Chairman Harr and Members of the Business and Labor Committee: The Lincoln Independent Business Association, a member-organization comprised of more than 1,300 businesses, expresses its opposition to LB 1089. At the outset, we believe it important to acknowledge that as of January 1, 2016, Nebraska’s minimum wage for all employees is $9.00 per hour. Although employees who earn a portion of their wages from gratuities may be paid $2.13 an hour, state law requires businesses …
Chairman Gloor and Members of the Revenue Committee: The Lincoln Independent Business Association offers its opposition to LB 671. Enacted in 2011, the Build Nebraska Act took major strides toward recommitting our focus on our state’s infrastructure needs. After years of difficulty in keeping up with the maintenance and construction of vital transportation projects, cities and counties have struggled to meet traffic and transportation demands. The Unicameral’s efforts through LB 84 have helped many cities …
Chairman Gloor and Members of the Revenue Committee: The Board of Directors of the Lincoln Independent Business Association (LIBA), on behalf of its more than 1,300 member businesses, offers its support for LB 717. The property tax burden placed on Nebraskans may be one of the largest issues facing Nebraska families and businesses, and we believe this bill will work to address it. We appreciate the fact that this bill will apply to valuations for …
Chairman Gloor and members of the Revenue Committee: I appear today on behalf of the Lincoln Independent Business Association, or LIBA, and it’s more than 1,300 Lincoln business members in a neutral position on LB 884. I testify neutrally because we have reservations about one particular aspect of the bill. Specifically, we have minor concerns about the added provision that would allow the City of Lincoln to utilize 10% of the sales tax turned back …
Chairwoman Sullivan and Members of the Education Committee: LIBA is a member organization comprised of more than 1,300 Lincoln businesses that advocates for issues that affect businesses and the communities in which they operate. With our members being both taxpayers and often parents, part of our focus, then, includes the work done by our local school districts and the success of our students. LIBA determines its focus and priorities through the work of committees, and …
Chairman Harr and Members of the Business and Labor Committee: On behalf of the more than 1,300 business members of the Lincoln Independent Business Association, I appear today in opposition to LB 850, which establishes a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program. While we understand that Senator Crawford’s proposal in its current form does not place direct costs on businesses by way of monetary contributions to this insurance pool, we offer our opposition in …
Chairman Gloor and members of the Committee: I appear today on behalf of more than 1,300 Lincoln businesses in support of LB 723 and LB 724. LIBA believes these two proposals help to provide a more equitable approach to sales taxes for businesses that collect this important revenue on behalf of the State. In our increasingly digital age, businesses and consumers alike have begun to rely heavily on both plastic payment and electronic options as …
(LINCOLN, NE) – Today, the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Independent Business Association (LIBA) announced its support of LB 992, which places limits on the amount of debt Nebraska municipalities can acquire through the use of installment contracts and accompanying certificates of participation (COP) bonds. The bill, introduced by State Senator Laura Ebke, would establish a maximum amount of debt for such contracts and bonds at $25 million, and would require any political subdivisions …
The following are the legislative priorities identified by the LIBA Board of Directors for the 2016 session of the Nebraska Unicameral: Eliminate the Personal Property Tax on Nebraska Businesses. The Legislature’s efforts last year to reduce the personal property tax were a big first step. The implementation of LB 259’s reduction will result in an average of $162 in savings per personal property tax payer. But the complete elimination of the personal property tax is …
(LINCOLN, NE) – A few weeks ago, Mayor Beutler announced finalists for the position of Lincoln Fire Chief. As the hiring process continues, the Lincoln Independent Business Association would like to remind the Mayor that this administration’s actions related to fire department management and expansion will be watched closely throughout the coming year to ensure that taxpayers are not the losers in a drawn out political chess match. Whoever is hired for the position must …