Sens. override Heineman veto

LINCOLN — State senators on Tuesday overrode Gov. Dave Heineman’s first veto of the 2010 legislative session with several votes to spare.

The 38-9 vote was eight more votes than needed for an override.

It reversed the governor’s veto of Legislative Bill 867, which increased the cost of a license, from $200 to $1,000, for liquor manufacturers to ship liquor into Nebraska.

Such fee increases have been a rare bird recently — during the past two years, senators have rejected hikes in things like state park fees and fees charged by county registers of deeds.

State Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, the sponsor of the bill, argued that the fee had not been increased since 1981, that the hike would fall predominantly on out-of-state companies and that the new amount was in line with what other states charge.

The bill will raise an estimated $490,000 in additional state revenue, which Karpisek said is important in these tough fiscal times.

Foes of the bill said the $1,000 fee might harm small brewers and wineries at the expense of larger corporations.

The governor, in his veto, had said that a five-fold increase was an unreasonable hike on small businesses during tough economic times.

« Metro/Region

Share