With only 17 working days remaining in the 2015 Legislative Session, time is beginning to run short on the series of “priority” bills that have yet to receive first round debate. When lawmakers return to the Capitol next Monday, they will resume action on the state budget which must be adopted by day 80 (May 14) in this 90-day session.
Budget Bill Advances
Lawmakers gave first round approval to a series of appropriations bills that make up the $8.6 billion two-year state budget. While numerous amendments were considered, the recommendations of the Appropriations Committee, which set spending growth at a lower-than-average level of 3.1 percent remained intact.
While it was expected that the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board, which met on Thursday, would lower the revenue forecast for the 2015-17 fiscal years, the forecast provided an additional $12 million for deposit into the state’s cash reserve. This leaves approximately $60 million in available state funds for legislation adopted this year.
The state budget currently contains a $60 million increase in funding for the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund in each of the next two years, raising annual property tax relief to almost $200 million. The Forecasting Board projections could result in additional funding for property tax relief, which would be supported by NFIB.
Minimum Wage
A measure to allow a lower minimum wage for high school age workers survived a filibuster and has advanced to the third and final round of debate. Needing 33 votes to cease debate and vote on advancement of the bill, Legislative Bill 599 received exactly the number of votes needed to advance.
Introduced by Sen. Laura Ebke (Crete), employers could continue to pay workers under age 18 who don’t have dependent children $8 an hour as long as they represent less than 25 percent of a business’ payroll hours. (The state’s minimum wage for all other workers increases to $9.00 in 2016.)
Family and Medical Leave
Sen. Sue Crawford (Bellevue) has introduced an interim study resolution (Legislative Resolution 222) to examine issues related to family and medical leave. The study is designed to:
- review the current availability of paid and unpaid family and medical leave in Nebraska
- policies in other states that establish or encourage paid family and medical leave
- the costs of state family and medical leave policy
- the interaction between state family and medical leave policies and private insurance options
- the availability of paid sick leave in Nebraska
- the consequences of paid family and medical leave policies for families and employers
- and the consequences of paid sick leave for families and employers.
NFIB will monitor and participate in the interim study activities.
Past Reports
