This week, the Legislature completed their hearing schedule, and have moved to all day floor debate, which will continue through the end of session on June 2. As of this morning, the Legislature has passed and the Governor has signed 53 bills. They have also approved an additional 25 bills which are waiting for action from the Governor, with 13 bills on Final Reading, 13 bills on Select File, and 126 bills on General File. At this point in session, the Legislature typically lacks the remaining time to debate bills without a priority designation, meaning that Senators often look to amend bills of similar subjects together create vehicles for more bills to advance.
During this phase of the Legislative calendar, schedules are often less predictable than the week-notice given before a bill receives a legislative hearing. To stay up to date as the pace of the Legislature accelerates, we invite you to join us for our In the “Legislative Loop” biweekly Zoom, a 30-minute briefing on all the most recent happenings from the State Capitol, as well as what to expect in the next week. This members-only opportunity gives you exclusive admission to the Capitol Rotunda and helps you understand the latest from Lincoln and how it affects your business. Our next briefing is on Monday, April 7. You can sign up for the zoom, here.
Last week, the Greater Omaha Chamber testified in support of a priority bill, LB649, which, as amended by Senator Sanders creates the Defense Efforts Workforce Act. This legislation builds on Nebraska’s footprint in the defense industry by incentivizing employers to move defense jobs to the state by offering a 5% wage credit for jobs that are above 150% of Nebraska’s statewide average wage.
The defense industry is a crucial driver of Nebraska’s economy, and with more than 7,000 military personnel and almost 4,000 civilian employees, Offutt is the Omaha region’s largest employer . These jobs are just part of the tremendous impact that the base has on our local economy, with 7,500 dependents and 26,000 military retirees living within a short radius of the base. In all, Offutt contributes $2.9 billion of total economic impact to Nebraska. This strong foundation also creates opportunities to build on the momentum that we currently have in defense. LB649 would go a long way to strengthening our region’s defense infrastructure, and aligning our local economic development with national defense priorities.
Looking forward, over the next month, the Appropriations Committee will be finalizing the budget before it’s debated by the full legislature on May 6. At the Greater Omaha Chamber, we’re continuing to work to ensure this is a budget that keeps Nebraska a good place to do business, while protecting the economic development tools that the business community relies on to grow, and maintaining investments in our university and college system which are essential to Nebraska’s workforce.
If you’re interested in these bills, or any other legislative issues, we’d love to hear from you. While your Greater Omaha Chamber Public Policy team is hard at work right now at the State Capitol working to strengthen our business climate, never hesitate to share your insights with us on your state legislative priorities at advocacy@omahachamber.org.
For more information, visit our Public Policy page or contact Jennifer Creager at 402.474.4960.