Shifting to other priorities

Now that LB227 has passed, I have shifted my focus to other bills and priorities. One such bill is LB719, a bill I introduced at the request of auto recyclers and scrappers. The intent of the bill is to streamline the process of surrendering titles for junked motor vehicles to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles and reporting inventory of junk or scrap vehicles to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Both of those actions are mandated by law, but can be time-consuming and/or result in multiple or incomplete records. I have submitted this bill for consideration to the consent calendar. I hope it will be added and passed.

Bills that will successfully pass the consent calendar are noncontroversial and should pass easily, but would otherwise not be placed on the agenda because they did not receive a priority. There is a slight risk in placing a bill on the consent calendar - if a bill does begin a discussion which lasts longer than fifteen minutes, the bill is removed from the consent calendar and will not pass. Because LB719 is so narrowly focused and is noncontroversial, I do believe it would pass on the consent calendar.

Aside from that, my main focus for the rest of this session is property tax relief. The revenue committee voted LB289 out of committee on the afternoon of April 30th. The sales tax exemptions to be eliminated include; pet-related services, moving services, storage, hair care and hair removal services, nail care, skin care, tattoo, home services and repair (including plumbing, HVAC, and electrical), interior design, taxi, limo, rideshare, lawn care, parking, swimming pool cleaning, dating, telefloral, wedding planning, weight loss, personal training, clothing alteration, candy, pop, bottled water, ice, and car repair.

The budget came out of committee May 2nd. Following that, we had recess days Friday and Monday for the purpose of studying the budget and formulating questions. Another briefing was held on Tuesday morning before we began discussing the budget. As of Wednesday, the budget is the only issue we will discuss that until it is passed. This process can last for a few hours or many days, and typically takes a week. I think moving through this budget too quickly would be a disservice to all Nebraskans. We as Senators need to take our time and have the tough conversations on the floor to achieve equitable and sustainable property tax relief.

If you would like to speak directly to me about legislative issues, join the Great Plains conference call Tuesday at 8 AM CST and McCook Chamber Conference call Thursday at 8 AM CST. I always enjoy hearing from the Nebraskans I represent. Please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns that you might have.

My email address is dhughes@leg.ne.gov and my phone number is (402) 471-2805.You can read more about bills and other work of the Legislature at www.nebraskalegislature.gov, and you can click on the Live Video Streaming NET logo to watch sessions, hearings, and other Capitol events.