Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the LB1072 Veterans Fund topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hall County board votes to send letter opposing LB1072’s use of veterans aid earnings
Summary
After public comment and presentations from local veterans, the Hall County Board unanimously approved a motion to have the chair send a letter opposing state bill LB1072, which would repurpose earnings from the Nebraska Veterans Aid Fund into the Department of Veterans Affairs general budget rather than veteran emergency aid.
The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to send a letter opposing state legislative bill LB1072 after a public presentation and several commissioners voiced concern about the bill's effect on the Nebraska Veterans Aid Fund.
Don Shuda, who addressed the board about LB1072, told commissioners the bill would take "2 and a half million for the next 2 years for a total of $5,000,000 from the NVA fund," and said the proposal would redirect interest earnings away from emergency veteran aid to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs general budget. "This is not gonna be used for emergency situations," Shuda said, urging the board to register opposition before the bill's hearing in Lincoln.
Commissioner Pam Lancaster pressed the case for preserving the fund's original purpose. "This money was to be only used for veterans," Lancaster said, noting the fund was established in 1921 and is intended to be self‑sustaining for generations of veterans in need.
Lancaster moved that the board have the chair send a letter opposing LB1072 to the governor and to members of the Appropriations Committee; a fellow commissioner seconded the motion. The board recorded seven yes votes and the motion carried.
Why it matters: the Nebraska Veterans Aid Fund (NVA fund) was created to provide assistance to veterans with urgent needs. Supporters of the motion said redirecting interest earnings could make the fund unavailable for the one‑time, emergency assistance it was meant to provide.
The board did not adopt formal legislation or resolution language beyond the motion to authorize the chair to send the opposition letter, and commissioners asked staff and county veterans service officers to assist in preparing and delivering the communication ahead of the state committee hearing.
Procedural next step: the chair will sign and send the letter on behalf of the board; the Appropriations Committee hearing in Lincoln was scheduled to occur soon after the meeting.
