Now that the Appropriations Committee has completed numerous days of budget briefings, we look forward to the next step; the preliminary budget. This will be published by the Legislative Fiscal Office in the coming days and will show what the Committee has done regarding the Governor’s recommendations. Looking ahead, the Appropriations hearings are set to begin next week on Tuesday, February 18th.These hearings will be crucial, as they focus on the state's budgeting priorities and fiscal planning for the upcoming year.
Speaker Arch is expected to open with Legislative Bills 260 - 264, referred to as the Appropriations Package, at the request of the Governor. LB 261 is part of the Governor's biennial budget recommendations. This bill is the mainline appropriations and capital construction bill for the biennium that begins on July 1, 2025, and ends on June 30, 2027. Legislative Bills 262 & 263 provide appropriations for the salaries of members of the Nebraska Legislature and constitutional officers each year of the biennium, while LB 264 provides for fund transfers, changes provisions governing the administration and use of funds, and repeals previous expansions to aid and incentive programs.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I’m aware of the difficult decisions we face in balancing the state’s needs while managing its fiscal health. The Governor will share his budget testimony with the Committee on Thursday February 20th.The Governor’s recommendation includes legislation to reverse 20 incentive expansions that reduce state revenue by $142 million. On April 29, Day 70, the budget will be introduced and deliberated by members of the Legislature.
