Presentation of economic development incentive reports advanced

Senators advanced a bill from general file April 4 that would require the state Department of Revenue to present economic development incentive reports to two legislative committees.

Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher introduced LB612, which would require the department to appear once every two years before a joint hearing of the Legislature’s appropriations and revenue committees to present the reports. Supplemental information requested by three or more committee members must be provided within 30 days after the request.

The reports include data on the following programs:
• the Quality Jobs Act;
• the Invest Nebraska Act;
• the Nebraska Advantage Act;
• the Employment and Investment Growth Act; and
• the Nebraska Advantage Rural Development Act.

Such reports often are convoluted and can be misinterpreted, Schumacher said, so they may require further explanation.

“This is an effort to try to develop communication so that [the Legislature] has an adequate understanding of the information that is being presented,” he said.

An Executive Board amendment, adopted 28-0, changed the annual report submission date from July 15 to Sept. 1.

Lexington Sen. John Wightman, chairperson of the Executive Board, said the amendment would require a later presentation date so that the reports are not due the same day the department must present them to the joint committees.

Omaha Sen. Heath Mello offered an amendment, adopted 29-0, which changed the department’s biennial tax expenditure report submission date to the Legislature’s appropriations and revenue committees from Dec. 1 to Nov. 1.

Mello said an earlier submission date would provide the committees more time to consider budgetary issues before the Legislature convenes in early January.

The bill advanced with an emergency clause on a 31-0 vote.