LINCOLN – As lawmakers prepared for debate Thursday, Senator Justin Wayne shared his impressions of the session, including some words from the late Patrick Swayze.

“I can’t look her in the eye, she’s too much for me. That’s what it comes down to. We’ve talked about property taxes for eight years and every time we get close you can feel her breath right on your face, it’s so close,” Wayne said.

Even though lawmakers feel that property tax relief is imminent, they are not much closer to an actual debate on a property tax bill than they were at the start of the week.

Significant changes to LB1 and LB9, the tax and education portions of the current governor’s plan, have prompted senators to rethink the timeline for school tax relief.

The LB9 program originally planned to reduce taxes over a period of ten years, but the Revenue Committee shortened that period to just one year.

“This is real property tax relief. At the same time, we are protecting all school districts. There is a lot of talk about EPIC, but EPIC does nothing to protect schools,” said Senator Mike Jacobsen.

There have also been a number of changes to LB1, particularly with regard to targeted tax exemptions.

Pillen had originally promised that all possible exceptions would be up for debate, but in recent days negotiations have taken some exceptions off the table, particularly exemptions for home and vehicle repairs.

But these changes do not convince their opponents, who argue that the sales tax exemption is not a remedy for the wasteful government spending that is at the heart of the property tax crisis.

“We could provide relief for people like Ted Turner, Bill Gates and Jim Pillen. But working Nebraskans will have to pay more, and that’s why I will fight this plan tooth and nail,” said Senator Julie Slama.

Many opponents of the current plans have suggested adjournment of the meeting and revisiting the issue in January, when they would have had more time to go through the proposed plans.

But many senators were quick to remind their colleagues that there are elections between now and next year. Senators will not be the same, meaning no one can be sure whether a plan in January has a better chance of passing than one in August.

“I was the first to write a long email saying we don’t know when we’re coming in less than 24 hours and we don’t know the call. I was really mad about that. But I would say this to people today: We’re down here. Let’s try to find a solution,” Wayne said.