Success in the Legislature

-- from the desk of Jon Bailey, Director Rural Research and Analysis Program
Center for Rural Affairs

May 26, 2005

In late March and early April we had a guest opinion that appeared in many newspapers across the state entitled “Building A New Rural Economy in Nebraska.”

In case you did not have the opportunity to read it, we said that the Legislature and the Governor had an opportunity to begin to create an economy in rural Nebraska that worked for all – an economy built on mobilization of local and regional resources and an economy that built on entrepreneurship.

All the Legislature and Governor had to do was adopt and make law a few bills:

* LB 273, the Building Entrepreneurial Communities Act
* LB 28, the Endow Nebraska Act
* LB 71, reauthorizing the value-added grant program
* Increasing the state appropriation for the Nebraska Microenterprise Partnership Fund
* LB 309, the Micoenterprise Tax Credit Act

Well, how did we do?

* LB 273 and LB 71 were rolled into the LB 90 rural economic development package that was signed into law today by the Governor
* LB 309 was included in the LB 312 tax incentive reform package that was signed into law by the Governor today
* The additional funding for the Nebraska Microenterprise Partnership Fund was included in the final budget approved by the Governor earlier this week
* LB 28 is awaiting a final round vote and should be approved by the Legislature next week

While some of these new (and re-authorized) programs will likely directly benefit the Center, more importantly they will benefit many rural people and communities across the state.

Thanks to all who contributed to this effort. Congratulations for a job well done!