Even under a tight deadline, Nebraska lawmakers are optimistic that the Legislature will have enough time to consider a rental assistance bill, including a potential override vote should Gov. Pete Ricketts decide to veto it.Â
LB1073 would force the governor to apply for $120 million in federal rental assistance, which Ricketts has repeatedly said he is uninterested in seeking. The Legislature must pass the bill before March 30 in order to meet the federal deadline.Â
LB1073Â cleared the first of three rounds of debate Wednesday on a 29-7 vote. Speaker of the Legislature Mike Hilgers of Lincoln said he is committed to getting it through debates by the deadline, and even in time to vote on a potential veto override. Hilgers said the bill will likely be debated again next week.Â
It is unclear whether Ricketts would veto LB1073 if it passes. A spokesperson for the Governor's Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment Wednesday and Thursday.Â
Ricketts has openly opposed seeking additional aid, arguing that Nebraska doesn't need the money. In a column published Tuesday, Ricketts said that the COVID-19 pandemic emergency was over.
He noted that Nebraska still has about $30 million of unused federal funding from the first round of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The state received about $200 million in 2021, with $158 million allocated for rural counties, and about $42 million to Douglas and Lancaster counties. Ricketts said state officials transferred $85 million of the $158 million to better serve residents in Omaha and Lincoln.Â
"If we didn’t need $158 million during the height of the pandemic, why would we need $120 million now that the emergency has passed?" Ricketts said in the column.
Ricketts did not state in the column if he would veto the bill. Instead, he urged Nebraskans to contact their state senator to voice their opinion on the additional federal aid.
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Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln said he would be disappointed if Ricketts vetoes the bill, but he hopes the governor wouldn't do that if the bill receives strong support from the Legislature. He said he is optimistic that the Legislature could pass a veto override even if Ricketts opts for a veto.Â
The Legislature can override a veto with 30 votes.Â
Lawmakers have repeatedly requested Ricketts seek the aid. Last week, members of the Appropriations Committee signed a letter asking the governor to reconsider his decision.
During Wednesday's debate, however, some lawmakers echoed Ricketts' resistance. Senators argued that there wasn't a need for the aid, and that the funding would hurt Nebraska taxpayers.Â
Other senators argued the exact opposite, They said the funding would help taxpayers and there was a continued need for rental assistance even as the state's COVID-19 cases dwindle.