Nebraska lawmakers have given final approval to a bill seen as something of a compromise between Governor Jim Pillen and the state’s tourism industry.
Pillen wanted to end the status of the Nebraska Tourism Commission as an independent agency and bring it back into the Dept of Economic Development with the commission just an advisory board – a change opposed by tourism leaders.
Instead, LB 624 expands the Tourism Commission from 11 to 13 members by including the DED director and a representative of the state chamber of commerce. The bill passed final round debate on Thursday by a 41-1 margin..
Chief sponsor Senator Mike McDonnell of Omaha said he agrees with the governor that better communication is needed between two agencies that handle similar issues, and thinks his bill does that by keeping tourism independent.
McDonnell also said he introduced the bill because he didn’t like the state tourism slogan the commission picked 5 years ago – “Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone.”
Governor Pillen raised the same complaint in his State of the State address, but the commission said a short time later that the slogan was being dropped, although director John Ricks emphasized it was already planned because it was time for a change.
The lone no on the final vote came for another Omaha Senator, Justin Wayne, who said he’s against the current structure of the tourism commission and feels it needs a wider range of members in terms of regions, perspectives, and diversity of thought.