The Nebraska Legislature has completed more than a third of its 2014 session of 60 legislative days. Most of that time was devoted to morning floor debate on legislation carried over from last year and to afternoon committee hearings on bills newly introduced this year.
Legislators will have been in session for 18 consecutive week days by the time they take a four-day weekend for Valentine’s Day and President’s Day. It would be a stretch to say that accomplishments matched the time spent. Then again, it’s not necessarily a negative effect when the legislative process moves slowly, although pressure will build to pass more bills.
A key day upcoming will be Feb. 20. It’s the deadline for designation of senator and committee priority bills. The priority-designation period opened this week. As those bills are advanced from the committees, they will begin to appear on the daily agendas for the full Legislature.
Catholic testimony
LB 675 had its hearing, but appears unlikely to be advanced by the Revenue Committee or to be designated a priority. It’s the bill introduced by Senator Ernie Chambers that proposes to terminate the eligibility of any property that is both owned by a religious organization and used predominantly for religious purposes for exemption from ad valorem taxation.
The public hearing on LB 675 was not complex or stirring. Senator Chambers introduced the bill and spent a half-hour or so presenting his own theological musings on the Scripture-based “Tribute Episode” (“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s….”) and talking about why churches don’t deserve tax exemptions. One witness, representing an organization of secularists, testified in support of the bill.
The only testimony in opposition to the bill was presented on behalf of the Catholic Diocesan Bishops in their affiliation as the Nebraska Catholic Conference. No other denominations were represented, even though a public record was being created. Apparently they take for granted the permissive public policy that has existed for more than a century.
Excerpts from the Catholic Conference testimony follow. The full text is on the NCC’s website: www.nebcathcon.org:
“There is no compelling or sufficient reason to terminate this traditional exemption, which is so firmly grounded in meeting human needs and serving the common good.
“Churches are not just ongoing associations of faith and spirituality; they are anchors; a beneficial and stabilizing influence in community life of all sorts. Through their dedication to, and facilitation of, worship, prayer, faith-study and fellowship, they help their members find meaning in life…. Perhaps even more significantly, churches are reservoirs and resources of hope, hope not just for the future, but hope in the face of so many new and ongoing challenges and struggles. Hope that often overcomes despair, bitterness and resentment. These are incalculable values for personal lives, family and societal relationships and the common good.
“Churches are voluntary associations of individuals and families, who already pay taxes individually and as households. They associate and assemble, not to evade taxes, but to worship and pray, study the tenets of their faith, enrich their morality and spirituality and engage in mission and ministry. They should not be taxed again for the time, effort, interest and money they contribute to the facilitation of these collective activities.
“Many churches, especially in older neighborhoods, low-income neighborhoods and rural communities, would be greatly and unjustly burdened by the added demands of property taxes and already-tight budgets. What’s more, the power to tax is, in the long run, the power to control or suppress. Such tax burdens could suppress the freedom to exercise religion freely, as well as the opportunity and ability to render unto God what is God’s.”
Immigration reform
On another matter, 14 legislators, led by Senator John Wightman from Lexington, introduced Legislative Resolution 399, which urges Nebraska’s delegation in the U.S. House and Senate to act vigorously to enact comprehensive immigration reform.
Such reform, according to LR 399, should update the nation’s immigration system. It should “recognize the need to protect the borders of the United States, maintain respect for the law, embody fairness, and protect families.” It should “protect agriculture, small businesses, and working Nebraskans and facilitate increases in the labor market and professions necessary to protect rural communities from further economic decline.”
Immigration policy is a federal jurisdiction and there is not much a state legislature can do about reforming it. But an encouraging resolution is something that can be done. It is symbolic, but significant. It would be even more significant if each state legislator would call each member of Nebraska’s Congressional delegation and personally urge action to accomplish just, meaningful, common-sense immigration reform.
LR 399 had a public hearing recently in front of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. It can be advanced to the full Legislature to be discussed and adopted. It deserves that attention.
Bipartisan Co-sponsors
And finally….. LB 857 must be a really good bill. It certainly has some uniqueness, including 37 co-sponsors. But even more, from the perspective of political philosophies, bills are few and far between on which one finds names such as these joined in offering a policy proposal: Lathrop, McGill, Mello, Nordquist, Avery, Bolz, Crawford and Kolowski from the left leaning; Kintner, Janssen, Brasch, McCoy, Bloomfield, Christensen, Watermeier and Schilz from the right-leaning. Surely the Capitol is quivering.
