Being the Eyes and Ears for Local Business
The Nebraska Legislature completed their redistricting process and many of us will be voting in different districts for many political subdivisions than we currently vote in. Following the Legislature’s process, now the City, County, School Board, and Natural Resource Districts will all be setting their boundaries. Stay tuned and follow how those districts change. Many of us will be figuring out our new representatives.
Looking ahead to the 2022 Legislative Session, the Lincoln Independent Business Association has been reviewing past priorities and considering new priorities to focus on in the upcoming session. Each year going through this process, we hold several different discussions in our committees to review the issues that are meaningful and important for businesses in Lincoln and Lancaster County. One issue LIBA has been advocating for several years was the South Beltway. The construction and advancement of the South Beltway brings great optimism about future growth in Lincoln and Lancaster County. When the South Beltway is completed in the next few years, I am confident we will see growth in commercial, industrial, and residential development. Thinking beyond the completion of the South Beltway, now is the time to be having the discussion about keeping the infrastructure development going forward and build the East Beltway immediately following the South Beltway completion.
Through our committee meetings, LIBA has been engaging in several discussions related to the tax structure and how changes to the structure may impact business. We continue to listen to proposals on taxing structure and are committed to having influence with all political subdivisions as they look at changes to taxation. We know the important role LIBA plays in being the advocate and voice for business in Lincoln and Lancaster County. We will continue reviewing proposals relevant to taxes and make sure to inform local business owners of how these proposals may impact them. We plan to host forums for business owners to hear more about taxes and how changes are going to impact business in our community.
Another major piece of our work at LIBA is to monitor legislation which is introduced within all political subdivisions. Tracking the proposed legislation and understanding the impact on business is essential to support our members and the business community. We continually monitor the budgets of the city, county, schools, legislature, and other political subdivisions. Why is this important to business? First off, most business owners don’t have the time to review and do a deep dive into each of these budgets. LIBA invests thousands of hours each year reviewing policies, proposed legislation and budgets to inform business and serve as the voice of small business. When previewing these budgets and policies, our focus is always on how this will impact business in our community. Continue to watch for more information in the coming months from LIBA on policies and issues we must tackle to help business grow and prosper in a post-pandemic world.
When the Legislature convenes again in January, there will probably be upwards of 700 bills introduced. In Nebraska, that means 700 public hearings on bills and debate during the sixty-day session. Lots of legislation to be reviewed to determine the impact it will have on business. LIBA will continue to keep you informed of the legislation being considered and provide evaluation of how those bills will impact your business. With a short session ahead in 2022, it is hard to tell how many bills will be introduced in the Legislature and how many bills will get through the process of being passed into law. Stay tuned for many more updates in the weeks and months ahead.