GOV. JIM PILLEN APPROVES INSULIN PRICE CAP IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- On Tuesday, Gov. Jim Pillen signed Sen. Bostar's long-awaited LB799, which caps the price of life-saving insulin at $35 per month in the state. Starting on January 1st, the cap will only apply to the out-of-pocket cost of prescription insulin. Sen. Bostar's original measure was amended into LB92, the package of bills that were signed by Gov. Pillen.

Nebraska, having enacted the insulin cap measure, is now in line with 23 other states, as well as the District of Columbia, that have enacted similar proposals. "More than 700,000 Nebraskans either have or are at risk for diabetes," said Gary Doughert, director of state government affairs for the American Diabetes Association, "So, we're talking about a lot of people."

Between 2012 and 2021, the price of insulin nearly doubled across the country, with many unable to purchase the essential medication. According to Jina Ragland, advocacy director for AARP of Nebraska, this heightened price forced Nebraskans to make tough decisions. "That's very concerning when they're making a choice about whether they're paying for the out-of-pocket cost of their insulin or their medications," said Ragland, "or whether they're having to choose not going to the grocery store and buying their basic necessities of food."

For the full article click HERE

STATUE OF NEBRASKA ICON WILLA CATHER UNVEILED IN U.S. CAPITOL

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Wednesday, a new bronze statute of Willa Cather was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol just feet away from another depicting Ponca Chief Standing Bear, making her the second Nebraska icon to be memorialized there. "A lot of history was made in this room, but a little history is being made today" said Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy at the unveiling ceremony, standing alongside Gov. Jim Pillen, Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer, and Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith. 

The sculpture has created by Omaha-based artist Littleton Alston, who became the first African-American artist to have a statue in the Capitol's collection. "Our nation's heroes are memorialized here in marble and bronze. Today, Willa Cather, the Nebraskan novelist and national icon, joins them," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, "She becomes the first Pulitzer Prize Winner and 12th woman represented in the National Statuary Hall collection."

Others who gave speeches include Gov. Jim Pillen, Rep. Adrian Smith, and Sen. Deb Fischer, all of whom cited Cather's writings as particularly representative of Nebraska's culture and people. Cather's statue replaces that of J. Sterling Morton, famous for establishing Arbor Day but later becoming better known for his pro-slavery attitudes. Chief Standing Bear's statue, in 2019, also replaced a historical figure, William Jennings Bryan. 

For the full article click HERE

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION REMOVES BARRIERS FOR NEBRASKA TEACHERS TO HELP ALLEVIATE SHORTAGE

LINCOLN- The landscape for future Nebraska teachers is on its way to becoming easier to navigate following the revision of several state regulations by the State Board of Education, which were made during its June 2nd meeting. According to Brad Dirksen, an accreditation administrator with the Nebraska Department of Education, the revisions still have to be approved by Attorney General Hilgers and Gov. Pillen before they take effect.

"The Board is really eager to make some real changes in the regulations to hopefully get teachers into the classroom," said Dirksen, "It's really about removing barriers, but also retaining quality of teachers, because we don't want to lower standards for teachers and classrooms." One of the revisions approved by the Board makes it far easier for teachers to regain certificates that have been expired for five or more years to allow for more retirees to come back and fill district shortages. 

Another revision will allow individuals with college degrees, and at least 75% of the course requirements for a teaching endorsement, to secure certification more easily, provided they also take a subject area exam, which is a different procedure than the basic skills test struck by Gov. Pillen last month. "During this time of severe education workforce shortages, removing barriers to licensure is a priority," said Sara Skretta, a senior director and certification officer at UNL, "The expansion of alternative pathways is a positive addition, and this should assist school districts in hiring classroom teachers with training."

For the full article click HERE

DON'T PUT THOSE MOTORCYCLE HELMETS AWAY YET, NEBRASKA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SAY

LINCOLN- Barely a week after the Nebraska Legislature voted to repeal the state's motorcycle helmet mandate, and according to local law enforcement agencies, there has already been a large uptick in motorcyclists riding without their helmets. Although no concrete date has been released, the Lincoln Police Department and Lancaster County Sheriff's Office each reported this week that street officers have observed a noticeable increase in the practice.

The main problem, according to the agencies, is that Nebraska's helmet mandate, which has been in place since 1989, doesn't expire until January 1st. "From now until then," said Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Houchin, "you still need to wear a helmet." Until then, according to Houchin and the Sheriff's Office, helmetless riders risk earning a $50 fine for violating the mandate, despite the passage of Sen. Hansen's LB138, which kills the mandate.

When the bill officially becomes law in January, motorcyclists or passengers over the age of 21 will be allowed to ride without a helmet, provided they complete a basic motorcycle safety course and submit proof of completion to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. According to date from the Department of Transportation, over 86% of motorcyclists killed in Nebraska crashes were wearing helmets. However, in states like Missouri, where similar repeals have passed, motorcyclist fatalities increased by 35% over a one-year period.

For the full article click HERE

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT ON DEPLOYMENT OF FEDERAL BROADBAND FUNDS

LINCOLN- Public input at a string of upcoming meetings will be sought concerning the quality and availability of high-speed internet across Nebraska, as well as how federal funding should be spent to provide internet to the most significant amount of communities. The sessions are designed to help the state develop a more comprehensive approach to providing quality digital access across the state.

The meetings will be led by the newly-established Nebraska Broadband Office, which was recently confirmed by the Nebraska Legislature after Gov. Pillen created the office through an executive order in January. The office will be tasked with distributing around $42 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding, which was passed as part of President Biden's infrastructure bill.

However, if a greater need for funding and access is revealed at the public meetings, Nebraska has the ability to apply for more BEAD funding, with the assurance of receiving at least $100 million more if need be. On Tuesday, the Public Service Commission transferred the responsibility of handling the BEAD funds to the new broadband office. The public meetings are as follow:

• Kearney, June 8 at 6:30 p.m., at the Kearney Public Library, 2020 First St.

• North Platte, June 13 at 5:30 p.m., at the Harvest Christian Fellowship, 1501 S. Dewey St.

• McCook, June 14 at 5:30 p.m., at the Public Safety Center, 505 W. C St.

• Broken Bow, June 21 at 5:30 p.m., at the Broken Bow Public Library, 626 D St.

• South Sioux City, June 29 at 5:30 p.m., at the South Sioux City Marriott Riverfront, 385 E. Fourth St.

• Lincoln, July 11 at 5:30 p.m., at the Nebraska Department of Transportation Auditorium, 1500 Nebraska Parkway.

• Omaha, July 12 at 5:30 p.m., at the NDOT State Operations Center, 4425 S. 108th St.

For the full article click HERE

COUNTY GOP FIGHT IS LATEST FRONT IN NEBRASKA GOP WAR BETWEEN POPULISTS, TRADITIONALISTS

PAPILLION- Following a GOP upheaval last summer that changed party leadership from Ricketts loyalists to Trump loyalists, party leaders have asserted a more populist brand of conservatism, including against fellow Republicans. After last year’s state convention rumble, the feud blew back into view in late May in suburban Sarpy County. That’s where a state party effort to force the removal of a sixth-year county chair and hold a re-run election ran into public resistance from some of the state’s top elected Republicans.

Gov. Pillen accompanied Nebraska’s entire congressional delegation and statewide officeholders in defending Sarpy County Chairwoman Nora Sandine. A letter from Pillen dubbed it “unprecedented” and “gross overreach” to try to oust Sarpy GOP Chairwoman Nora Sandine using the state party’s powers. It also called for an end to the intra-party fight for the good of Republican candidates in Nebraska’s fastest-growing county.

The new GOP leadership is questioning the validity of Sandine's re-election, while Sandine’s supporters say she won fair and square. Some current party leaders have said they spent months trying to persuade Sandine to hold another election and to involve people new to the county party, including some who oppose Sandine. Nebraska GOP Chairman Eric Underwood has said he wants to bring Republicans together by “empowering the grassroots” and “revitalizing county parties from the bottom up.”

For the full article click HERE

PUBLIC ASKED TO CONSERVE WATER IN LOWER PLATTE RIVER BASIN, WHICH INCLUDES OMAHA, LINCOLN AREAS

LINCOLN- Severe drought conditions throughout eastern Nebraska have forced officials to institute voluntary conservation steps. Steps include conservation when watering lawns, washing clothes, gardening, and even brushing your teeth. The City of Lincoln officially instituted the ask, while Omaha is expected to soon follow.

A large swath of east-central Nebraska, from Geneva northward to near South Sioux City, is listed as in “exceptional drought” in the current U.S. drought monitor map. The year 2022 was the fourth driest on record in Nebraska, with most of the state receiving less than 70% of normal precipitation. Officials have claimed they have never seen reservoirs this low within their respective tenures.

Despite some recent rains, the eastern part of Nebraska is still running behind on precipitation this year. Nearly 70% of the entire state is labeled as being in exceptional, extreme or severe drought. That prompted the Lower Platte River Consortium this week to encourage the public to take proactive steps to conserve water. All suggested conservation steps can be found in the link below.

For the full article click HERE

INTERNET OPTIONS TO GROW IN RURAL NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Farm Bureau announced a new push to provide additional broadband to rural Nebraska. The Farm Bureau said it has partnered with Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to provide service to its members. “We are excited to work with Starlink to deliver high-speed broadband to rural areas in Nebraska that are underserved,” said Mark McHargue, president of the farm advocacy group.

The service price has not yet been determined, but it is expected to be around $100 a month. “We continue to hear from our members that farms, ranches, rural households, and businesses struggle with getting access to reliable high-speed internet," McHargue said. "Whether you are 20 miles from Lincoln or Omaha or in the Sandhills, the thing we hear the most is that quality service and speed is just not available."

Starlink avoids building access lines by providing wireless service from more than 4,000 satellites orbiting the Earth. “Starlink is ideal for those who live and work in rural communities, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with the Nebraska Farm Bureau to offer reliable high-speed internet coverage to the last acre for farmers and ranchers across the state,” said Chad Gibbs, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink Business Operations.

For the full article click HERE

PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTERS LAUNCH DRIVE TO PUT SCHOOL CHOICE ON BALLOT

LINCOLN- On Tuesday, the public schools advocate group Support Our Schools Nebraska announced that it would be launching an effort to place a referendum before voters on the newly-passed school choice law. With just 90 days to do so, the group must garner at least 90,000 signatures from registered voters if the issue is to be placed on the 2024 ballot.

The school choice measure, which was implemented into law through Sen. Lou Ann Linehan's LB753, offers Nebraskans generous tax breaks for donations toward scholarships for students to attend private or parochial schools, but is seen by education groups as a "foot-in-the-door" for even more controversial school choice measures, such as voucher programs or state-funded charter schools. Opponents of school choice, through the ballot initiative, seek to reject the diversion of state tax funds from public schools toward private schools, which some argue are allowed to freely discriminate against certain religions, ethnicities, or gender identities.

However, proponents of the newly-passed measure, including Gov. Jim Pillen, argue that it would offer more options for "vulnerable and at-risk children" at a time when state funding for public education has been increasing dramatically. Tom Venzor, executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, called the petition drive "disgraceful" and all-out political warfare against children in need of better educational opportunities." T. Michael Williams, a Baptist preacher from North Omaha, was the first to sign the petition, arguing that the new school choice law won't help a majority of children of color or who reside in low-income areas of the state.

For the full article click HERE

THREE RIVERS HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTS HUMAN CASE OF WEST NILE VIRUS

LINCOLN- A human case of the West Nile Virus was confirmed Monday in the Lincoln area, according to the Three Rivers Public Health Department. The person who tested positive did not need to be hospitalized, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The department covers Dodge, Saunders, and Washington counties.

The department said people should limit their time outdoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active to avoid bites. People can also wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes and socks when outside and use an EPA-registered insect repellent. Most people who are infected will have no symptoms or mild flu-like symptoms, according to the department.

West Nile virus is transmitted through mosquito bites from bugs that have fed on infected birds, then transmitting the virus to humans. This case was detected earlier than usual in the season. Typically, human cases don’t peak until late July or early August. Because of the early case, the health department began trapping mosquitoes within its jurisdiction Monday, a step it doesn’t usually take until mid-June.

For the full article click HERE

U.S. SUPREME COURT WEIGHS IN ON NEBRASKA 'HOME EQUITY THEFT' CASES

LINCOLN- Action Monday by the nation’s highest court voided two decisions of the Nebraska Supreme Court that upheld what critics have been calling state-assisted “home equity theft.” Two cases have been sent back to the Nebraska Supreme Court to be reconsidered following a decision in a similar Minnesota case. All nine justices in that case, Tyler v. Hennepin, agreed that the tax sale process in Minnesota’s Hennepin County (akin to that of Nebraska’s) was unconstitutional and violated the “takings clause.”

State Sen. John Cavanaugh called the decision a reinforcement that he and others seeking to change Nebraska's delinquent tax sale process were on the correct side. Reconsideration of the two Nebraska cases could bring good news to plaintiffs in the cases of Kevin and Terry Fair of Scottsbluff and Sandra Nieveen of Lincoln. In both cases, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the state’s tax sale process laws but allowed the families to stay in their homes pending the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“It has taken a long time to get to this point,” said Jennifer Gaughan, chief of legal strategy for Legal Aid of Nebraska, which represented both homeowner families in state court. “We look forward to resolving these cases and seeing justice served for our clients who have lived for years under the stress of not only the threat of homelessness but also the loss of equity in their property without any compensation — stripped of their only asset and left with nothing to be able to get another place to live.”

For the full article click HERE

NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HEAD A LIFELONG NEBRASKAN WITH QUARTER-CENTURY OF PROMOTING RURAL AREAS

LINCOLN- Attracting both people and businesses to Nebraska will be the main focus of K.C. Belitz, the states new top economic developer. Belitz, a former longtime head of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, said economic developers today must deal with issues dramatically different from a decade or so ago. Housing and child care, for example, are among services that “clearly are part of the puzzle,” said Belitz.

Gov. Jim Pillen announced Belitz as his choice to lead the Department of Economic Development, which has 130 full-time positions and has quickly grown with new grants and programs funded in part through federal pandemic dollars. Belitz, who hails from Pillen’s hometown, replaces Tony Goins, who resigned April 5 from his $215,000-a-year-job amid conflict of interest questions. According to a department spokesperson, the DED’s base budget this fiscal year is $881 million, up from about $58 million and 68 full-time positions five years ago. 

Pillen said the search for the new DED director was typical. He said that  there was “tremendous interest” for the advertised position and that three finalists were interviewed. He said he sought a director who understands “how important the culture of an organization and a team is,” and who hits the sweet spot with energy, experience and enthusiasm. Belitz is to step into the post July 5. Pillen said. 

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL ASKS COURT TO REJECT INJUNCTION ON ABORTION, GENDER CARE RESTRICTIONS

LINCOLN- Last week, following the introduction of a lawsuit against LB574, a new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors and abortion after 12 weeks, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, alongside Assistant Attorneys General Christopher Felts, Jennifer Huxoll, and Erik Fern, called on the Lancaster County District Court to reject a request contained within the lawsuit to temporarily block enforcement of the two restrictions.

The lawsuit, which was introduced by the ACLU of Nebraska and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, argues that LB574, which was recently signed into law, contains two distinct subjects, which goes against a provision of the Nebraska Consitution. Hilgers, Gov. Pillen, Dannette Smith, Charity Menefee, and Timothy Tesmer are all named in the lawsuit. Smith is the CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, while Menefee is the director of the agency and Tesmer is the chief medical officer. The agency is set to determine the state's stance on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors, an authority given to them through LB574.

Hilgers and his team argue that the Lancaster County District Court is being forced, through the ACLU and Planned Parenthood lawsuit, to be the first Nebraska court to find that an act of the Legislature violates the state's single-subject legislative requirement. However, an 1899 case in Nebraska, formally titled Weis v. Ashley, has already found a legislative act violating the single-subject rule. The ACLU of Nebraska filed a response to Hilgers' request, but it has not yet been released to the public.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA LEGISLATORS, IN A RARE MOVE, REJECT HIRING BY A STATE AGENCY

LINCOLN- Last Wednesday, in a move not often used by the Nebraska Legislature, state lawmakers voted to reconsider, and ultimately reject, a state agency appointment--the hiring of Jason Hayes as the new director of the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems. Prior to being struck down by the Legislature, Hayes had been previously approved by the governing body of the agency, as well as Gov. Pillen and the Legislature's own Retirement Systems Committee.

Hayes currently works as a lobbyist for the Nebraska State Education Association, and was slated to replace Randy Gerke, who is retiring from the director position. Sen. Danielle Conrad, on Wednesday, asked that the vote on Hayes' hiring be reconsidered, believing that additional consideration and questioning were necessary to confirm Hayes due to the "compressed nature" of the 2023 legislative session, and because there were concerns arose about the confirmation last week.

Conrad's call for reconsideration prompted a drawn-out debate about the work experience and qualifications of Hayes, with Sen. Linehan, who had previously scrapped with the teachers union this year over school choice, raising questions about Hayes' ability to run the 56-employee public retirement agency. "I just don't like how quickly this came up," said Linehan. Sen. Mike McDonnell, chair of the Retirement Committee, defended Hayes. "I think the process was fair, and his qualification and experience are outstanding," he said, "We should not change our votes." Despite these pleas, the Legislature voted 20-14 to approve the confirmation, which was five votes short of the majority needed to advance it.

For the full article click HERE

RURAL NEBRASKA FACES OUTSIZED IMPACT OF GOVERNOR'S BUDGET VETOES

NORTH PLATTE- Following the Legislature's decision to uphold two of Gov. Pillen's several vetoes, many in western Nebraska expressed despair at the potential impacts. Just over two weeks ago, Gov. Pillen struck down a second year of increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates and millions of dollars earmarked to build Rural Workforce Housing. Dr. Jed Hansen, executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, called the upheld vetoes a "gut punch."

According to Dr. Hansen, all of Nebraska's hospitals and nursing homes will be negatively impacted by the governor's decision, but especially those situated in more rural or remote parts of the state, where more than 60% of hospitals operated at a deficit last year. "So, the narrative the governor had used, that hospitals were better off financially coming out of the pandemic, just wasn't true," asserted Dr. Hansen, "And [that] especially wasn't true for our rural hospitals."

Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center for Rural Affairs, echoed a similar sentiment for the lack of Rural Workforce Housing funding, calling it the "number on workforce issue" plaguing rural Nebraska. Hladik went on to state that, because of the high cost of building in rural areas, developers will not start such projects on their own without funding from the government, which the governor vetoed. Dr. Hansen also stated that felt betrayed by the vetoes. "We feel that those areas--mental health, maternal care, family care--have been important to [Gov. Pillen]," said Hansen, "He's expressed that those are values that are important to him. And this veto, we just feel, doesn't line up with that."

For the full article click HERE

LINCOLN SEN. DANIELLE CONRAD SAYS DIVIDED LEGISLATURE DAMAGED, BUT NOT BROKEN

LINCOLN- Following a particularly tumultuous and bitter legislative session, Sen. Danielle Conrad stated that she believes the Legislature, despite its recent challenges, is divided but not fully broken, and that it hasn't been irreparably damaged by the sharp party divides, the onslaught of filibusters, or the weary late-night sessions. "Very few senators was a repeat of the 2023 session," said Conrad, "We have nowhere to go but up and to go up together."

Conrad acknowledged that the sharpest divisions, and perhaps the ones that bent the legislature the most this year, concerned human rights, especially those related to "parental rights and access to medical care." Despite the division created by bills like LB574, Sen. Kauth's controversial gender-affirming care ban, Conrad believes that, because of Nebraska's unique non-partisan, one-house Legislature, personal relationships will be mended as lawmakers inch closer towards the 2024 session.

Indeed, because of its nonpartisan nature, Conrad sees the Legislature as a "firewall from the most radical politics," and believes it serves as "a moderating force" at a time when national politics have launched into an explosive battleground. "Nebraskans are right of center," acknowledge Conrad, "but not interested in partisan dysfunction." Despite the painful and challenging 2023 legislative session, Conrad believes it will be an outlier in Nebraska's history, and will not become the norm.

For the full article click HERE

AS NEBRASKA STATE SENATORS HEAD HOME, ONE HEADS TO THE BATTLEFIELD IN UKRAINE

LINCOLN- Following a brutal, bitter, and grueling legislative session, Nebraska lawmakers are headed to their homes around the state. However, one lawmaker, Sen. Tom Brewer, a decorated military veteran, is headed straight for the battlefields of Ukraine, a trip that the senator has already made two times previously. Brewer, who is nearing his 65th birthday, figures he can help despite his age. "You go through life and you have skills, and things you've learned," he said, "And you want to use those skills until you physically can't anymore."

Brewer, just as the last few times he went to Ukraine, hopes that a visiting American and former soldier will help boost morale in the war-ravaged county. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Brewer also hopes to offer counsel both in the realms of strategy and the use of military equipment. "I was of less value to the last year when they were using Russian equipment," said Brewer, "Now, they're using systems I know. I know the Bradley fighting vehicle, I know the Abrams tank, I know the Stryker armored vehicle."

Brewer left Nebraska last Saturday, and arrived in Ukraine on Sunday. Just as before, Brewer is set to dole out Bibles to wounded soldiers, and was also given personal items by Ukrainian refugees in Texas to give to soldiers and loved ones who remain in the country. On top of that, Brewer also brings to the country speech-secure radios, which will help Ukrainian fighters communicate without betraying their positions to Russian forces.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA RIGHT TO LIFE RESCINDS ENDORSEMENT OF STATE SEN. MERV RIEPE

LINCOLN- Last Thursday, on the final day of the Nebraska Legislature's 108th session, Nebraska Right to Life, a large political action committee seeking to end abortion in the state, rescinded its endorsement of Sen. Merv Riepe after he failed to advance a near-total abortion ban last month. Sandy Danek, executive director of the organization, said she was "caught off guard" by Riepe's lack of action on LB626, Sen. Joni Albrecht's original abortion restriction bill that failed by just one vote.

In an attempt to compromise, Sen. Riepe, a hospital administrator, introduced an amendment to LB626 that would increase the abortion ban from 6 weeks post-fertilization to 12 weeks, but was soundly denied by his Republican colleagues. "His action compromises the integrity of our long-standing and sought-after endorsement process that pro-lifers have relied upon for decades when making voting decisions," said Danek, "Now that he has aligned himself with the 'reproductive freedom' ideology, he no longer qualifies for NRL's political support."

Danek said in a statement that Riepe had sought out an endorsement from the organization when he ran for the Legislature last year, and even checked a survey box from Nebraska Right to Life that indicated that abortion should be legal "in no case." Despite the rescindment, Riepe said that he understood where NRL was coming from, and that he had a "change of heart" after delving into the issue of abortion. Part of this research, according to Riepe, even revealed that the formal name of LB626, the "Nebraska Heartbeat Act," was a misnomer, since the heart of an unborn child does not form until roughly 17 to 19 weeks past fertilization.

For the full article click HERE

NEBRASKA COMMISSION FINDS 'NO PROBABLE CAUSE' IN COMPLAINT AGAINST STATE SEN. MEGAN HUNT

LINCOLN- On Friday, the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission announced that it had found no probable cause in an alleged conflict of interest violation filed against Sen. Megan Hunt by Omaha-based attorney David Begley on March 24th. The violation alleged that Hunt had a conflict of interest in the outcome of LB574, which imposed restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors in Nebraska.

Begley, in filing the alleged violation, sought to investigate whether or not Hunt and her son, who is transgender, had a financial stake in the bill's outcome. In an 8-0 vote, the commission found no probable cause to support this allegation. "I'm happy the NADC saw the complaint for the frivolous political attack it was," said Hunt, "What worried me is seeing an increase in these attacks on trans people in this country and the families who love them."

According to the executive director of the NADC, Frank Daley, a conflict of interest that deals with financial benefit must be "reasonably foreseeable," and not based upon "remote, speculative, contingent, or uncertain" assertions. Responding to the ruling, Begley stated that just because a case is dismissed does not make it frivolous. People, according to Begley, can disagree on reasonable foreseeability. LB574, with an abortion restriction amendment attached to it, passed on a 33-15 vote.

For the full article click HERE

SESSION IN REVIEW: CONSERVATIVES RULED NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE LIKE NEVER BEFORE

LINCOLN- 2023 was a historic year for conservatives within the Nebraska Legislature. Several measures were passed spanning from gun rights to transgender rights. The session was contentious and filled with a significant filibuster. Despite the roadblocks and delays, several conservative laws were passed, unlike any previous session in recent history. A primary reason they experienced success was Gov. Pillen's willingness to converse and work with others.

While having a nearly filibuster-proof majority helps, some democrats pointed to defectors and swing votes which helped conservatives pass major agenda items. Three Democrats in the body, Omaha Sens. Mike McDonnell, Justin Wayne, and Terrell McKinney, provided key votes on conservative priorities. A clear vision also helped the conservative side. Moderate Republicans are becoming more scarce within the body resulting in a clear vision from nearly the top down.

Pillen, despite being knocked as avoiding publicly announced events, worked with state lawmakers more collaboratively. Pillen was instrumental in the passage of a $1 billion education "future fund", which failed in years past. Finally, this year's legislature had plenty of money to spend. Conservatives passed a variety of measures but knew everyone got a chunk if everyone could stick together.

For the full article click HERE