This week, the Government Committee will hear the last of our GOAT (Government Oversight, Accountability, and Transparency) bills. LB662, carried by Senator Andersen, is identified as a “Federal Funds Inventory.” The bill would require annual reporting of federal funds received by agencies participating in the state budget process. The report would require the agency to...
Today, district school boundaries determine where kids go to school and in return, their educational outcomes. This process in Nebraska separates families and kids from educational options that may better suit their needs in the public-school setting. Unfortunately, in Nebraska, students and families may be turned away from another district if they decide their neighborhood...
Nebraskans want property tax relief, and lawmakers continue to seek options to deliver tax relief without fueling local government overspending. And unlike in the flush revenue years of 2021-2023, lawmakers also face tightening budgets in upcoming fiscal years. One option for property tax relief is to continue removing smaller property tax levies altogether. For example,...
Nebraska policymakers have been focused on property tax relief for 5 years, and for good reason. According to Tax Foundation’s most recent analysis, Nebraska’s property taxes are the eighth-highest in the country and higher than any neighboring state. Tax Foundation calculated Nebraska’s average effective property tax rate to be 1.44% in 2022. This rate is...
The Platte Institute has joined with six state senators to roll out a package of bills aimed at modernizing and streamlining Nebraska’s regulatory environment to be as efficient and accountable as possible. The GOAT (an acronym for Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency) is a bipartisan effort of senators representing urban and rural districts around the...
Nebraska’s Revenue Committee faces an unusual challenge this year. Federal lawmakers are likely to change the federal tax code in ways that will impact Nebraska’s revenue streams, and the federal changes will occur during the legislative session. Speaker Mike Johnson announced his intent to pass President Trump’s budgetary agenda within 100 days through the budgetary...
The Platte Institute’s Legislative Issue Guide for the 109th Legislature provides a concise and up-to-date public policy guide for state and local policymakers. The topics included in this guide reflect public policy best practices targeted at reducing barriers to economic opportunity in the 2025-26 biennium and beyond. To download the full Legislative Issue Guide for...
Nebraska’s 2023 income tax reforms are the Cornhusker State’s ultimate tax reform achievement of the last generation. Governor Pillen and Nebraska lawmakers secured a permanent, transformational reform that would qualify as a crowning achievement on any lawmaker’s legacy. It was the type of achievement that lawmakers wait a whole career to accomplish. As Platte Institute wrote...
Nebraska’s tangible personal property tax (TPP) needs to be reformed. Nebraska ranks 45th in the nation for overall property tax competitiveness, and TPP is one of the culprits for Nebraska’s uncompetitive property tax system. Tangible personal property (TPP) includes the machinery, equipment, fixtures, and supplies that businesses use to conduct business. Unlike real property, which...
Nebraska lawmakers imposed a property tax cap in LB 34, which was passed during the 2024 summer special session. The property tax cap allows cities and counties to raise property taxes by 0% or inflation, whichever is greater. So far, so good. But not all inflation measures are created equally. In fact, the metric LB...
As we approached the 2025 Legislative session, the Platte Institute commissioned some polling to see whether Nebraskans were with us on one of our 2025 priorities: regulatory modernization and reform. We asked questions similar to those asked in a survey another policy institute asked in Wisconsin, found here. We wanted to compare the results in...
Nebraska needs school choice, which empowers families to select what is best for them, creates pressure on all schools to improve, and fosters harmony among diverse people. To best serve Nebraskans, the amount of choice needs to be much greater than what the state has tried to date. First, because choice is something that all...
Nebraska’s Corporation Occupation Tax is a business tax levied upon a business’ net worth in Nebraska rather than the business’ profitability. This form of property taxation is generally known as a capital stock tax, and is calculated based upon the value of capital within the state. The Corporation Occupation Tax funds the Nebraska Secretary of...