This bill appropriates specific funds to the Nebraska Department of Revenue to support the implementation of Legislative Bill 34, which was passed in a special legislative session earlier in 2024. The legislation allocates $156,000 from the General Fund for the 2024-25 fiscal year and $750 million from the School District Property Tax Relief Credit Fund for the same year, with similar amounts designated for the 2025-26 fiscal year. These funds are restricted to program expenses and cannot be used to pay salaries or per diems for state employees. The bill also declares an emergency to ensure the appropriations take effect immediately upon approval.
This bill, known as the omnibus appropriations act, allocates state funds to various government agencies and programs for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fiscal years. It establishes specific budget limits for employee salaries, wages, and per diems, while also defining how unspent money from previous years is carried over to the current budget. The legislation amends existing laws to clarify financial terms and outlines the process for agencies to request additional funds based on federal grants or specific employee leave payments. Ultimately, the bill provides the necessary financial resources to keep state operations running and sets the spending caps that agencies must follow during the biennium.
This bill establishes the Property Tax Growth Limitation Act to cap how much property taxes local governments like counties, cities, and villages can raise starting in fiscal year 2025. The law calculates a baseline tax limit based on previous year's taxes, adjusted for new construction, property value changes, and inflation, while allowing exceptions for approved bonds, declared emergencies, and specific public safety needs. Local governments can also exceed this limit if voters approve a tax increase through a special election or if they budget for certain services like public defenders. Additionally, the bill amends other state statutes related to revenue, taxation, and budgeting to align with these new property tax rules.
Legislative Bill 3 directs the State Treasurer to transfer $6.5 million from the Health and Human Services Cash Fund to the General Fund by June 30, 2025, based on instructions from the budget administrator. The bill also creates a new Financial Institution Assessment Cash Fund to manage fees collected from financial institutions, with any investment earnings from this fund going to the General Fund starting in October 2024. Additionally, the legislation updates the Securities Act of Nebraska to clarify the roles of the Director of Banking and Finance and the Director of Insurance in administering securities and insurance company bonds. These changes also include provisions allowing the director to share information with other government officials and adopt new rules to protect investors and ensure regulatory uniformity.
This bill creates a new homestead tax exemption for Nebraska residents, allowing owners to exclude the first $100,000 of their home's actual value from property taxes starting in 2025. The law applies to all homeowners who live in the property and works alongside existing exemptions for seniors, disabled individuals, and veterans, which remain available in addition to the new deduction. It also establishes a process for transferring these tax benefits to a new home if an owner sells their current residence and buys another before August 15 of the same year. To support this change, the bill requires the state to issue standardized application forms and ensures that the tax revenue lost from these exemptions is reimbursed by the state.
This bill proposes a new 2% excise tax on sellers who make delivery sales of personal property to customers within Nebraska. It defines delivery sales to include transactions conducted via mail, the internet, telephone, or other electronic methods, while exempting items already free from sales tax and goods picked up in person at a retail location. The tax must be paid monthly to the Department of Revenue, which will enforce the rule and deposit the collected funds into the state's General Fund. Although the legislation includes an operative date of July 1, 2025, it was indefinitely postponed in August 2024 and has not yet become law.
This bill directs the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics to sell any aircraft currently owned by the state that is designated for the Governor or the Governor's staff, with the proceeds from the sale going to the state's General Fund. It also prohibits the state from purchasing, leasing, or maintaining any new aircraft for the Governor or their staff, except in cases involving immediate responses to natural disasters or military emergencies. Additionally, the bill requires the department to file quarterly reports detailing all state aircraft travel, including passenger names, destinations, and trip purposes, while establishing an hourly fee for state officials to use government planes. The legislation aims to reduce property tax burdens by eliminating the state's ownership of executive aircraft and increasing transparency regarding government air travel.
This bill updates Nebraska laws to clarify which properties are exempt from property taxes and how those exemptions are calculated. It directly affects government entities, schools, charities, nursing homes, and homeowners by defining specific rules for tax-free status. Key provisions include setting a voter-approval threshold for large public construction projects, establishing a formula for "payments in lieu of taxes" for unleased government land, and adjusting how property tax exemptions are applied to skilled nursing facilities based on their Medicaid occupancy rates. Additionally, the bill refines definitions for educational and charitable organizations to ensure only non-profit properties used for public benefit retain their tax-exempt status.
This bill amends Nebraska state law to clarify and update the rules regarding which properties are exempt from property taxes. It directly affects government entities, educational institutions, religious and charitable groups, agricultural societies, and owners of certain personal property. The key changes include defining specific thresholds for when government-owned property must be approved by voters before receiving an exemption, clarifying what counts as a "public purpose," and establishing how payment-in-lieu-of-taxes should be calculated for unleased government land. Additionally, the bill expands exemptions for skilled nursing and assisted-living facilities to Medicaid beneficiaries based on their occupancy rates and limits tax-free status for student housing to only common areas like kitchens and lounges.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to limit how much local governments, such as cities and counties, can increase their spending each year. Under the new rule, a local government's budget can only grow by the rate of inflation plus any change in its population, unless voters specifically approve a larger increase at a general election. The amendment would apply to all political subdivisions within Nebraska and aims to restrict budget growth without direct voter consent. If passed, this change would require local officials to seek voter approval whenever they plan to raise spending beyond the calculated inflation and population limits.
This bill adjusts the nameplate capacity tax for renewable energy generation facilities in Nebraska to account for inflation, directly affecting private owners of such facilities. It mandates that the tax rate, currently set at $3,518 per megawatt, be updated annually on January 1 based on the previous year's Consumer Price Index changes. The legislation also clarifies that the tax does not apply to government-owned facilities, cooperatives, or customer-generators, and ensures that tax revenues are sent to the county where the facility is located. Additionally, it establishes specific rules for calculating taxes based on the number of days a facility is operational and outlines penalties for late filings or non-payment.
This bill would change the rules for how legislative proposals for constitutional amendments are presented to voters in Nebraska. It requires the state's Legislative Council to prepare a neutral, plain-language explanation of the proposal's effects and print it on the ballot at least four months before a general election. The bill also specifies that this explanation must be written in italics and avoid taking sides or creating bias. Additionally, it exempts proposals placed on special election ballots from this four-month preparation timeline.
