Gov. Pete Ricketts heaped praise on the Legislature Thursday for its enactment of expanded property tax relief and economic development legislation, describing the package as "generational in its scope."

The bill (LB1107) paves a path toward $650 million in annual property tax relief, once it is fully operational, the governor said in closing remarks to the Legislature shortly before it completed its coronavirus-interrupted 2020 session.

That's four times the level of property tax relief that was in effect when he became governor in 2015, Ricketts said.

The governor's property tax figure includes $275 million in annual relief already in effect that is provided through the state's property tax credit cash fund.

Ricketts saluted the senators for "spirited debate and fast action" once they returned to Lincoln in July to complete their 60-day session.

In shaping its multifaceted package, the governor said, the Legislature "reformed and renewed our (business) incentive program so we can be competitive with other states."

And, he said, senators demonstrated the state's commitment to a proposed new mega-project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that would "help keep our state and our nation safe" by pledging $300 million in state funding support.

The proposed $2.6 billion UNMC project would center on a new national pandemic response center if the federal government chooses the Omaha campus for its site.

Photos: Legislature wraps up 2020 session