LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers included a dose of abortion politics in a package of tax cut bills this week, voting to offer income tax credits to people donating to crisis pregnancy centers. But it remains to be seen if LB937 can survive the next two rounds of consideration, given the state’s fiscal constraints. In regard to the first round of debate, the bill advanced 40-0.

Legislators said they would vote to keep the package alive until the Legislature gets an updated cost estimate for it, then start the process of deciding what measures the state can afford. Lawmakers have room to increase spending or cut taxes by about $20 million per year before sending the budget into the red.

If every bill that has cleared at least one round of debate were to pass, the state general fund would be nearly $370 million in the hole by June 30, 2027, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. That total does not include the cost of LB 937 or bills awaiting first-round debate. The bill includes 12 other bills, with the biggest concern being $2 million for tax credits to benefit people who donate to crisis pregnancy centers.

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