LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a compromise package to soften the impact of local property tax increases, preserve tax incentives for businesses, and commit as much as $300 million dollar in state money to a proposed disaster response facility in Omaha.
The measure won first-round approval Wednesday just days before this year’s legislative session is scheduled to end and one day after it was crafted and passed by the Unicameral Revenue Committee.
. Lawmakers struck the last-minute deal even though a lot of them said they didn’t like much of the package and others complained that it was being rushed through.
Several rural senators said the property tax portion would only slow the rate of increases for some homeowners, farmers and business owners.