Vaccine Exemption Bill Advances; Income Tax Debate Starts

The Nebraska Legislature Wednesday moved toward making it easier to claim religious or medical vaccine exemptions. And senators began debate on cutting income taxes. From the Capitol, Fred Knapp of Nebraska Public Media News has this legislative update:

The vaccine proposal would have the state Department of Health and Human Services publish a form employees could use to ask for exemptions if their employer is mandating vaccines. Sen. Mike Moser, who got COVID-19 before vaccines were available, explained what he thinks the issue is.

“To me, the bill is a response to citizens who are concerned about government forcing citizens to get COVID shots. And you know, I got COVID shots, I’ve had my booster. That was my choice. But I don’t think government should force you to get vaccinated,” Moser said.

Sen. Megan Hunt opposed what she characterized as the government interfering with how businesses protect their employees.

“I can’t stand by something that gives this special exemption to employers for this nonscientific, based-on-nothing exemption that clearly puts other employees at risk,” Hunt said.

Sen. Mike Groene also objected to the bill, but for a very different reason. Groene, who’s had COVID-19, complained that under the bill, unvaccinated employees could be required to wear masks and be tested.

“It’s your decision to do whatever you want with your health care. It’s none of my business. I don’t want to know what you did. I don’t care if you took the shot or not. If I didn’t take the shot, which I didn’t because I have natural immunity, I don’t care if you spit in my face -- I do because you insulted me -- but if accidentally you do, I will live with that, in a conversation. It’s who I am But I’m not gonna tell you to wear a mask in front of me. I’m not going to tell you to go get a shot. I’m not going to tell you to go lose weight. I’m not going to tell you to quit drinkin’. It’s called America. It’s called freedom,” Groene said.

Other than providing the form to request an exemption, the bill follows existing federal law. That led Moser to call it more symbolic than functional. He said the vast majority of respected medical professionals support the use of vaccines, and lamented that the subject has been so politicized that people are seeking out minority opinions.

“They did a survey not too long ago about how many people believe Elvis is really dead. And if I remember correctly, it was around 20 percent thought it was some government plot, that Elvis was still alive somewhere, and the government was served well by promoting the idea that he died when he was still alive. And I like Elvis. But I’m pretty sure he’s dead,” he said.

Senators then voted 36-2 to give the bill the second of three approvals it will require to pass.

Also Wednesday, senators began debate on a proposal to lower the top rate on both personal and corporate income taxes, from just over 7 percent in the case of corporate taxes and just under 7 percent for personal taxes, to just under 6 percent in both cases, over the next three to four years. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, chair of the Revenue Committee, described it this way:

“This is a tax cut for middle class families who are trying to buy a house in an extremely competititve market. Cost of living going up. Gas prices going up. Day care $1,000 a month. This is what this conversation needs to be about: your neighbors, your constituents. It’s a middle-class tax

cut,” Linehan said.

Linehan said Nebraska’s top tax rate kicks in at $33,180 of taxable income for single filers, and $64,340 for a married couple filing jointly. For 2018, about 65 percent of Nebraska tax returns showed income more than $30,000, and about 30 percent showed income above $60,000.

Hunt agreed those were middle class incomes. But she said the average tax cut for someone making between $28,000 to $46,000 a year was $7, while for those making more than $242,000, it could top $9,000.

“For those top earners, making nearly $1 million a year, getting that money back on their taxes, that to them is just a table at the symphony gala. That’s not gonna to make a huge difference in their quality of life or the type of services and things that they need for their families. But for those people who are lower-income and middle-income earners, we say we’re going to give them $7 back and we’ve done something really helpful for them? It’s disingenuous. It makes no sense,” she said.

Debate on the bill is scheduled to resume Thursday and could stretch into next week before a first-round vote is reached.

Correction: An earlier version of this story, and the audio version, gave the wrong figure for the current top personal income tax rate. It's just under 7 percent, not just over.