OMAHA- State Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne shared their support on Tuesday for city officials to establish an inland port authority, arguing that it would help coordinate economic development efforts in their districts. In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill Wayne had introduced allowing up to five inland port authorities to be set up in the state, with a handful of those already established.

An inland port authority is an area controlled by an independent board that can engage in marketing, issue and sell bonds, and acquire property. Both lawmakers said that such a board would help to ensure that appropriated funds meant for underserved areas of Omaha are utilized for that purpose.

In a press release, Wayne and McKinney urged the state's executive branch to support the City of Omaha in pursuing this endeavor, and expressed their support for future legislation that would reappropriate funds from the Department of Economic Development to the authority, should it be established.

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