(KTNC) -- Taxes will be a focal point when the Nebraska Legislature opens its session Wednesday in Lincoln.
First District State Senator Dan Watermeier is entering his second year in the Unicameral. He expects there will be a lot of discussion about taxes in the wake of meetings the Tax Modernization Committee held across the state last year.
In addition to taxes, water will be an issue this year. Sen. Watermeier was a member of the Water Policy Funding Task Force, which held 22 meetings across the state. The committee identified $50 million in water-related projects that need to be funded annually in Nebraska.
Watermeier says the committee identified several possible ways to fund those projects. One is to devote a portion of the existing state sales tax to water projects, which would generate $32 million a year. Another is to tax water users, including ethanol, or a tax on bottled water and soda pop.
Another topic Watermeier says he’s interested in is reform of the state’s juvenile justice system and prison overcrowding, based on his service on the Performance and Audit Committee, which has discussed the issue.
The legislature is scheduled to meet for 60 days. Seventeen senators are serving their final year in the legislature due to term limits.
© MSC News
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