OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (12/20/24)

$2 billion Idaho schools will receive the second installment of payments this month designed to fix school buildings in serious disrepair after the state voted to authorize $2 billion in funds for such projects in March. The vote came after a scathing ProPublica report about how decades of neglect made schools unsafe and far from […]

Making Our List and Checking it Twice: OpenSky’s Holiday Recap 

It’s been an incredibly busy year at OpenSky, navigating the regular legislative session, saying goodbye to legislators who will not be returning in January, navigating the heat (both literal and figurative!) in a July special session, helping to defeat one of the largest tax shifts in Nebraska history, linking arms with partners to support continued […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (12/13/24)

100,000 Prior to an injunction earlier this week, Health and Human Services officials expected 100,000 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to become eligible to purchase a marketplace plan created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). DACA, passed in 2012 and subsequently reauthorized, allowed individuals who were brought to the United […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (12/6/24)

75% Nebraska voters sent a clear message in last month’s election on paid sick leave, approving ballot measure 436 by a staggering 50-point margin, with nearly 75% of Nebraskans voting to pass the measure. Similar successful initiatives in Alaska and Missouri could signal support for nationwide policies regarding paid sick leave, even in traditionally conservative […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (11/22/24)

$432 million On Wednesday, Nebraska’s Tax Rate Review Committee projected a $432 million budget shortfall for the upcoming FY26-FY27 biennium, nearly $490 million below what was expected after the conclusion of the 2024 special session in August. The Legislature will set the budget for the upcoming biennium in 2025. The Committee’s report cites three main […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (11/15/24)

$1.1 billion Iowa legislators will navigate a $1.1 billion budget shortage when they convene in January, largely driven by an aggressive income tax cut and a school voucher program that has eclipsed initial budget estimates. The 3.8% flat tax stands to benefit the wealthiest Iowans far more than low and middle-income families, according to analysis […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (11/1/24)

$7.69 billion Economists estimate that Nebraska’s 2024 farm income will reach $7.69 billion, which would reflect a 17% year-over-year decrease, but rank as the third highest on record, according to the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who joined forces with the Rural & Farm Policy Analysis Center at the University of […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (10/25/24)

$3.2 Billion A recent study released by the Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimates that the cost of tumultuous engagement with the country’s K-12 public schools reached $3.2 billion in the 2023-2024 school year. They distinguish this type of conflict from genuine democratic discussion and deliberation, which […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (10/11/24)

81% A study released by Pew Research Center last month reported that 81% of voters surveyed indicated that the economy is among the most important issues they consider in the presidential election. The list also included Health Care in a distant second place at 65%, Supreme Court appointments at 63%, Foreign Policy at 62% and […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (10/4/24)

$553.5 million As a regular part of the two-year state budget process, Nebraska’s code agencies (state agencies who report directly to the Governor) recently submitted their FY26/FY27 budget requests. This is a preliminary step in the development of the budget proposal that the Governor will introduce to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee at the start of […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (9/27/24)

$4.4 billion  Today is National Tourism Day, and according to the U.S. Travel Association, Nebraska business and leisure travel generated $376 million in 2022, the last year state-level data was made available. Compare that with Kansas, where $673 million was generated, South Dakota at $220 million or the king of tourism, California, which added $10.1 […]

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (9/20/24)

1,351 Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley issued a 26-page advisory letter warning state and local lawmakers about the potential consequences of rapidly increasing use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds across the state. TIF projects allow developers to “freeze” property valuations on a parcel that would otherwise be unattractive for development, defined as  “blighted” or […]