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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