LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Renters and some homeowners could end up saving money under a proposed income tax credit in the Nebraska Legislature.

Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln presented the bill to a legislative committee Thursday as part of the ongoing debate over property taxes.

The measure would create an income tax credit that residents could claim once their property tax bill reaches a certain percentage of their income. Renters could also claim the credit based on a percentage of their rent.

Renee Fry of the OpenSky Policy Institute, which supports the bill, says most of the tax reductions would go to low- and middle-income residents.

Mark Intermill, a lobbyist for AARP Nebraska, says the bill provides additional cash to those who need it most to cover basic necessities.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Western Sugar Cooperative officials say the co-op must dispose of 10,000 tons of rotten sugar beets and has offered them free to livestock feeders.

The co-op’s Jerry Darnell said the problem cropped up at its Scottsbluff plant in November, when temperatures dropped from 40 degrees to minus 20. Piles of beets outside froze, trapping warm air inside that led to the rotting.

Darnell says the co-op wants “to process everything we buy and make it into refined white sugar. This year Mother Nature has not cooperated, and it’s throwing us a curveball.”

He says the loss will affect growers, because there are fewer beets to process into sugar and, thus, less sugar to sell.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An annual state agriculture conference is expected to focus on helping small and mid-sized Nebraska farmers prepare a transition plan for their operations.

Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach announced the annual agriculture conference with Gov. Pete Ricketts in a news conference Thursday. The Governor’s Ag Conference is set for March 4 and 5 in Kearney.

Ibach says a study showed more than 50 percent of the state’s small and medium dairy farms don’t have successors. A panel will address how to transition operations to younger farmers.

Ricketts says the conference will also address connecting the state’s urban and rural sectors through agriculture and increasing foreign exports to countries in Asia.

Representatives from the US Department of Agriculture, The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the Scoular Company will speak.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal to raise the cost of marriage licenses issued by Nebraska counties has yet to reach a vote in the Legislature.

The bill continued to face opposition Thursday from Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who has promised to prolong the debate until the measure is withdrawn. Lawmakers adjourned for the day without voting on the bill.

Opponents say the proposed increase from $15 to $50 amounts to a tax increase of more than 300 percent for couples getting hitched.

Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln has said the current $15 fee doesn’t cover the cost of collecting and filing marriage licenses. The new fee was proposed by the Nebraska Association of County Officials, which notes that the fee hasn’t been changed in 20 years.