Washington County Republican Party

Any time Democrats are put in charge the fiscal health of a state is ruined.

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Link to full size 2015 Legislative Scorecard

Gateway

District 16 State Senator Lydia Brasch scored 100% conservative on 7 key legislative votes so far during the 2015 Nebraska Legislature session, putting her squarely in-line with Governor Ricketts and other conservative senators on these issues. Senators scoring 0% conservative were in-line with liberal Democrats who voted almost lockstep in unison on this scorecard.

Weekly Session Update – May 11, 2015

Another week has flown by at the Legislature with the completion of Day 77 on May 7. There are only 13 session days left, with many major issues remaining on the agenda such as the budget, prison and corrections reform, and property tax relief.

The budget advanced through second round of debate on Wednesday. While much of the debate on the budget may occur during final reading and after line-item vetoes by the Governor, some concerns have been raised. For instance, there was extended discussion regarding an $8 million appropriation to Creighton University for the construction of a dental clinic. The debate focused on whether public tax dollars should be solely disbursed for this private institution. The appropriation was amended to provide eligibility for funding to the University of Nebraska’s dental college as well.

A recent announcement by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board was good news. It was anticipated the Forecasting Board would announce a shortfall in projected tax revenues requiring budget cuts, but instead the Board announced a $12 million increase. Thankfully, the additional revenues were allotted for further property tax relief within the budget.

While the decision to provide increased property tax relief was a prudent move, I remain disappointed by the passage of LB610. LB610 hikes the motor vehicle gas tax by six cents over the next four years. LB610 was advanced to the Governor who immediately vetoed the bill. LB610 needs thirty votes to override the Governor’s veto.
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