Housing assistance for abuse survivors approved

Lawmakers passed a measure May 14 increasing taxes on Nebraska real estate transactions to help meet the immediate housing needs of sex trafficking and domestic violence survivors.

LB78, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, increases the documentary stamp tax on the transfer of real estate from $2.25 to $2.32 for each $1,000 in value and directs the additional proceeds to a new fund administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The department will use the funding to provide housing-related assistance, including rental and utility payments, for survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking based on a formula it will create. The department may contract with qualifying nonprofit organizations to provide the assistance.

LB78 allows the department to distribute a certain amount of excess funds to certified organizations serving domestic violence or sex trafficking survivors to acquire or rehabilitate housing for survivors.

The state Department of Revenue estimates that the 7-cent documentary stamp tax increase will generate $830,000 for the program’s cash fund in fiscal year 2025-26, $1.1 million in FY2026-27 and $1.2 million in FY2027-28.

Included in the bill are the provisions of LB159, sponsored by Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha, under which Nebraska courts may consider a defendant’s status as a survivor of sex trafficking, domestic violence or abuse when determining sentences.

LB78 passed on a vote of 49-0.