The 107th Legislature, first session, adjourned sine die May 27.<\/p>\n
Lincoln Sen. Mike Hilgers, Speaker of the Legislature, thanked senators and staff for their hard work, acknowledging the efforts of many to complete an uninterrupted and \u201ctremendously difficult\u201d session during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe things we put in place \u2014 all-day committee hearings, the submitted written testimony, everything else that made life so difficult for so many \u2014 were really the keys to allow us to get our work done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Among the challenges faced by lawmakers this year, Hilgers said, were passing the state\u2019s two-year budget and approving significant tax reform. Hilgers credited the Legislature\u2019s Appropriations Committee for passing what he called one of the best budgets in years, which funded many senators\u2019 priorities while holding annual spending growth below 3 percent.<\/p>\n
Hilgers also praised lawmakers, and members of the Revenue Committee specifically, for their work in funding new property tax relief and cutting taxes on military retirement, Social Security income, business inputs and residential water service.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the most consequential series of tax cut bills that this Legislature has passed, maybe in decades,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of these things make Nebraska more competitive and more affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to the 2022 legislative session, Hilgers urged senators to think big about how best to continue to move Nebraska forward with a sense of urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this Legislature wants to be as transformative as I believe that it can be, we have to start with an historic first session, but we have to end with a transformative second session,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gov. Pete Ricketts, in his address to lawmakers, praised senators for approving nearly $1.7 billion in property tax relief over the next two years. Nearly 18.5 percent of the state\u2019s biennial budget is dedicated to various tax relief measures, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the most, the biggest, the greatest amount of tax relief any legislature has done in a quarter century \u2014 and potentially in the history of the state of Nebraska,\u201d Ricketts said.<\/p>\n
The governor said the Legislature\u2019s \u201cquick and decisive\u201d action empowered state agencies to respond effectively to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout the pandemic, we were always able to provide that hospital bed, that ICU bed or that ventilator to anyone who needed it, when they needed it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat has allowed us … to have one of the lowest fatality rates from coronavirus of any state in the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricketts said many Nebraskans stepped up to take care of one another, allowing the state to emerge from the pandemic in a strong position.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the great work of our educators, we have one of the highest rates of kids in classrooms throughout the course of this last school year,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had the lowest unemployment rate on average of any state in the nation throughout 2020, and we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Legislature is scheduled to convene in early fall for a special legislative session to complete the 2021 redistricting process. The second session of the 107th Legislature is scheduled to convene Jan. 5, 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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