LINCOLN- Lawmakers are gearing up for a special session later this year but on Thursday they celebrated the end of a session in which they “successfully hit the reset button,” according to Speaker Arch. The Legislature sent more than 370 bills to Gov. Jim Pillen this year, including “good government policies” to grow Nebraska’s workforce, economy and communities; support families and K-12 education; reform the criminal justice system; and improve Nebraskans’ physical and mental well-being.

Pillen similarly applauded lawmakers for approving a health care proposal that could bring about $1.4 billion to Nebraska hospitals as well as enhancing child care options, creating incentives for businesses to attract out-of-state workers and authorizing small school districts to better protect students “by training good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns.”

Much of Pillen’s speech to the full Legislature, however, focused on what he described as late-stage failures in declining to take a final vote on property tax relief. He said senators offered “not a penny” more of relief; the bill was pulled from the floor earlier in the day after it appeared to be in jeopardy of failing. The governor sought to reduce property taxes by 40% this year, and he said that’s still the goal, vowing to call “as many sessions as it takes” to get tax relief in 2024. He marked the period as halftime, with the second half to go.

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