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Kelsey Bergen
As we move through February and into March each year it is important to revisit the fact that the Nebraska Legislature is in session and touch base on how decisions made at the state level impact business at the local level.
Aurora Development Corporation (ADC) has an interest in monitoring the legislative session each year because there are many bills that can impact community growth and local businesses both positively and negatively. Since many of our businesses are occupied with running the daily operations for their business and don’t have time to monitor the legislature, this is where we help advocate on their behalf.
There are a significant number of business and development related bills introduced to the legislature each year and it would take a full-time job to understand and follow each bill. This is why ADC uses resources provided by the Nebraska State Chamber and Nebraska Economic Development Association to stay up to date with what is happening in Lincoln.
For 2024, the Nebraska State Chamber has identified the areas of tax modernization, workforce, and innovation as priority areas. For each of these priorities the state chamber has identified challenges that Nebraska is facing and an action plan or goals to overcome those challenges. For example, Nebraska ranks 33rd in manufacturing innovation in the nation, so a priority is to invigorate Nebraska’s tech transformation and accelerate investment that grows Nebraska’s statewide economy. As a result, the state chamber is supporting LB582, LB1023 and LB644 this session to increase innovation in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) takes a different approach to monitoring the legislative session. As a group, the association meets to decide which bills will be monitored, supported, or opposed. Then weekly updates are sent to our office based on what is happening with those bills. This year there are 32 bills that NEDA is actively monitoring. I joined other NEDA members on Feb. 1 at the capital to talk with senators about these bills and how they positively and negatively impact the businesses in Hamilton County.
Since these organizations represent a wide range of businesses across the state from urban to rural and everything in between, there are times that bills supported by these organizations could negatively impact businesses in our county. As a result, we don’t always support every initiative the state chamber or NEDA advocates for, but we can utilize their resources to watch certain bills and provide local input when possible.
In addition to monitoring the legislative session in this way, ADC is available to contact senators on behalf of our local businesses and works to create opportunities for businesses and residents to voice their opinions to our local representatives.
One such opportunity is coming up on Friday March 22, when Legislative Dist. 34 Sen. Loren Lippincott will be in Aurora at the Bremer Center starting at 8 a.m. for a Legislative Town Hall. During this meeting, Sen. Lippincott will update constituents on legislative bills and answer questions from those in attendance.
KELSEY BERGEN serves as executive director of the Aurora Development Corporation. She can be reached at kelsey@growaurora.com
