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As dark clouds gathered over the Nebraska State Capitol on Friday afternoon, the mood inside its chambers appeared just as stormy.”Now we have really tough choices in front of us,” Sen. Danielle Conrad said. “There have been pitched battles this week.”The Appropriations Committee has spent weeks whittling the budget gap down to $125 million, and many lawmakers looked to revenue-generating bills this week to slash that figure further.But a coalition that crossed party lines bucked that plan.”My friends on the right have been clear they meant it when they said it. ‘No new taxes,'” Conrad said. “Myself and my friends on the left have been clear we meant it when we said it. No more regressive taxes.”The group killed a bill that would’ve raised taxes on tobacco and vape, and would’ve netted the general fund about $50 million.”The core problem is the size of government, and trying to find a solution is not going to get there by raising taxes on constituents,” Sen. Bob Andersen said.Both Andersen and Conrad, coming from different perspectives, pointed to structural problems that caused the fiscal mess in the first place.”Governor Pillen and the majority of members of this legislature have said millionaire and billionaire tax cuts are more important than safety net and infrastructure,” Conrad said.Revenue Committee Chair Sen. Brad von Gillern said he was hoping to draw in $81 million this week. Lawmakers greenlit just $26 million of that in a revenue package.”The revenue side is pretty well tapped out,” von Gillern said. “Now that heavy lifting returns back to, back to Senator Clements and the Appropriations Committee.”Clements, who was also hoping for more revenue, will be holding a budget briefing for all lawmakers on Monday morning.”It makes our job more difficult, but we’ll find other ways of filling the gap,” Clements said. “Efficiencies and modifications that agencies have given us. Probably not what they want to cut, what they’d be willing to cut if we have to.”That’s on top of the staggering cuts already proposed to DHHS. The plan also includes a $130 million transfer from the state’s rainy-day fund.After the $26 million from this week, lawmakers will have to find $99 million to get a balanced budget. Conrad says she hopes the body considers pausing next year’s personal and corporate income tax stepdown.But von Gillern said that, among other suggestions, isn’t on the table.”It’s not on the table as far as rolling back the income tax or freezing the income tax cuts,” von Gillern said. “Not on the table is taking anything out of the property tax relief fund. Not on the table is taking anything out of the Perkins County Canal Fund. Not on the table is cutting into the foundation funds for schools. Those are four big pots of money that would all be the easy button to solve the problems that all have disastrous long-term consequences.”Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
As dark clouds gathered over the Nebraska State Capitol on Friday afternoon, the mood inside its chambers appeared just as stormy.
“Now we have really tough choices in front of us,” Sen. Danielle Conrad said. “There have been pitched battles this week.”
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The Appropriations Committee has spent weeks whittling the budget gap down to $125 million, and many lawmakers looked to revenue-generating bills this week to slash that figure further.
But a coalition that crossed party lines bucked that plan.
“My friends on the right have been clear they meant it when they said it. ‘No new taxes,'” Conrad said. “Myself and my friends on the left have been clear we meant it when we said it. No more regressive taxes.”
The group killed a bill that would’ve raised taxes on tobacco and vape, and would’ve netted the general fund about $50 million.
“The core problem is the size of government, and trying to find a solution is not going to get there by raising taxes on constituents,” Sen. Bob Andersen said.
Both Andersen and Conrad, coming from different perspectives, pointed to structural problems that caused the fiscal mess in the first place.
“Governor Pillen and the majority of members of this legislature have said millionaire and billionaire tax cuts are more important than safety net and infrastructure,” Conrad said.
Revenue Committee Chair Sen. Brad von Gillern said he was hoping to draw in $81 million this week. Lawmakers greenlit just $26 million of that in a revenue package.
“The revenue side is pretty well tapped out,” von Gillern said. “Now that heavy lifting returns back to, back to Senator [Robert] Clements and the Appropriations Committee.”
Clements, who was also hoping for more revenue, will be holding a budget briefing for all lawmakers on Monday morning.
“It makes our job more difficult, but we’ll find other ways of filling the gap,” Clements said. “Efficiencies and modifications that agencies have given us. Probably not what they want to cut, what they’d be willing to cut if we have to.”
That’s on top of the staggering cuts already proposed to DHHS. The plan also includes a $130 million transfer from the state’s rainy-day fund.
After the $26 million from this week, lawmakers will have to find $99 million to get a balanced budget.
Conrad says she hopes the body considers pausing next year’s personal and corporate income tax stepdown.
But von Gillern said that, among other suggestions, isn’t on the table.
“It’s not on the table as far as rolling back the income tax or freezing the income tax cuts,” von Gillern said. “Not on the table is taking anything out of the property tax relief fund. Not on the table is taking anything out of the Perkins County Canal Fund. Not on the table is cutting into the foundation funds for schools. Those are four big pots of money that would all be the easy button to solve the problems that all have disastrous long-term consequences.”
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
