ONE HUNDRED NINTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION - 2025
COMMITTEE STATEMENT
LB622
Hearing Date: Friday February 21, 2025
Committee On: Revenue
Introducer: Dover
One Liner: Provide for the Statewide Housing Assistance Program and change provisions relating to the
Affordable Housing Trust Fund, recipients of assistance, and selection of recipients under the
Nebraska Affordable Housing Act and the rate and disbursement of the documentary stamp tax
Roll Call Vote - Final Committee Action:
Advanced to General File with amendment(s)
Vote Results:
Aye: 8 Senators von Gillern, Bostar, Dungan, Ibach, Jacobson, Kauth,
Murman, Sorrentino
Nay:
Absent:
Present Not Voting:
Testimony:
Proponents: Representing:
Senator Robert Dover Opening Presenter
Roger Nadrchal NeighborWorks Northeast Nebraska
Carol Bodeen Nebraska Housing Developers Association
Tina Rockenbach Community Action of Nebraska
Amanda Brewer Habitat for Humanity of Omaha
Korby Gilbertson Nebraska Realtors Association, Home Builders
Association of Lincoln / Metro Omaha Builders
Coalition (HBAL/MOBA Coalition), Nebraska State
Home Builders Association
Emma Craig Nebraska Investment Finance Authority
Opponents: Representing:
Neutral: Representing:
Jon Cannon Nebraska Association of County Officials
Hunter Traynor Nebraska Chamber, Greater Omaha Chamber,
Lincoln Chamber
* ADA Accommodation Written Testimony
Summary of purpose and/or changes:
LB 622 is an act relating to housing assistance. It creates the Statewide Housing Assistance Program under the
Committee Statement: LB622
Revenue Committee
Page 1 eef7f846b6dbddd66022066f51d9303d Nebraska Affordable Housing Act to provide downpayment assistance for home purchases for low income
homeowners; prioritizes allocation of assistance from the Affordable Housing Trust fund among homebuyers in
certain areas; and increases the documentary stamp tax from two dollars and twenty-five cents ($2.25) to two dollars
and fifty-five cents ($2.55) to provide funding for the program from the Fund.
Section-by-Section Summary:
Section 1. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-701 to add Section 6 of this bill to the Nebraska Affordable Housing Act.
Section 2. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-705 to harmonize provisions with Section 6 of this bill.
Section 3. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-706 to harmonize provisions with Section 6 of this bill.
Section 4. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-707 to harmonize provisions with Section 6 of this bill.
Section 5. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-708 to harmonize provisions with Section 6 of this bill; and to add a priority in
allocating Affordable Housing Trust Fund assistance to homebuyers who are located in an enterprise zone
designated pursuant to the Enterprise Zone Act or an opportunity zone designated pursuant to the federal Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act, are the lowest income homebuyers, and are in an area declared an extremely blighted area under Neb.
Rev. Stat. § 18-2101.02.
Section 6. Creates the Statewide Housing Assistance Program administered by a nonprofit organization contracted
with the Department of Economic Development to provide: that the program will provide downpayment assistance for
homebuyers; any homebuyer qualified under rules and regulations shall be eligible to apply; assistance may only be
used for a downpayment on a home that is a primary residence for the applicant; downpayment assistance will be in
the form of a loan to be repaid upon transfer of title of a home and such home shall be subject to a lien until that time;
and a thirty thousand dollar ($30,000.00) cap on downpayment assistance per homebuyer.
Section 7. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 58-711 to harmonize provisions with Section 6 of this bill.
Section 8. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-901 to increase the documentary stamp tax from two dollars and twenty-five
cents ($2.25) to two dollars and fifty-five cents ($2.55) for each one thousand dollars of value or fraction thereof.
Section 9. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-903 to harmonize provisions with changes made in Section 8 and to
reconfigure the distribution of the documentary stamp tax to increase the allocation to the Affordable Housing Trust
Fund of the tax collected pursuant to section 76-901 from ninety-five cents ($.95) to one dollar and twenty-five cents
($1.25).
Section 10. Amends Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-1327, relating to duties of the Property Tax Administrator, to harmonize
provisions with changes made in Section 8.
Section 11. Operative date of October 1, 2025.
Section 12. Repealer.
Explanation of amendments:
AM723 is a white copy amendment that strikes the original sections and inserts new sections as follows.
Section 1: Amends section 58-708(1) of the Nebraska Affordable Housing Act to require that land for a proposed
Committee Statement: LB622
Revenue Committee
Page 2 eef7f846b6dbddd66022066f51d9303d project be identified prior to the grant application. Adds a new subsection (2) to such section that provides beginning
July 1, 2026, the Department of Economic Development shall disperse grant funds to qualified recipients in the
following manner: 80% of the housing development costs upon approval, and 20% of the housing development costs
upon completion of the project. Qualified recipients are required to report a schedule of itemized costs on a quarterly
basis. Failure to do so can result in disqualification from pending applications among other penalties at the
Department's discretion. Amends section 58-708(5) to allow the Department to recapture a percentage of the funds
pursuant to an award agreement and to allow a qualified recipient to recapture funds from a homebuyer who sells a
home for which financial assistance was used.
Section 2: Amends section 58-711 to strike language that is redundant regarding information provided by the
Department of Economic Development about the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in its annual reports.
Section 3: Operative date of October 1, 2025.
Section 4: Repealer.
R. Brad von Gillern, Chairperson
Committee Statement: LB622
Revenue Committee
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