LINCOLN- Three bills introduced to the legislature during the special session would bring relief to Nebraskan homeowners based on how long they've owned a home in the state. State Senator Mike McDonnell of Omaha introduced Legislative Bill 75, which would exempt certain homeowners from paying property taxes after 40 years of homeownership in Nebraska, and LB 77, which offers property tax relief for the portion paid to the local school district for homeowners who have lived in the same house for at least 10 years. “I think you should be able to sit on your porch one day of your life and say, ‘I truly own my home, and I’m no longer a partner in paying rent to the government in the form of property tax,’” McDonnell said.

State Senator Julie Slama of Dunbar brought a package of 16 constitutional amendments to the legislature which would limit the taxing and spending authority of local and state governments with private lawsuits approved as sanctions to enforce the provision. The bill can be voted on packaged together or individually, but Nebraska's Supreme Court has recently been strictly enforcing the state Constitution's single-subject requirement for ballot measures. Slama has based her proposal on Colorado law due to her opinion that the hard caps on spending in Pillen's plan can easily be worked around.

Among the rest of the 81 bills introduced were two from Omaha State Senators Justin Wayne and Terrell McKinney that would legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults ages 21 and older. Wayne's LB 52 would set guidelines for the growth, testing, manufacturing, distributing, selling, and oversight of marijuana in Nebraska. McKinney's LB71 would create a regulatory regime and taxation for the product. These bills only scratch the surface of what's been introduced during Nebraska's special legislative session.

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