       Nebraska State Senator John Stinner of Gering, chairman of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee, says the state ended the current fiscal year with a record growth in revenue.
       Stinner told the Scottsbluff-Gering Rotary Club on Tuesday that state revenue was over 15% more than last year when the fiscal year ended on June 30.
He credited about 2/3rds of the increase to funds from the federal government’s COVID-19 relief and stimulus packages with the remaining 5% growth the result of the country coming out of pandemic protocols this spring.
Stinner said he’s cautioning his fellow senators against looking at the increased revenue as meaning they can increase state spending significantly in the next budget.
He pointed to spending commitments already made by the Legislature and potential future fiscal pitfalls, including inflation and increased Medicaid cost as coverage expands and the state population ages.