Capitol Fly on the Wall

Though there were only three session days last week, senators crammed in more action in those long days than in some early session full 5-day weeks. To start the week early Tuesday, all eyes were on LB 1402, Sen. Linehan’s priority bill that she has called an “end-run” way to

Governor Signs Budget, No Line-Item Vetoes The Governor signed into law the mid-biennium budget adjustments without using his veto pen this time. It’s slightly unexpected for him to sign the budget bills as-is, but there could be a couple of reasons here: the bills (LBs 1412 and 1413) didn’t diverge

Property Tax Relief Package May Lack Votes LB 388, the Revenue committee’s highly anticipated property tax relief package, was mired in doubt and skepticism from left and right when it hit the floor for debate last week. The Governor’s office — who primarily authored the proposal — estimates that the

LB 441 Debate Incident Draws National Attention Whether you’re a casual follower of Nebraska news or a dedicated Legislature watcher, chances are you’ve seen at least one headline in your social media feed recently about the controversy around Senator Steve Halloran’s remarks during debate over LB 441 last week. The

Lawmakers began the week with debate on Sen. Hunt’s motion to override Governor Pillen’s veto of her priority bill (LB 307), which the body passed on Final Reading with 30 votes less than a couple of weeks prior. The bill would have permitted governing bodies of Nebraska cities and counties

LB 307 Veto Override Governor Pillen wasted no time in issuing his veto of LB 307 right away Monday morning, his first of the year. While the move was expected, advocates of the measure may not have anticipated it coming down so promptly after its passage. Per legislative rules, the

Much of last week’s floor debate was around a proposal to phase out the state Inheritance Tax (LB 1067), Sen. Clements’ priority bill. Nebraska is one of 6 states that has such a tax, the proceeds of which are used by counties to fund infrastructure, programs and services, and to

We’re in the final stretch of morning debate/afternoon hearing days, as you might have noticed some committees already began wrapping up their hearings early last week. Hearings will officially conclude this week, which is a short one; both Monday and Friday are recess days, so only Tuesday-Thursday committees will meet.