Members of the Legislature continue to work through major policy debates and budget discussions in an effort to maximize the twenty remaining working days of the legislative session. At this stage, the legislative body has transitioned to full-day floor deliberations to allow additional time for consideration of the remaining legislation before us.
A consequential measure discussed this week includes LB 1124, a bill introduced by Senator Sorrentino to increase the cigarette tax and amend provisions related to the distribution of cigarette tax proceeds. As introduced, the bill would have raised Nebraska’s cigarette tax from 64 cents to $1.64 per pack and increased taxes on vaping products.
After 8 hours of debate that concluded on Wednesday, a motion to invoke cloture was filed by the introducer, and LB 1124 fell two votes short of the 33 required for cloture to be successful.When a cloture vote fails, debate on the bill ends for the day.
