The last week or so has been something of a whirlwind here in Nebraska, as cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) started to show up. Events have been canceled, schools have closed, state basketball tournaments have been modified to have no meaningful fan presence, colleges have moved toward remote classes, and some businesses have closed down temporarily....
Nebraska's approach to "property tax relief" isn't working.
Who has the most to lose from the property tax stalemate?
I noted last week that recent research by the Goldwater Institute suggests that universal recognition enacted in Arizona was showing significant benefits for both the state's labor market and for workers seeking to continue to practice their occupation in a new location. A new policy report from Arizona State's Center for the Study of Economic...
Here’s an interesting story about the silliness of some occupational licensing boards. A man trained in electrical engineering, questions the formulas used for timing red lights in Oregon, after his wife gets a ticket for moving through the intersection to make a right turn on a yellow (the light turned red while she was turning)....
A friend sent me a link to this story yesterday, and here in beef country, it seems like something we should know about. It would seem that an entrepreneur in the Sandhills–eager to provide a high-value product–is being stymied by “red tape” and the federal government. Big surprise, right? Since August of 2019 owner Jacob...
Universal Recognition for occupational licensing burst onto the scene almost a year ago when Arizona enacted its "universal recognition" bill last April. Pennsylvania became the second state to enact universal recognition in late July of 2019. This year, more than a dozen states, including Nebraska, saw legislation introduced (although none passed yet) which would create...
Taxpayers would receive a mailed notice of proposed property tax increases.
A recent analysis by the Archbridge Institute found that in neighboring Iowa, occupational licensing requirements added between 1993 and 2012 was associated with a 4.7% reduction in economic mobility and a 10.9% increase in income inequality. Growth in occupational licensing is associated with fewer opportunities for workers to earn more than their parents and a...
Today (Tuesday, February 25) marks Day 30 of Nebraska's 60-day legislative session this year. Halfway there. In reality, probably a little over halfway, because Speaker Scheer has typically tried to close the session out between days 57 and 59. If you look at the Legislative Calendar found here, you'll see that Day 59 falls on...
Policymakers should not be satisfied with this ranking for the state's business climate.
Is the Legislature leaving the property tax issue up to voters?
Sometimes, circumstances remind me of songs, and the John Lennon song "Imagine" came to mind as I was reading the articles I link to below. This article popped up in my Google alerts yesterday. It appears that a couple of legislators in Tennessee have decided to float a very bold idea: Tennessee lawmakers introduced two...
On Thursday, I testified on two bills before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee of the Nebraska Legislature. The first one I testified on was Senator Andrew La Grone's (LD49) LB1187, which would provide for "universal recognition" of occupational licenses of people who move to Nebraska from other states. A nice write up of...