INTERIM STUDY: RESOLUTIONS OF INTEREST TO TAXPAYERS

NTF worksheet: legwatch112.doc. 5-16.
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM WORKSHEET:
INTERIM STUDY RESOLUTIONS OF INTEREST TO TAXPAYERS.

BACKGROUND. Every legislative session, state senators initiate interim study resolutions to provide public hearings on legislation that did not win passage in that session or address issues that they believe merit public discussion before introduction as bills in the following session. NTF has selected a number of resolutions that should attract attention from conservative taxpayers. Legislative committee chairmen arrange hearings during the summer and autumn at which both senators and citizens can voice opinions or send written testimony. Sometimes, a chairman will arrange for a meeting in each congressional district, other times only one meeting at the State Capitol in Lincoln. Infrequently, a chairman may shelve an interim resolution, purposely depriving the public of an opportunity to offer opinions.

LIST OF INTERIM STUDY RESOLUTIONS:
*LR 464: Groene. To examine the use of tax-increment financing by municipalities. The original intent of TIFs meant to aid in revitalizing depressed and blighted urban and rural properties. However, now cities use it to attract commercial and residential development in non-blighted areas, allowing developers to utilize TIFs to avoid paying property taxes on these properties for several years. Sen. Groene seeks to restore TIFs to their original intent.
*LR 498: Johnson. To examine promoting a NE Right to Farm Act in our state constitution. Animal rights and ecology kooks around the nation are harassing farmers by wrongly alleging that they are harming their farm animals and destroying the land with their agricultural practices. Legislation would prevent these radicals from harassing NE farmers with either demonstrations or legislation.
*LR 511: Davis. To examine present laws governing the collection of sales and use taxes on Internet purchases. Liberal senators want to expand the state sales tax to cover additional goods and services bought over the Internet. Conservatives want to eliminate theses taxes on purchases to save consumers money and relieve businesses from complex computation of taxes applied to buyers in many different states.
*LR 512: Business Comm. To examine the Commission of Industrial Relations. The CIR regularly sides with labor unions in salary and benefit disputes, costing taxpayers much more when government subdivisions must sharply increase wages and benefits for union employees. NTF wants the Legislature to eliminate the CIR, so that labor disputes become resolved locally (see NTF issue paper).
*LR 527: Schumacher. To examine reforms to the state mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Liberal senators want to erase mandatory minimum sentences in order to save on prison costs. This strategy from recent like legislation has loosed violent criminals on unsuspecting society, resulting in additional murders, robberies, and other mayhem.
*LR 534: Haar. To examine the extent that the state invests funds in fossil fuels and the feasibility of divestment in companies marketing fossil fuels. This resolution is a blatant attempt to build a case for legislation to force the State of Nebraska to divest all funds in profitable companies mentioned above and force Nebraskans to depend on less reliable energy sources like wind power. Coal represents about 64% of current NE energy use.
*LR 552: Haar. To develop a plan to address funding and budget issues relating to climate change. Sen. Haar, a radical environmentalist, seeks to waste taxpayer dollars on bogus, alarmist climate change issues, his agenda thoroughly debunked by credible scientists.
*LR 563: Garrett. To study the reasons for the high tax rates on cell phone service in NE. Our state has one of the highest tax rates on cell phones in the entire U.S. Subsidizing phone service for isolated residents causes this outrageous taxation.
*LR 564: Pansing Brooks. To examine NE education. Although the sponsor is liberal, this hearing presents a splendid opportunity for NTF members to lobby for the benefits of public charter schools (see NTF issue paper).
*LR 581: Kintner. To examine the positive and negative effects of federal education funding, if our state chooses to not accept federal funds tied to unpalatable mandates. The leftist Obama Regime frequently threatens to cut off federal education funding for states that refuse to buckle under and accept despicable mandates such as requiring transgender bathrooms.
*LR 582: Riepe. To study how, through better coordination of services, NE can better aid poor individuals currently without insurance for health services. Liberal senators each session attempt to expand Medicaid to additional recipients, which would cost taxpayers millions. Better solutions are health savings accounts (HSAs) and stripping regulations to allow additional and reasonable options for the poor.
*LR 597: Murante. To study financing means available to political subdivisions to issue bonds or assume future payment obligations without a vote of taxpayers. Bruised by taxpayers voting down recent bond issues like the Papio NRD $91 million scam, liberal senators now want to give taxing authorities the privilege of unilaterally issuing bonds that would raise property taxes, without popular voter consent.
*LR 600: Johnson. To examine alternatives for valuing agricultural land for property tax purposes. NE farmers and ranchers have seen much lower crop and livestock prices while their property valuations have soared, even at the current 75% of market value. NTF has a rural tax reform plan ready to publicize.

TAKE ACTION. NTF will alert members after committee chairmen announce public hearings for the above interim resolutions. We urge members to either publicly testify or send emails or letters to committee members hearing the resolutions, urging them to act to the benefit of taxpayers and consumers.

Research, analysis, and documentation for this worksheet done by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, with express prior permission granted for its use by other groups in the NE Conservative Coalition Network. 5-16.