MINIMUM WAGE WOULD SEE FIXED ANNUAL INCREASES UNDER NEW 'COMPROMISE' AMENDMENT

LINCOLN- State lawmakers seeking to slow down annual minimum wage increases that Nebraska voters approved in 2022 have reached a new deal to avoid the law’s inflationary increases. State Sens. Jane Raybould of Lincoln and Stan Clouse of Kearney said they have found a “compromise” for Raybould’s Legislative Bill 258 that would completely remove permanent annual cost-of-living increases to the state minimum wage, beginning in 2027. 

Under the Clouse amendment, the wage would increase instead by 1.75% annually in perpetuity. Under the current law, workers could see much larger increases. Average inflation for the past five years was 4.18%. Over the past 10 years, it was 2.63%. And over the past 25 years, it was 2.39%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Midwest. Raybould said her motivation and why she keeps pushing “passionately” for her measure is to help small businesses and others who might not be able to absorb the cost of rising wages that she said could pass on costs to consumers. 

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'WE NEED MOTHER NATURE': PILLEN ENACTS BURN BAN AMID RAGING FIRE IN NORTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen enacted an emergency declaration and statewide burn ban Wednesday amid serious drought conditions and a raging wildfire in north-central Nebraska. By Thursday morning, the fire was 40% contained. That compares to Wednesday afternoon when the “Plum Creek Fire” was 0% contained and had burned 6,631 acres and one cabin (a secondary residence), killed 45 cattle, and destroyed at least eight utility poles, according to state officials.

Pillen addressed the fire from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Lincoln and signed the burn ban and other proclamations related to the fire. What began Monday afternoon as a controlled burn performed by a private landowner in coordination with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, local fire departments, and other partners. However, the fire got out of control, which the Ainsworth fire chief said happened after a sudden shift in wind direction, according to local reporting.

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WAS A CANDIDATE FOR A TOP STATE JOB 'REJECTED' OR NOT?

LINCOLN- A member of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems Board said Thursday that he resigned earlier this week after Gov. Jim Pillen rejected the “best candidate” to head the agency that oversees state and school retirement plans, but Pillen’s office said he hadn’t “rejected” anyone. It appears to be a case of differing interpretations of state law regarding the hiring process, and clearly represents a new interpretation of the law from the governor’s office.

Allen Simpson of Lincoln, a long-time PERB member who had headed the board’s personnel committee, said that the committee recently recommended the hiring of the current interim director/deputy director of the agency, Tyler Cummings. He would have filled the vacancy left when the past director, former State Treasurer and State Sen. John Murante, resigned in December. Simpson said the PERB search committee followed the same process as it had in hiring the previous three directors — do a search, and then let the governor approve it.

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NEBRASKANS VISIT CAPITOL TO CONNECT WITH SENATORS FOR 'THE PEOPLE'S DAY'

LINCOLN- Driven by concerns that state lawmakers are ignoring their opinions, roughly 50 Nebraskans visited the state Capitol Thursday as part of a new event titled "The People's Day." The People's Day was organized by Nebraska's chapter of the League of Women Voters, in collaboration with more than a dozen other civic groups, including Civic Nebraska, Common Cause, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska. The object of the day was to show residents how they can access their representatives in the Nebraska Legislature.

The event ran all day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and organizer Rachel Gibson said there was a consistent flow of attendees. She was impressed by the range of people visiting, noting that those who registered represented 23 different Nebraska counties. Experience levels differed too, with some attendees very familiar with the legislative process, while others had never visited the Capitol before, Gibson said.

Gibson said she was prompted to plan the event after listening to the floor debate, where she claimed a lot of "disparaging and incorrect" statements were being made about recent voter-approved ballot initiatives. A growing concern this session is that multiple bills undermine these initiatives and subvert the will of Nebraska voters.

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LAWMAKERS READY TO ELIMINATE NEARLY 40 STATE BOARDS

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers took the first step Thursday toward eliminating nearly 40 different boards or commissions once created through legislative action but which are no longer operating or needed. The Legislature advanced the bill (LB346) introduced by Speaker John Arch of La Vista on behalf of Gov. Jim Pillen on a 42-0 vote on Day 67 of the 90-day legislative session. According to a 2024 report from the Legislative Research Division, there are currently 240 commissions, boards, committees, and other entities created through legislative action. 

Among the boards and commissions set to be eliminated by July 1, 2026, are the Nebraska Potato Development Committee, the Climate Assessment Response Committee, the Nebraska Aquaculture Board, the Natural Gas Fuel Board, the Advisory Council on Public Water Supply, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Residence Advisory Committee, Governor’s Keep Nebraska Beautiful Committee, the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council, and the Veterinary Prescription Monitoring Program Task Force.

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LAB-GROWN MEAT BAN IS ANOTHER STEP CLOSER TO BECOMING LAW

LINCOLN- A bill banning lab-grown meat from Nebraska advanced Tuesday to its final round in the Legislature after a failed attempt to change the focus instead to labeling. The voice vote ended a two-day debate. Undertones of culture war politics were more on display during the second round of debate in the statehouse. State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara — in a nod to some national Republicans calling similar bans around the country an attempt to stop the “elitist” class from promoting unnatural foods — called lab-grown meat an attempt by groups to undermine Nebraska beef.

Nebraska is marching toward becoming the fourth state to implement a ban on lab-grown meat. Mississippi was the third state to outlaw cell-derived meat. Florida and Alabama have banned cultivating and selling meat grown in laboratories in recent years. Nebraska is the second-largest cattle-producing state in the U.S., behind only Texas. Cattle and other livestock production are among Nebraska’s largest industries, bringing nearly $31.6 billion to the state, according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The Food and Drug Administration approved lab-grown meat for human consumption in 2022.

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MEASURE TO MERGE TWO STATE NATURAL RESOURCE AGENCIES PASSES HURDLE

LINCOLN- A Gov. Jim Pillen-pushed proposal to merge two Nebraska state agencies into a unified department in charge of water resources has moved on to its final lawmaking stage. On Tuesday, Nebraska lawmakers advanced Legislative Bill 317 on a voice vote. It calls for combining the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environment and Energy into the new Department of Water, Energy and Environment.

Introduced by State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, LB 317 would rename the current DEE director as the new DWEE director. The current DNR director would be renamed “Chief Water Officer” under the new department. Pillen, earlier this year, named the merger as one of his legislative priorities, saying his changes would help the state be more proactive instead of reactive with water policy. Upon clearing the second round of debate, Pillen praised LB 317 as a “commonsense” piece of legislation that “reduces the scope of state government operations.” 

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JUDGE ALLOWS CHARGES TO PROCEED AGAINST NOTARY FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS PETITIONS

GRAND ISLAND- The District Court of Hall County decided Tuesday to allow criminal charges against a notary public for “official misconduct” to proceed, overturning a lower court decision. District Judge Andrew Butler, in a 10-page opinion, reversed a previous motion to quash against 24 counts of “official misconduct” — a Class II misdemeanor — against Jacy Todd of York, who was a notary for the successful ballot measures to legalize and regulate medical cannabis last year.

Mark Porto, Todd’s attorney, said that as far as the two can tell, Todd is the first and only person in the state’s history to be criminally charged for alleged mistakes as a notary public. Todd is accused of allegedly notarizing petition pages outside the presence of a petition circulator, Michael Egbert of Grand Island, on 24 different dates, each leading to a separate criminal charge. Todd has repeatedly denied all allegations.

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BILL TO DEFINE MALE, FEMALE IN STATE LAW ADVANCES IN STATE LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- State lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday seeking to define “male” and “female” in state law targeted for K-12 or collegiate bathrooms, sports teams, and locker rooms. Legislative Bill 89, the “Stand With Women Act” from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, advanced 33-16, with all 33 Republicans in the officially nonpartisan Legislature uniting around the measure. LB 89 was introduced on behalf of Gov. Jim Pillen as one of his 2025 priorities.

State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, a nonpartisan progressive, led the opposition to LB 89. She said supporters had a “whole crayon box of life” yet were choosing to use only “two colors” and were acting like “gender cops.” State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston filed an amendment seeking to only focus on sports. Riepe has repeatedly said that if the bill were limited to sports, it would have his support. Thirty-three votes are needed to shut off debate and invoke “cloture” after a set amount of time. 

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BILL WOULD EXPAND MINORS' RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

LINCOLN- A bill that would mandate the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to screen state wards for Social Security benefit eligibility advanced Thursday to the second round of debate in the Legislature. Legislative Bill 275, which State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha named her priority legislation, moved forward on a 34-0 vote.

DHHS currently intercepts the Social Security benefits belonging to children in foster care and uses those funds to offset the costs of the youths’ care, according to Hunt’s statement of intent. Her bill would “bring Nebraska in line with federal law to provide further accountability, transparency, and conservation of a portion of the funds in a trust account for the youth’s own use when they exit state care.”

There was little to no debate surrounding the bill Thursday, except for some questioning of its financial impact on the state’s general funds by two Republican lawmakers. Hunt insisted that her amended bill would impact the state budget less than her original proposal, but that it would still give kids in foster care access to more of their Social Security money than they have today.

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FORMER LAWMAKER EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT MAJOR CHANGES TO SCHOOL RETIREMENT PLAN

LINCOLN- A bill to reduce contributions to a state teachers retirement plan advanced toward final passage on Thursday despite a stern warning from a former Nebraska lawmaker who once guided state retirement plan policies. The measure, Legislative Bill 645, is designed to help close the state’s projected $457 million budget deficit over two years by reducing the state’s contributions into teacher retirement plans by about $77 million, thus freeing up that money to help close the budget gap.

Former State Sen. Mark Kolterman, who headed the Legislature’s Retirement Systems Committee for seven years, said that using retirement plan funds to balance the budget doesn’t make financial sense, particularly when it’s uncertain if investments will garner enough revenue to maintain retirement funds. “You don’t make reductions in contributions when the economy is moving in the wrong direction,” Kolterman said, noting the recent stock “market tumble.”

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LAWMAKERS UNLIKELY TO LOWER MINIMUM RETIREMENT AGE FOR SCHOOL EMPLOYEES

LINCOLN- Senators and school administrators expressed hesitation Wednesday in lowering, back to age 55, the minimum retirement age at which Nebraska school employees can step down with full benefits. Currently, eligible school employees face what is known as the “Rule of 85,” whereby if someone’s age plus years of service exceeds 85, that person can retire without any reductions in benefits. Employees who started before July 2018 can retire as young as 55, but employees hired after have to wait until at least age 60.

Tim Royers, president of the NSEA, said an amendment to reverse that “poor decision” would have little financial or staffing impact and could incentivize young educators to look ahead to retirement. “Our young educators deserve the same flexibility that I and other veteran teachers enjoy when it comes to deciding when we turn off the classroom lights for the last time,” Royers said at a Wednesday hearing on the proposed amendment, which he supported.

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CONFLICT ARISES DURING DEBATE ON BILL TO EXTEND SNAP ELIGIBILITY LEVELS

LINCOLN- A bill that would extend an expanded eligibility threshold for Nebraska food benefits has advanced to its final lawmaking round, but not before a latecomer amendment that some described as hostile was debated and defeated. Legislative Bill 192, by State Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island, calls for the elimination of an October expiration on Nebraska’s current eligibility levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Right now, a key qualifier for households is if gross income is at or below 165% of the federal poverty level.

If the Quick bill fails, the lower pre-pandemic income eligibility level of 130% of gross income is set to return. The SNAP program helps qualified recipients buy groceries. The federal government pays 100% of program benefits and 50% of administrative costs. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the program, estimated that more than 4,000 families that otherwise might be disqualified because of income could remain on SNAP if the eligibility threshold is maintained.

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ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE VOTER-APPROVED INITIATIVES ALARM SENATORS AND VOTER GROUPS

LINCOLN- Despite enduring previous sessions filled with more rancor and chaos, Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney said 2025's legislative session might be the worst one he's ever taken part in. This, McKinney said, is in response to multiple bills that he said intentionally subvert the will of Nebraska voters, which has become an emerging theme for this session. Five initiatives passed in 2022 and 2024 face multiple attempts to dilute or fully reject the policies voters supported.

Gavin Geis, executive director of nonpartisan government watchdog group Common Cause Nebraska, said he's heard more concerns about lawmakers ignoring the will of voters than any other issue this session. He said the trend has degraded public trust in the Nebraska Legislature, and made people question whether pursuing ballot initiatives are even worth it.

Lawmakers who support the changes to voter-approved measures have largely argued that the Legislature has a constitutional authority to regulate initiatives to mitigate possible unintended consequences in state law. However, some have opted to take a different route, and have questioned the integrity of the initiative campaigns.

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PUSH TO SEND VOTERS A SHOT AT EXPANDED SPORTS GAMBLING OVER, FOR NOW

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s voters won’t decide on whether to legalize online sports gambling in 2026, at least for now, after Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar decided Wednesday to end his campaign for Legislative Resolution 20CA this session. The debate on the proposal was expected to go four hours because of an expected filibuster, but in an unusual move, Bostar pulled the proposal before lawmakers could vote on it.

Bostar told reporters he didn’t feel like waiting until the four-hour time limit to whip votes to support his proposal. Bostar said he had 32 votes, but needed 33 to overcome a filibuster. “I think it is responsible to move on with the agenda and move on to other things,” Bostar said. “The votes changed back and forth throughout this entire process. It’s a very dynamic and fluid situation.” 

His proposal will be left on “select file” for the next legislative session, allowing lawmakers to resume second-round debate on the measure next year. Despite having 32 votes, by Bostar’s count, his proposal barely survived the first round. 

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BILL TARGETING BUSINESS INCENTIVES ADVANCES WITH SOME SHIFTS, AFTER AN INTENSE EXCHANGE

LINCOLN- A revised bill aimed at plugging Nebraska’s budget gap by about $51 million, largely by clawing back several business incentives, sparked intense exchanges and nearly three hours of debate Thursday before it advanced another lawmaking step. Legislative Bill 650 is one way the Legislature’s Revenue Committee proposes to help address the state’s projected biennial budget shortfall, said committee chair State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, who introduced the bill.

He told lawmakers that the committee used a “last-in-first-out” approach in targeting initiatives previously approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jim Pillen. He said the package scales back or repeals incentives and programs the committee believed would have the least negative impact on a typical taxpayer. “We opted to target business incentives and steer around consumer items as much as possible,” von Gillern said. “In other words, these rollbacks are unlikely to hit the pocketbooks of most everyday Nebraskans.”

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APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE ADVANCES BUDGET WITH $124 MILLION DEFICIT FOR SENATORS TO FILL

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers advanced five bills to floor debate Thursday that set up the state's next biennial budget, leaving a $124 million deficit for the full Legislature to grapple with. 

After weeks of debate, the Legislature's Appropriations Committee approved a $10.8 billion proposal for the upcoming two-year state budget, which will begin July 1, 2025, and last until June 30, 2027. Speaker of the Legislature John Arch announced that floor debate on the budget will begin May 6. 

Appropriations Committee members began their budget negotiations facing a $289 million deficit, and through their discussions they lowered that figure to roughly $124 million. Legislative fiscal analyst Keisha Patent said the biggest contributions to that came from increasing transfers from various cash funds, lowering the committee's initial spending proposal by about $123 million, and incorporating savings from a recently passed Medicaid bill. 

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ECONOMIC FORECASTING BOARD: STATE REVENUES REDUCED

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met Friday afternoon to review tax receipts and update the economic forecast for the state. Based on information from the Department of Revenue, net tax receipts for April were $260M below the previously forecasted projections. The Forecasting Board reduced the estimate of the current fiscal year tax receipts by $190M. Additionally, the next fiscal year forecast was reduced by $90M. The resulting three year total is a $390 million reduction in projections.

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STATE AUDITOR MIKE FOLEY WARNS OF $1.5 BILLION DRAIN ON STATE DUE TO CORPORATE TAX BREAKS

LINCOLN- The state auditor warned of a $1.5 billion drain on Nebraska coffers due to corporate tax breaks. In a letter to lawmakers Monday, Mike Foley said the $25 billion worth of investments and 33,000 jobs were due to corporate tax incentives since 2006. But those tax instead of come at a cost, and he said this could drastically affect the budget.

Using the department's own data, Foley has disclosed that the total delinquent and protested tax balances as of June 30, 2024, exceeds $657 million. Foley said when you combine the business tax incentives, plus potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in uncollected tax proceeds. The result is a staggering loss to the state.

"It's awful easy to vote for tax breaks, but it's tough to pay for them sometimes," Foley said.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE WON'T PASS PROPERTY TAX FIX IN TIME FOR TAX DAY, OR MAYBE AT ALL

LINCOLN - Nebraskans hoping to file their 2024 taxes on time and still cash in on the state’s new property tax relief have waited in vain. Gering Sen. Brian Hardin submitted LB81 this session with the intent of correcting an error with LB34, the property tax relief bill signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen at the end of the summer special session, called for exactly that purpose. 

Three senators later discovered that the law had “inadvertently nullified” Nebraskans’ ability to collect on their 2023 property tax credit when they file their 2024 income tax, and several senators vowed to correct the error in the next session. Instead, the bill has languished in committee.

“LB81 has stalled in the Revenue Committee without the support among committee members to advance to General File, and lacks the support in the body as a whole for a pull motion,” Gering Sen. Brian Hardin told First Alert 6 on Tuesday, which is also Tax Day. “I am disappointed there is not the desire among the majority of my fellow senators to right our wrongs from the 2024 Legislative Special Session,” said State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering

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