The Pulse — August 2024
Dear members, partners, technology enthusiasts, and friends, ?
If you’re new here, welcome to “The Pulse,” a monthly newsletter brought to you by Tech Nebraska. We're here to help keep you informed about the latest developments, events, and achievements within our association and the broader technology community in Nebraska.
In the coming months, I'm excited to share the progress we've made and what lies ahead for Tech Nebraska. August has been a month of significant strides, thanks to the collective efforts of our members and the strategic direction set by our Executive Committee and Advisory Board.
I'm also excited to update you on Nebraska legislature’s special session and the relevant discussions that took place among policy makers related to technology.
Looking ahead, we have several exciting events on the horizon, many that will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Our annual Tech Nebraska Summit is also just around the corner, and I know will be our best one yet with a lineup of industry-leading speakers, out-of-state policy experts, and more. Early bird pricing is available until October 4, 2024 — save your spot today.
Finally, I want to emphasize how much we value your input. Your feedback plays a crucial role in shaping the direction of our association. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts, whether it’s about the initiatives we’re pursuing, the resources we’re providing, or any other aspect of our work.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our collective success. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the coming months and as we look ahead to 2025.
Cheers!
Laurel Oetken, Executive Director
Advocacy & Policy News - A Recap of the Nebraska Legislature's Special Session
A top priority of Tech Nebraska is becoming the voice of technology within policy and advocacy efforts locally, at the state level, and on federal technology and innovation policies. Tech Nebraska has and will continue to inform pro-growth, pro-technology, and pro-innovation public policies spanning the state, supported by the NE Chamber.
After nearly 17 session days that spanned almost one month, the Nebraska Legislature’s Special Session to address property taxes concluded on Tuesday, August 20th.
There were several variations of bills and legislation introduced throughout the session as senators worked to find a plan with 33 votes, beginning with a proposal to remove state sales tax exemptions on over 100 goods and services, including current exemptions on information services, process server fees, marketing and telemarketing services, data processing services, mainframe computer access and processing services, biochips, and data centers to name a few.
By the end of the session, the Legislature opted to pass LB34, a bill to provide additional property tax relief without enacting any new taxes or expanding the sales tax base.
The bill provides several key deliverables, but to summarize:
Additionally, and most importantly, the additional relief is paid for by revenue growth and state budget adjustments found in LB2 and LB3 — no tax shifts or new taxes were needed.
LB34 provides hundreds of millions of dollars in direct tax relief to Nebraska’s property taxpayers. It was paired with local spending controls and budget adjustments lowering state spending, which together represents a responsible way to achieve sustainable tax reform.
It’s important to note that, throughout the process, several revenue sources would have impacted technology companies large and small, regardless of industry or sector. In addition to the above proposed exemption removals, this included continued efforts to impose a new tax on advertising services.
While these proposals did not advance into the final version of LB34, it is of utmost importance that we continue to engage in conversations with policy makers leading up to the 2025 session to best inform and educate on how these types of policies impact technology companies broadly, and about the long-term implications they have on business growth, the ability to innovate, and the opportunity to grow and scale companies in Nebraska.
Many Tech Nebraska members provided input on how the technology-related efforts included in early versions of LB34 could impact your business. We are incredibly grateful for your input, support, and engagement throughout this process.
As we prepare for the 2025 Nebraska Legislative session, we will be sharing several opportunities for you or your organization to provide input on our policy and advocacy efforts.
Join us for the 2024 Tech Nebraska Summit
Join us for the 2024 Tech Nebraska Summit, where the brightest minds and most innovative companies will converge to shape the future of technology. This year's Summit is your opportunity to network, learn, and be inspired by tech-industry leaders, innovative startups, and visionaries who are driving the next wave of technological advancements in Nebraska.
Early-bird pricing is available now until Friday, October 4, 2024. Pricing options are included below:
Sponsorship packages can be tailored to your organization’s needs. We have several different pricing options and packages to select from. Organizations interested in sponsoring the Tech Nebraska Summit can contact Laurel Oetken at [email protected] or call 531-278-1263.
Featured speakers, panels and more will be announced in the coming weeks. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the future of technology in Nebraska. We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 Tech Nebraska Summit!
Explore our growing events calendar at technologynebraska.com/events.
Nebraska Tech & Innovation News You Might Have Missed
Read more on Advisory Board member, Brody Deren of Trility in his Prairie Portrait from Silicon Prairie News.
Lincoln and Omaha ranked higher this year within the 2024 Best of the Midwest Startup City rankings from M25 and Midwest Startups. Both communities now sit within the top 20 cities in the midwest. Visit Midwest Startups to see how we stack up and other community rankings.
The Nebraska Startup Academy (NSA) launched “The Grove,” a new combined incubator and co-working space for startups at Millwork Commons in Omaha. Learn more about The Grove and join the wait list for office space here.
Nebraska Wesleyan University launched Nebraska’s first innovation and entrepreneurship program with a $2 million gift from Philip Mullin, notable Lincoln business leader and alumnus. Classes begin this fall for the first time within the program. For more information, visit the program’s website.
The University of Nebraska, with community support, broke ground on NFarms (Nebraska Future Ag Research and Management Systems), the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s precision agriculture initiative. Read more about the full annoucement.
Nebraska Startup Academy (NSA) hired Alyssa Cave as the organization’s first director of entrepreneurship. Read more about the announcement here.
Community Happenings & Upcoming Events
To see more upcoming community events and Tech Nebraska events, please visit our events calendar at technologynebraska.com/events.
To submit a community event for consideration within our newsletter, please fill out this short survey.
Join Tech Nebraska
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Learn more about the Value of Tech Nebraska Membership or reach out to Laurel Oetken via LinkedIn to schedule a meeting today.
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