Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

LB62                                                                   LB62
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                             LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
                         ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH LEGISLATURE
                              FIRST SPECIAL SESSION
                       LEGISLATIVE BILL 62
       Introduced by Wayne, 13.
       Read first time July 29, 2024
       Committee: Natural Resources
  A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to solar panels; to adopt the Solar Panel
       Energy Property Tax Reduction Act.
  Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
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LB62                                                                                               LB62
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       Section 1.        Sections 1 to 7 of this act shall be known and may be
   cited as the Solar Panel Energy Property Tax Reduction Act.
       Sec. 2.         The Legislature finds that property-owner production of
   electricity from solar panels will:
      (1) Reduce reliance on energy resources produced outside of this
  state;
      (2)    Reduce the strain on    energy needs during times when the
  electrical grid is functioning at full capacity; and
      (3) Generate revenue that can be used to reduce the property tax
  burden in this state.
      Sec.     3.     For purposes of    the Solar Panel Energy Property Tax
  Reduction Act, department means the Department of Natural Resources.
      Sec. 4.       (1)(a) Any person who owns real property in this state may
  apply to the department on a form prescribed by the department for a
  grant to install one or more solar panels on such real property.
       (b)      Each application shall include at     least the following
   information:
       (i) The name of the applicant;
       (ii) The address and contact information of the applicant;
      (iii) The address of the location where the solar panels will be
  installed;
      (iv) The total cost of purchasing and installing the solar panels;
      (v) The make and model of solar panels that will be installed; and
      (vi) The maximum amount of kilowatt hours per day of electricity
  that can be generated by the solar panels.
      (2) The department may award up to two million dollars in grants
  under this section each fiscal year.
       (3) Any grant awarded to an applicant under this section shall not
   exceed five thousand dollars.
       (4) The department shall not award a grant under this section:
      (a) To any applicant that has previously received a grant under this
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LB62                                                                         LB62
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   section;
       (b) To any applicant that intends to install solar panels at any
   location where a grant was previously awarded under this section to
   install solar panels; or
       (c) For any solar panel that has already been purchased or installed
   by the applicant.
       Sec. 5.   (1) A recipient of a grant awarded under section 4 of this
   act shall:
       (a) Use such grant only for the purpose of paying for the purchase
   and installation of the solar panels described in such recipient's grant
   application; and
       (b) Purchase and cause to be installed the solar panels described in
   such recipient's grant application within one year after receiving the
   money from the grant awarded to such recipient.
       (2)(a) If the recipient of a grant awarded under section 4 of this
   act fails to comply with subsection (1) of this section, the department
   shall provide written notice to such grant recipient that such recipient
   shall reimburse the total amount of the grant to the department with
   thirty days after receiving such written notice.
       (b) Any money reimbursed to the department under this subsection
   shall be remitted by the department to the State Treasurer for credit to
   the General Fund.
       Sec. 6.   (1) The department shall prepare a report each year that
   contains the following information from the previous calendar year:
       (a) The name and address of each applicant who was awarded a grant
   under section 4 of this act and the amount of the grant awarded to each
   such applicant;
       (b) The total dollar amount of grants awarded under section 4 of
   this act;
       (c) The number of applications for grants under section 4 of this
   act that were denied by the department;
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LB62                                                                                  LB62
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          (d) The estimated amount of kilowatt hours of electricity to be
   generated by solar panels installed by all recipients of grants under
  section 4 of this act, including the estimated kilowatt hours of such
   electricity generated by all grant recipients from all previous years
   combined; and
         (e) The monetary value of the generated electricity described in
  subdivision (1)(d) of this section.
          (2) The department shall electronically deliver the report described
   in subsection (1) of this section to the Clerk of the Legislature and the
   Governor prior to February 1 of each year.
          Sec.   7.   The department may adopt and promulgate rules and
  regulations to carry out the Solar Panel Energy Property Tax Reduction
  Act.
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