Budget & Taxes

LB 290 amends Nebraska's Economic Recovery Act to establish new grant rules for business parks in designated areas. It allocates up to $90 million in grants to nonprofit organizations developing business parks within metropolitan cities, specifically in qualified census tracts hit hard by the pandemic. Recipients must hold public input meetings, maintain separate bank accounts for funds, provide 10-year financial plans, and secure support from inland port authorities before receiving funds. The bill prohibits funding for downtown areas near airports and requires projects to serve communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

This bill appropriates specific funds to support the implementation of Legislative Bill 288. It allocates $97,030 from the Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Fund and $103,200 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for fiscal year 2025-26, and $118,110 and $126,410 respectively for 2026-27, to the Department of Economic Development’s Program 601. The funds are designated to carry out provisions of LB 288, with a cap on salary expenditures at $103,520 for 2025-26 and $138,030 for 2026-27. As a funding bill, it directly affects the Department of Economic Development’s budget execution for Program 601.

LB 296A is a funding bill that allocates $0 from the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to support Legislative Bill 296. It specifies that total expenditures for salaries and per diems from these funds cannot exceed $160,197 for 2025-26 or $165,403 for 2026-27. The bill directly affects the State Department of Education by providing a procedural funding mechanism for another legislative act. This is a technical appropriations measure with no actual monetary allocation, solely establishing budgetary parameters for a related bill.

This bill (LR 11CA) proposed a constitutional amendment to ban all taxes in Nebraska except retail sales taxes and excise taxes, effective January 1, 2028. It would have prohibited state and local governments from imposing income taxes, property taxes, or other tax types. The amendment required voter approval in the November 2026 election and included specific ballot language. However, the bill was withdrawn on February 13, 2025, and is no longer active.