to help our hardworking families, grow small business opportunities, and create new and good-paying jobs.  To get either one of these goals accomplished, we are going to have to work together and do both.

 

Last week, the Revenue Committee advanced a comprehensive tax reform package in LB461 that includes both the property and income tax reforms I announced at the beginning of this session.  The package will go to the full Legislature very soon.  Here are the top five things you should know about the tax plan:

 

  • Property Tax Reform First: The plan changes the way ag land is valued for taxation purposes beginning in 2018, moving from a comparable market sales approach to valuing land based on its income potential.  Functionally, this plan would have reduced ag land property valuations by $12 billion if it had been in place in 2017.  This would have been an average reduction of 12 percent statewide.  With flat levies, this would have reduced property tax on ag land by about $147 million in 2017.  This plan also protects our K-12 schools with a projected investment of over $30 million each year in the state aid formula.
  • Incremental Income Tax Relief: Starting in 2020, reduces the top income tax rate incrementally from 6.84 percent to 5.99 percent, but only if state revenues are expected to grow by 3.5 percent or more.

 

  • Tax Credits for Low-Income Families: Starting in 2019, the plan provides tax credits for low-income families, increases the personal exemption credit, and expands the existing Earned Income Tax Credit.  The plan contains approximately $7 million of new tax credits a year for low-income Nebraska families.

 

  • Corporate Tax Relief to Create Jobs: The plan incrementally reduces the top corporate income tax rate from 7.81 percent to 5.99 percent to help make Nebraska more attractive to new companies or companies looking to expand.  After an initial reduction to 7.59 percent, the plan makes continued incremental reductions only if state revenues are projected to grow by 4 percent or more starting in 2020.

 

  • Tax Relief for All Nebraskans: Nebraskans of all income levels will see tax relief on their income under this plan.  Middle and low-income Nebraskans will see the biggest percentage reduction in income taxes.

 

This is responsible tax reform that delivers relief to the Nebraskans who need it most, and is sustainable even as we work to restrain our growth in spending.  Tax reform will grow Nebraska unleashing long-term growth on Main Street and in agriculture by allowing working Nebraskans to keep more of the money they earn.

 

You might wonder how we can pass tax reform at the same time we are working to balance the budget.  None of the proposed reforms would adversely impact the budget, or require cuts to the upcoming two-year budget.  This tax reform plan is designed to protect state budget needs and investments in education and public safety.

 

I urge you to contact your senator immediately and encourage them to control the growth in government and support tax reform this year.  Special interests in the State Capitol do not want to see any relief pass this year, because they want to see more government spending.  Visit www.NebraskaLegislature.gov for information on how to contact your senator.  If you have additional thoughts on tax reform that you’d like to share with me, please contact my office atpete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or 402-471-2244.

 

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