Executive Summary Public pension debts from three major municipal plans in Nebraska are approaching $1 billion, and an analysis of Omaha’s two municipal systems and Lincoln’s public safety plan suggest that this shortfall is likely to continue to expand unless policymakers make meaningful changes to how the city funds and manages the retirement plans. In...
Executive Summary Nebraska has been seeking ways to modernize its tax code for several years, and unfortunately, the inheritance tax has often been left out of the analysis. The inheritance tax is a worthy subject for tax modernization and reform because only six states continue to have this tax: Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey,...
Introduction Across the U.S., local zoning ordinances limit the amount of housing that can be built within their jurisdictions and drive up costs for housing that is permitted. These regulations are particularly burdensome for low-income households.1 The effects of land use regulations on housing costs are largest in high-cost coastal regions, but the ubiquity of...
Introduction Much has changed since our 2018 review of Nebraska’s progress on occupational licensing policy and reform. The first year of licensing reviews growing out of LB299, Nebraska’s Occupational Board Reform Act, were completed in 2019. Committees of the Unicameral reviewed 26 individual licenses across eight of the standing committees. Several of the other committees—either...
Government and industry responses to the COVID-19 pandemic created a variety of unique situations for agriculture. The “stay-at-home” orders forced consumers to be homebound, which increased the demand for food in grocery stores while simultaneously reducing the demand for food in restaurants. Reduced consumer travel caused the demand for ethanol to fall, impacting distillers’ grains,...
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our nation, Congress reacted by enacting a historic $2 trillion spending plan to keep our nation from falling into financial ruin. In total, there have been four pieces[1] of federal legislation enacted with the intent to help individuals and states combat the health and economic crisis that occurred, of which...
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is one of the largest parts of the federal government’s CARES Act relief legislation. The PPP provides loans intended to help small businesses—those with 500 or fewer employees—maintain their payroll, hire back any employees who were laid off, and cover applicable overhead expenses such as rent and utilities. Detailed data...
Dear Nebraskans, Our state and nation have been actively fighting COVID-19 since mid-March. We are getting a handle on the public health aspect of the crisis, yet the economic impact is still being realized as businesses begin to reopen. As more data becomes available, we can start to measure the impact this crisis is having...
The second installment in the series. Ernie Goss & Scott Strain model the impact of COVID-19 on Nebraska jobs, economic activity, and tax revenues.
Ernie Goss & Scott Strain model the impact of COVID-19 on Nebraska jobs, economic activity, and tax revenues.
Reducing reliance on the property tax through ending Nebraska’s many sales tax exemptions can help create the right environment for revenue-neutral tax reform.
The long history of Nebraska's property tax and polling data from Nebraskans both provide insight into ways the Legislature can pursue major property tax reform.
Laura Ebke reviews questions legislators and staff should ask as Nebraska begins its first year of implementing the Occupational Board Reform Act.
Nebraska’s prosperity is built on its people, land and location. Yet challenges, especially people-related challenges, threaten our ability to sustain this success. How can we sustain—and grow—Nebraska’s success? The Blueprint Nebraska’s Growing the Good Life report contains a strategic plan available in a summary format (20 minute read) or in the full report (1 hour...