By the numbers

10,000: On Thursday, the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee advanced a bill out of committee that aims to keep roughly 10,000 Nebraska families eligible for food assistance. LB 84 would keep the income threshold to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits at 165% of the federal poverty level until 2025. Otherwise, the income threshold would drop to 130% of the federal poverty level on Sept. 30. Under an amendment, funds available through the state Department of Health and Human Services would cover the cost. (Read the full story from the Omaha World-Herald)

47%: In a University of Nebraska at Omaha survey of young Nebraskans who have left the state, 47% ranked the values or culture of a new community as a very important factor in their decisions about where to live. Taxes ranked as a primary factor for about 10% of the young people, according to UNO’s Center for Public Affairs Research. (Read the editorial from the Lincoln Journal Star)

6: At least six states have slashed income tax rates this year, and many others could follow. Yet the tax cuts proposed in Nebraska are among the most aggressive in the country, said Michael D’Arcy, director of U.S. public finance for Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency. D’Arcy questioned the sustainability of cuts proposed in LB 754, which would lower the top personal and corporate income tax rates to 3.9% over the next several years. (Reach the full story from Pluribus News)

75: The number of bills in the Nebraska Legislature this session in which OpenSky Policy Institute offered testimony.

The week ahead

On Wednesday, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board will set projections that the Legislature will use to craft the budget this session. Last week, the state reported March tax receipts that fell short of projections. Net receipts stand $93 million short of forecast in the current fiscal year. Follow OpenSky updates on Twitter.

Stay engaged

At noon on May 1, join OpenSky, the Coalition for a Strong Nebraska, the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands and the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table for an hour-long webinar featuring a discussion of the Legislature’s proposed budget bills. Guests will include Sens. Anna Wishart and Myron Dorn, both members of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee. Register here.