LB 500 is now on the agenda

Post by **Coyote** » Fri May 06, 2005 8:05 pm

LB 500 (The Cabela's Bill) has finally made the Legislature's Agenda for Monday. Everyone knows that Ernie Chambers is against this bill and that he has been targeting numerous bills with floor amendments and filibustering so this should be an interesting next few sessions.

jcitta · Post by **jcitta** » Sat May 07, 2005 4:23 pm

I am glad they are going to get to it.........hopefully Chambers wont be too annoying...

Post by **Coyote** » Sun May 08, 2005 12:30 pm

Job growth update for state sought

Omaha World Herald wrote:"We're not lagging in any sense," said Mark Vasina of Nebraskans for Peace. "It's a strong argument against digging further into tax revenues and throwing more money at incentives."

For the life of me I can't quite understand where an organization that promotes world peace would voice an opinion on Nebraska's economy.

OmahaDevelopmentMan · Post by **OmahaDevelopmentMan** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:19 pm

Coyote wrote:
Omaha World Herald wrote:"We're not lagging in any sense," said Mark Vasina of Nebraskans for Peace. "It's a strong argument against digging further into tax revenues and throwing more money at incentives."
For the life of me I can't quite understand where an organization that promotes world peace would voice an opinion on Nebraska's economy.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Aparently the college professors and business owners couldn't do an interview for that article.

Post by **Coyote** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:01 pm

LB 500 is on the floor right now and Chambers has threatened to stall for the rest of this session. Right now he is testing the legislature by bracketing this bill until after the session is over. They need 33 votes to put this on cloture.

jcitta · Post by **jcitta** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:44 pm

Coyote, I am very impressed with your knowledge on this stuff.....do u think that it will pass given Chambers stubborness?

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:48 pm

Watch it live...

http://www.unicam.state.ne.us/videos/live.htm

The idiot from Elkhorn argued (on Scheels behalf) that retailers the size of Cabelas are already investing in Nebraska without incentives. Also suggesting that only Nebraska money would be spent, rather than tourist money. I'd argue who cares, let's start by keeping OUR money here. It's the casino issue all over again.

Post by **Coyote** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:54 pm

One sticking point now seems to be the 'unfair advantage' to other retail businesses. Sen Synowiecki appears to want to make sure this bill only allows incentives for entertainment projects. I can't judge from now how the votes will pan out.

scraper · Post by **scraper** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:23 pm

I think this bill should pass, but only if it is for strictly entertainment venues. Allow it for an amusement park, dowtown baseball stadium and the North Downtown entertainment district. But I don't think it should be used for pure retail destinations.

Why should Cabela's get to use tax incentives to build their building when Scheels was willing to spend their own money?

Post by **Coyote** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:27 pm

The motion to bracket until June 3rd lost 24-15 - not getting the 33 votes as the test was really for. This is going to take a lot of time to get through.

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:44 pm

Why should Cabela's get to use tax incentives to build their building when Scheels was willing to spend their own money?

Because Cabela's IS a tourist attraction and Scheel's is not. I don't understand the hunter/fisherman mentality... but there is no denying these stores bring in huge numbers of people.

I'll tell you something else. If this fails... Des Moines will likely get a Cabela's (probably by the Newton race track being proposed). I have no doubt Iowa will spend the money to bring them in.

jcitta · Post by **jcitta** » Tue May 10, 2005 4:12 pm

Exactly loyalomahan. Look at the Cabelas in KC. I know there are a lot of other attractions there, but I think that the powers that be that want to develop this area have this kind of thing in mind.

Post by **Coyote** » Tue May 10, 2005 5:24 pm

Chambers look like he will kill all the time today until recess (6:00 so they can vote). They voted down a motion to send this back to committee 24-14 I think it was. Not close to the 33 they need for cloture that Landis thinks he has. I now think this won't pass in this legislature - we will probably see this again next January.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:22 pm

I now think this won't pass in this legislature - we will probably see this again next January.

I'm not getting any younger you know...

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:10 am

All the more reason for us to have our own legislature.

But it won't matter because as we get bigger and the rest of the state gets smaller it will pretty much be the Omaha legislature.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:17 am

DTO Luv wrote:All the more reason for us to have our own legislature.

Well it is a Senator from Omaha (North Omaha D'Shawn - maybe even your Senator if are you in District 11) that is going to kill this bill. If not for Chambers this would have been sent to Select File this afternoon. The votes were/are there.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:25 am

Coyote wrote: Well it is a Senator from Omaha (North Omaha D'Shawn - maybe even your Senator if are you in District 11) that is going to kill this bill. If not for Chambers this would have been sent to Select File this afternoon. The votes were/are there.

Well I'm going to kill him. Or better yet run for State Senate. I might take the Republicans up on running for Ernies seat after he's out.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:30 am

DTO Luv wrote:Well I'm going to kill him. Or better yet run for State Senate. I might take the Republicans up on running for Ernies seat after he's out.

Can convicted felons run for state office?
Oh wait - you weren't charged with the bombing of the court house yet were you?

If the shoes don't fit - you have to acquit!

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:36 am

I'm almost serious. If this state is still run by retards in a few years (which is highly likely) I might look into running for something.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:37 am

Be careful now. Running for or running from?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:39 am

Probably both.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:50 am

Where is that Ayatolla D'Shawn campaign photo?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed May 11, 2005 1:23 am

I'd put it up but that's on my Nebraska City computer. Don't have my camera for a new one either.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 5:15 pm

Proposal to ban gay discrimination falls two votes short
Ernie is not having a very fun session.

sokkerdewd · Post by **sokkerdewd** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:19 pm

Coyote wrote:Proposal to ban gay discrimination falls two votes short
Ernie is not having a very fun session.

I'm amazed that this got the majority of the legislature backing it...even if it did fall short of the supermajority needed to add it to the budget.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:47 pm

sokkerdewd wrote:I'm amazed that this got the majority of the legislature backing it...even if it did fall short of the supermajority needed to add it to the budget.

I wonder how many senators voted for this because of Chambers. He allowed LB 312 to advance (he is not a big fan of tax incentives) only after Landis agreed to support his proposal.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 18, 2005 4:01 pm

Ernie again dug in the trenches today over LB 500 and it was bracketed until Monday so other bills can be considered. More opposition to the bill is arising. The way it came out of committee is another problem. It probably will be sent back.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Wed May 18, 2005 5:06 pm

This bill really needs to get through the breakers. The whole Mutual of Omaha development has got to be eyeing this as well.

Post by **Coyote** » Wed May 18, 2005 7:52 pm

Backers of tourism district bill regroup to fight again next week

Omaha World Herald wrote:The Legislature called a temporary cease-fire Wednesday in a bare-knuckles parliamentary fight over giving tax incentives to Cabela's and other retailers for "tourist-destination" development.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Wed May 18, 2005 9:51 pm

They, including Landis, really need to get past this over emphasis of Cabela's and recognize the other possibilities which exist in passing this bill (the World Herald certainly has done it's part to publicize them). They are also overly stuck on questioning whether there will be tourists drawn from outside the state or not. Well forget that... how about just keeping Nebraskans in the state (it's the casinos all over again)... instead of leaving them no choice but to go to Cabela's in KCKS or Adventureland, etc, etc.

Will · Post by **Will** » Wed May 18, 2005 11:27 pm

Isn't this Erine's last year?

Post by **Coyote** » Thu May 19, 2005 7:58 am

Will wrote:Isn't this Erine's last year?

2009 will be - unless they repeal the term limits.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:19 am

jhuston wrote:They, including Landis, really need to get past this over emphasis of Cabela's and recognize the other possibilities which exist in passing this bill (the World Herald certainly has done it's part to publicize them). They are also overly stuck on questioning whether there will be tourists drawn from outside the state or not. Well forget that... how about just keeping Nebraskans in the state (it's the casinos all over again)... instead of leaving them no choice but to go to Cabela's in KCKS or Adventureland, etc, etc.

Perhaps, and I'm just throwing this out here as an idea, they need to do a "pilot" version of this bill for one developer, so that the economic impact can be assessed for a couple years before opening it up to all developers and maybe they can move past this "Cabela's" tag, as you say. This is what happened in the Iowa Legislature this year, which was a prudent political choice, imo. (the merit of the project they approved, however, was questionable; again, just my opinion) I would recommend though that if they were to do that in NE, that they do it on a new business venture, not for an existing business looking to expand. I do think that "they" have a valid point about bringing tourists from outside state - granted, it may stem some flow of money out of the state, but what's more important for the state is to bring new money into the state, not try to keep an incremental fraction more from leaving.

Post by **Brad** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:40 pm

Fate of new Cabela's hangs

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=46&u_sid=1416668

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat May 21, 2005 7:41 pm

*Pulls out hair*

Bring...Cabella's...to...Omaha. Its not a dumb thing to do. As the article says, Cabella's is the number 1 or 2 tourist attraction in several states it occupies. Not only for Cabela's though, several big time destination attractions are riding on this bill. C'mon, as the Coach didn't say "What's good for Omaha is good for Scottsbluff"?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat May 21, 2005 8:49 pm

I believe it was the other way around.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat May 21, 2005 9:29 pm

Aye, seemingly it was. For some reason I thought he said 'what's good for scottsbluff is good for omaha and whats good for omaha is also good for scottsbluff."

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat May 21, 2005 10:15 pm

Bringing this up once again. Is there any way for Omaha to do stuff like this if the state doesn't want to. Why should we have to listen to them when we stand to gain so much.

Will · Post by **Will** » Sun May 22, 2005 10:49 am

When it comes to this state government I think I would almost rather be part of Iowa. Iowa does not seem to be as A$%backwards as our state government.

Post by **Coyote** » Tue May 24, 2005 6:56 pm

Nebraska's Legislature's agenda for tomorrow (5/25) lists the Final Readings for:

LB 312 (Adopt the Nebraska Advantage Act, the Nebraska Advantage Research and Development Act, the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit Act and adopt and change tax incentives, credits, exemptions, and refunds)

and

LB 546 (Adopt the Nebraska Opportunity Zone Act and create the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission)

LB 500 which was bracketed for 5/23 has yet to make the agenda. Tomorrow is day 85 out of a 90 day session.