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LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED NINTH LEGISLATURE
SECOND SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 844
Introduced by Rountree, 3.
Read first time January 08, 2026
Committee: Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to the Site and Building Development Fund; to1
amend sections 81-12,146 and 81-12,147, Reissue Revised Statutes of2
Nebraska; to provide for a grant for food distribution in certain3
counties; to harmonize provisions; and to repeal the original4
sections. 5
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,6
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Section 1. Section 81-12,146, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska,1
is amended to read: 2
81-12,146 (1) The Site and Building Development Fund is created. The3
fund shall receive money pursuant to section 76-903 and may include4
revenue from transfers by the Legislature, grants, private contributions,5
repayment of loans, and all other sources. The Department of Economic6
Development, as part of its comprehensive business development strategy,7
shall administer the fund. Transfers may be made from the fund to the8
General Fund at the direction of the Legislature. Any money in the Site9
and Building Development Fund available for investment shall be invested10
by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital11
Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.12
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to transfer five million13
dollars from the General Fund to the Site and Building Development Fund14
for fiscal year 2022-23 and five million dollars from the General Fund to15
the Site and Building Development Fund for fiscal year 2023-24. Such16
money shall be placed in a subaccount of the Site and Building17
Development Fund and earmarked for use to fund large shovel-ready18
commercial and industrial sites developed under the Municipal Inland Port19
Authority Act. 20
(3)(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate five21
hundred thousand dollars from the Site and Building Development Fund for22
fiscal year 2024-25 to the department to enter into one or more contracts23
to conduct a comprehensive study or studies to identify and evaluate24
large commercial and industrial sites in Nebraska that have the potential25
to attract major investment and employment opportunities. The study shall26
include consideration of super sites that encompass between five hundred27
and one thousand acres and mega sites that encompass more than one28
thousand acres. At least one proposed site shall be located west of the29
one hundredth meridian in Nebraska. The contracts shall be awarded based30
on a competitive selection process as determined by the department. The31
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studies shall be completed no later than December 15, 2024.1
(b) The study shall assess the potential geographic locations; the2
infrastructure assets that would be required for each site, including3
highway, rail, and air transportation, and utilities such as water,4
wastewater treatment, electrical power, and natural gas; the population5
within fifty miles of each site and whether such population would be6
sufficient to provide an adequate workforce for such site; and the7
appropriate level of state investment necessary to position Nebraska as a8
nationally or globally competitive location for site selection targeting9
various sectors, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing,10
trade, bioscience, agribusiness, warehousing and supply chain logistics,11
technology, aerospace, automotive, clean energy, military support, and12
life sciences. Such identified state investment levels may include, but13
are not limited to, land acquisition costs and infrastructure14
investments. The purpose of the study is to provide strategic insights15
that will enable the state to attract major investment and employment16
opportunities in order to support the growth of transformational17
industries within Nebraska. 18
(c) The Director of Economic Development shall appoint an advisory19
committee comprised of representatives of Nebraska economic development20
organizations, equally representing each of Nebraska's three21
congressional districts, to assist the department in identifying the22
location of potential and preferred super sites and mega sites.23
(4) It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate one hundred24
thousand dollars from the Site and Building Development Fund to the25
Department of Economic Development for fiscal year 2026-27 for the26
purpose of awarding a grant under subdivision (1)(m) of section27
81-12,147. 28
Sec. 2. Section 81-12,147, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is29
amended to read: 30
81-12,147 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section,31
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the Department of Economic Development shall use the Site and Building1
Development Fund to finance loans, grants, subsidies, credit2
enhancements, and other financial assistance for industrial site and3
building development and for expenses of the department as appropriated4
by the Legislature for administering the fund. The following activities5
are eligible for assistance from the fund: 6
(a) Grants or zero-interest loans to villages, cities, or counties7
to acquire land, infuse infrastructure, or otherwise make large sites and8
buildings ready for industrial development; 9
(b) Matching funds for new construction, rehabilitation, or10
acquisition of land and buildings to assist villages, cities, and11
counties; 12
(c) Technical assistance, design and finance services, and13
consultation for villages, cities, and counties for the preparation and14
creation of industrial-ready sites and buildings; 15
(d) Loan guarantees for eligible projects; 16
(e) Projects making industrial-ready sites and buildings more17
accessible to business and industry; 18
(f) Infrastructure projects necessary for the development of19
industrial-ready sites and buildings; 20
(g) Projects that mitigate the economic impact of a closure or21
downsizing of a private-sector entity by making necessary improvements to22
buildings and infrastructure; 23
(h) Public and private sector initiatives that will improve the24
military value of military installations by making necessary improvements25
to buildings and infrastructure, including, but not limited to, a grant26
for the establishment of the United States Strategic Command Nuclear27
Command, Control, and Communications public-private-partnership facility;28
(i) A grant to a city of the second class that is served by two29
first-class railroads, that is within fifteen miles of two state borders,30
and that partners with public power utilities for purposes of expanding31
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electrical system capacities and enhancing redundancy and resilience;1
(j) A grant of two million dollars to a city of the first class2
located in the third congressional district if the property previously3
housed a university or college that is no longer extant and if the4
improvement and revitalization of the real property is for purposes of5
supporting the housing, employment, and program needs of youth exiting6
the foster care system. In addition, the real property may be used for7
youth exiting juvenile court supervision in an out-of-home placement;8
(k) Public and private sector initiatives that will improve the9
value of cities of the second class that have partnered with the United10
States Department of Defense or its contractors on upgrades to ground-11
based nuclear deterrence. Such improvements include the construction of12
electrical, drinking water, and clean water infrastructure; and13
(l) Identification, evaluation, and development of large commercial14
and industrial sites and building infrastructure to attract major15
investment and employment opportunities for advanced manufacturing,16
processing, trade, technology, aerospace, automotive, clean energy, life17
science, and other transformational industries in Nebraska by means of18
the department providing grants to or partnering with political19
subdivisions, including inland port authorities under the Municipal20
Inland Port Authority Act, or nonprofit economic development corporations21
and entering into contracts for consulting, engineering, and development22
studies to identify, evaluate, and develop large commercial and23
industrial sites in Nebraska; and . 24
(m) A grant of one hundred thousand dollars to a nonprofit25
organization for food distribution in a county with a population of more26
than one hundred thousand and less than three hundred thousand27
inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or28
the most recent certified count by the United States Bureau of the29
Census. 30
(2) The Department of Economic Development shall use the subaccount31
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of the Site and Building Development Fund described in subsection (2) of1
section 81-12,146 to provide financial assistance to any inland port2
authority created under the Municipal Inland Port Authority Act to help3
finance large shovel-ready commercial and industrial sites developed4
under such act. 5
Sec. 3. Original sections 81-12,146 and 81-12,147, Reissue Revised6
Statutes of Nebraska, are repealed. 7
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