Vokal previews return to legislative session on KGFW’s Talk of the Town
Vokal previews return to legislative session on KGFW’s Talk of the Town
Linehan discusses property tax reform on Platte Institute webinar
Linehan discusses property tax reform on Platte Institute webinar
Nebraska Legislature Revenue Committee Chair Sen. Lou Ann Linehan joined Platte Institute CEO Jim Vokal on unresolved tax policy issues facing the Unicameral in its scheduled return later this month. On a webinar last week, Speaker Jim Scheer emphasized that property tax reform would be a key focus area before the legislative calendar came to an...
Nebraska PPP loan data show CARES Act tax policies are essential
Nebraska PPP loan data show CARES Act tax policies are essential
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...
Webinar: Back in Session with Sen. Lou Ann Linehan
Webinar: Back in Session with Sen. Lou Ann Linehan
Click here to download slides from this webinar. This video may also be viewed and shared on Facebook and YouTube.
Missouri governor signs “best” universal recognition bill
Missouri governor signs “best” universal recognition bill
On Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson joined the list of governors who have signed major occupational licensing reform in the last year. Missouri’s bill, like Iowa’s bill a few weeks ago, creates substantial universal recognition and opportunities under what has sometimes been termed a “fresh start act”–giving those who have spent time incarcerated the potential...
Nebraska economy shrinks, but spared worst by growth in agriculture
Nebraska economy shrinks, but spared worst by growth in agriculture
New estimates show that growth in the ag sector gave Nebraska the country’s smallest economic contraction in the first quarter of 2020. Nebraska’s economy shrank 1.3% according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s compared to the U.S. average of a 5% contraction. Nebraska’s Plain States region averaged a loss of 3.6%. While the data...
Nebraska’s emergency grace period on vehicle registration and driver licenses ends August 31
Nebraska’s emergency grace period on vehicle registration and driver licenses ends August 31
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has rescinded an emergency executive order that effectively allowed some drivers and vehicle owners to continue operating their vehicles with expired licenses or unpaid registrations during the state of emergency declared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Order 20-05 provided a grace period for permits, licenses, and registrations that expired on or...
Scheer: Legislature hasn’t reached consensus on major tax issues
Scheer: Legislature hasn’t reached consensus on major tax issues
Nebraska Legislature Speaker Jim Scheer and Executive Board Chair Sen. Mike Hilgers were guests on today’s Platte Institute Webinar. The focus of the webinar was the upcoming return of the Legislature on July 20, and what can be expected in the remaining 17 days of the legislative calendar. The Legislature’s session was suspended in March...
Webinar: Back in Session with Speaker Jim Scheer & Sen. Mike Hilgers
Webinar: Back in Session with Speaker Jim Scheer & Sen. Mike Hilgers
This video may also be viewed and shared on Facebook and YouTube.
States are sticking with most CARES Act tax provisions
States are sticking with most CARES Act tax provisions
Just last week, the Nebraska Legislature’s Revenue Committee held a hearing on the impact conforming with federal tax provisions in the CARES Act would have on the state’s tax revenues. Revenue Committee Chair Sen. Lou Ann Linehan ended that meeting by stating that decoupling from CARES Act tax regulation was not out of the question....
More businesses may close if Nebraska rejects CARES Act tax changes
More businesses may close if Nebraska rejects CARES Act tax changes
This week, senators on the Nebraska Legislature’s Revenue Committee met in Lincoln to discuss the impact of tax changes included in the federal CARES Act. Many of the federal relief plan’s tax provisions are designed to help businesses increase their cash flow during the recession, including expanding the net operating loss (NOL), which will allow...
Nebraska hospitality workforce 28% smaller than one year ago
Nebraska hospitality workforce 28% smaller than one year ago
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the May unemployment rates for 2020 this morning. Overall, it was a more optimistic picture for our nation. Rates were lower in 38 states, with Nebraska posting the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 5.2%. The total unemployed in the state currently stands at 54,879 people, down from...
Nebraska gas tax set for automatic increase July 1
Nebraska gas tax set for automatic increase July 1
Prices at the pump in Nebraska could be about 4 cents a gallon higher, thanks to an automatic increase in the state’s gas tax set to take effect July 1. Today, the Nebraska Department of Revenue issued the latest figures for the gas tax, which is recalculated twice a year in accordance with state law....
Iowa to offer universal recognition of job licenses
Iowa to offer universal recognition of job licenses
Last weekend, our neighbors in Iowa took a big step forward in occupational licensing reform with the passage of House File 2627 by both houses of the legislature. The governor is expected to sign the bill—probably in a signing ceremony worthy of a significant reform effort—sometime in the next week. The Iowa bill does not...