BOLD NEBRASKA'S JANE KLEEB EXCHANGES PIPELINE FIGHT FOR CLEAN ENERGY WITH $3 MILLION AWARD

LINCOLN- Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, has been teasing for weeks on social media about a “big surprise,” and several political insiders have speculated she was eyeing a run for the U.S. Senate. Instead, she confirmed this week that she is taking on a new project in her work with Bold Nebraska, thanks to a big infusion of cash.

Bold Nebraska is the group Kleeb founded in 2010 to organize farmers, ranchers and Native Americans to push back against the Keystone XL Pipeline. This week, that work led to a $3 million international award. Kleeb was announced as the third American to receive the Climate Breakthrough Award. She was joined this year by Indonesia’s Gita Syahrani in receiving the award.

She will receive funding for multiple years to invest in organizing similar rural alliances to embrace alternative or green energy sources such as solar and wind power. The recognition will help the group raise more money from larger foundations focused on climate change. Kleeb wants to ensure that rural Americans understand they and their land are on the front lines of American energy for the next century.

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ABORTION RIGTHS ADVOCATES FILE INITIATIVE PETITION LANGUAGE, BUT THEY'RE MUM ON ITS EXACT CONTENT

LINCOLN- Planned Parenthood officials filed their proposed language for an initiative to restore abortion rights that they hope will be placed on the 2024 ballot in Nebraska. But, for now, exactly what proposal voters may see will remain secret, in part due to a state law that allows such language to remain confidential for up to 15 days while it undergoes a review by the State Legislature’s bill drafters office.

Organizers of the petition drive say it will “restore our rights” for access to abortion, but one veteran senator — an abortion rights supporter — warned that pushing the envelope too far might “do more harm than good.” Deciding which abortion rights proposal to put on a petition is a high-stakes, multimillion-dollar question.

Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad, an abortion rights supporter, said that she hasn’t seen the proposed ballot language but that unless polling shows it has at least 60% support, she labeled it an “unserious effort.” “Amending the (Nebraska) Constitution and raising such an important yet complex issue is serious business, and without a thoughtful strategy in place upon launch, it could be downright dangerous and could cause more harm than good,” Conrad said, “by sparking more radical bans in the Legislature.”

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NEBRASKA NURSING HOMES BASH NEW 'FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED' REGULATIONS

LINCOLN- A new rule announced by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which was intended to improve patient care in long-term nursing facilities, is being criticized by nursing home staff and administrators for its strict requirement that each nursing facility must have a registered nurse working 24 hours a day.

"It's absolutely fundamentally flawed," said Tim Groshan, who owns three Nebraska nursing facilities, "because that's not how long-term care facilities operate." Groshan added that the new rule would give Nebraska nursing homes far less flexibility in both accepting patients and adjusting staffing levels to fit patient needs.

Before the new rule, nursing homes were only required to have a registered nurse, who oversees the care offered in nursing facilities, on-site for eight hours a day. In Nebraska, Groshan said that many facilities are having trouble hiring and retaining RNs, adding that many facilities won't survive the change. "But we've been fighting a lack of RNs for a number of years," he said, "And now there's a policy that seems to think that's gone and that they're just aplenty and you can find them. That's not reality"

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NU INSTITUTE GETS $19 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR GLOBAL WATER, AG PROJECT

LINCOLN- On Friday, the University of Nebraska's Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute announced that it had received a $19 million federal grant that will be utilized to help coordinate a global network of sustainable irrigation and agricultural mechanization for small farmers in developing countries.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, which awarded the grant, also chose the Daugherty Institute to lead the global, multi-partner initiative. While the project is set to focus on the technical aspects of irrigation and agricultural mechanization, it will also attempt to tackle some of the more specific issues that must be addressed if developing nations are to achieve long-term success in managing food security.

The Water, Climate, and Health program of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, as well as the Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will be leading partners in the endeavor. The $19 million awarded to the Daugherty Insititute is meant to be used over a five-year period, with the potential to expand the program with more initiatives up to $40 million.

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RESIDENTS OF MIDWEST, MOUNTAIN WEST SEE BIGGEST PAY BUMPS

LINCOLN- Residents of some Midwestern and Mountain states gained the most income per capita during the past four years, a Stateline analysis shows, as competition for workers drove up wages in relatively affordable places to live. Stateline’s analysis offers a more complete understanding of how some states’ residents benefitted economically as policy decisions and Americans’ choices shuffled state-by-state outcomes.

Inflation took the biggest bite out of paychecks in the West and South, with consumer prices rising about 20% in those regions between mid-2019 and mid-2023, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis figures. Inflation was a little lower in the Midwest, about 19%, and about 16% in the Northeast.

Inflation-adjusted per capita incomes in Utah have grown by about 8% since 2019. Incomes in Colorado, Maine, Montana and Nebraska also grew by roughly that much. Incomes in Arizona, Idaho and Missouri increased by about 7%. Many of these states experienced large income increases due to scenic or affordable areas that have attracted remote workers looking for a lower cost of living and proximity to recreation.

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ADVOCATES SEEK BETTER USE OF $126 MILLION IN EXCESS FEDERAL FUNDS FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

LINCOLN- Last week, Sen. Clements and other members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee were urged to make changes in state policies concerning the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, federal funds that finance ADC, among other things. “This is an issue that has languished in Nebraska too long,” Conrad told committee members.

The state gets about $56.6 million a year from the feds for TANF, but until last year, has not come close to spending its annual allocation, which has resulted in nearly $126 million sitting unallocated in a reserve or “rainy day” fund. Sen. Danielle Conrad, who called for an interim study on the excess TANF funds, said that Nebraska is now using only about 30% of its available funds as direct aid for needy families and that those funds would be better used as they were intended, to help families get out of poverty.

She urged the committee to support efforts to get more of the TANF money directly in the hands of needy families, as has been done in other states. Conrad’s LB 310 would increase the maximum ADC payment from 55% of a family’s standard of need to 85%. State Auditor Mike Foley testified Friday that Nebraska is an outlier in the large size of its TANF rainy day fund.

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MISSOURI OFFICIAL HIRED AS NEW MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

LINCOLN- The medical director for a private, for-profit provider of health care for Missouri prison inmates began work as the new medical director for the Nebraska Department of Corrections. Dr. Jerry Lee Lovelace Jr. succeeds Dr. Harbans Deol, who retired in February after serving seven years in the key position. Lovelace will paid a salary of $314,000.

State Corrections Director Rob Jeffreys, in a press release, called Lovelace “an innovative leader who has a proven record of working collaboratively to find solutions.” “His experience and commitment to providing excellent care to diverse populations will be a tremendous asset,” Jeffreys said. Most recently, Lovelace was statewide medical director for Centurion Health.

He has a background in pathology and internal medicine and had served 24 years as a primary care physician. Lovelace will oversee all health services for Nebraska state prisons, which includes medical, dental, psychiatry and behavioral health. He will be serving about 5,750 inmates in nine prisons.

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$2 MILLION AIMS TO BOOST READING SKILLS OF NEBRASKA PRESCHOOLERS, ELIMINATE 'BOOK DESERTS'

OMAHA- Seeking to eliminate “book deserts” in Nebraska, the State Department of Education has directed $2 million toward getting more than a half-million books into households with the youngest Nebraskans. The Nebraska Growing Readers effort kicked off with books distributed to Educare of Omaha at Indian Hill, one of 18 urban and rural childcare providers and other sites that will help get the books to families.

Education Commissioner Brian Maher, Mary Jo Pankoke, president and chief executive of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, and Suzanne Pillen monitored the distribution process by stopping by classrooms. A state education spokesman said the $2 million comes from the department’s pandemic-related federal allotment of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Available books are generally filled with pictures, ranging in topics from family to animals, organizers said, and are accessible in Spanish and other languages if desired. The initial phase is to reach 16,000 children, 12,000 households and 1,000 early childhood providers, and organizers said they hope to get a series of books into each household.

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PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY URGED WITH $100 MILLION OPIOID SETTLEMENT IN NEBRASKA

OMAHA- Nebraska is set to get $100 million over the next two decades. It's part of the massive opioid settlement money paid out by drug companies and drug stores for flooding the market with addictive pain killers and overprescribing these drugs, responsible for about 80,000 deaths nationwide, per year. Nebraska’s share of the settlement is a tiny part of $54 billion paid out worldwide.

But right now, it’s not clear if Nebraska will publicly report how all the money is spent. “Even though the opioid settlement seems like a large amount of money, it is right sized for our state,” said Omaha Doctor Ann Anderson Berry, a Nebraska Medicine neonatologist, UNMC researcher and member of Nebraska’s committee which will determine how part of the money is spent.

So far, neighboring states like Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota promise full transparency. They already have detailed active public websites detailing 100% disclosure of how their money is being spent. Nebraska has not identified if they will do the same with it's funds. DHHS must issue an annual report on the uses, spending, and outcomes to the Legislature, Governor, and the Attorney General.

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TOM BRIESE, NEBRSKA'S INCOMING STATE TREASURER, EYES SPENDING CUTS

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s new state treasurer took office this week, and State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion says he has a plan for his first steps on the job: Listen and learn. Then cut. Briese, a corn and soybean farmer with a law degree, has spent several weeks since Gov. Jim Pillen tapped him to replace Treasurer John Murante meeting with his new staff. Briese said he and Pillen are on the same page.

“I have a solemn obligation to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” Briese said of his shift to the executive branch. “That means running operations as efficiently as possible.” Briese’s first task, he said, will be getting a handle on what taxpayers receive for the office’s $3.2 million general fund budget, which has stayed fairly flat in recent years.

Briese said he had not yet identified specific cuts. He said his goal is to reduce costs without jeopardizing the service level provided. “Our mindset should always be to implement process improvements and save taxpayer dollars,” Briese said. “The status quo should really never be acceptable.” Briese and his wife have relocated to Lincoln for this position.

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NEBRASKA MULLS PARTICIPATION IN NEW CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM THAT COULD BRING $18M IN BENEFITS

LINCOLN- A child nutrition program poised to launch nationwide on a permanent basis could deliver an estimated $18 million in grocery-buying benefits to Nebraska families next summer. While that’s an encouraging prospect to child welfare advocates and struggling families, state government officials first must decide whether to opt into the new Summer EBT program for children.

That has yet to happen — and a looming federal government deadline has some advocates antsy. “If they do nothing there is going to be more child hunger, more stress on the emergency food distribution network in our state, which already is stressed,” said Eric Savaiano, food and nutrition access manager at Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit that combats poverty and discrimination.

The program would offer an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card to children whose household income makes them eligible for free and reduced school lunches during the school year. Each youth would receive a card loaded with $120 to help buy food during months that school is out. Intent to participate must be notified by January 1st, 2024.

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NEBRASKA JOINS LAWSUIT AGAINST META, CLAIMS ITS SOCIAL PLATFORMS ARE ADDICTIVE AND HARM CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH

LINCOLN- Dozens of states from across the country are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for allegedly harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately adding features to Instagram and Facebook that lead to addiction. The lawsuit, which included 33 states, was filed in federal court in California, with 9 other attorneys general from several other states filing their own as well.

The broad-ranging lawsuit is the result of a bipartisan investigation conducted by attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. In a statement responding to the allegations, Meta said it shares "the attorneys general's commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families."

The suit seeks financial damages and restitution, as well as an end to Meta's practices that the attorneys general argue are in violation of the law. Research released in 2021 by Meta stated that the company had known about the harm its social platforms can cause to teenagers, especially young girls, when it comes to mental health and body image issues. Another study found that 13.5% of teen girls say Instagram exacerbates suicidal ideation.

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ELECTION 2024: NEBRASKA, IOWA ELECTION OFFICIALS REINFORCE BALLOT INTEGRITY DURING CYBERSECURITY MONTH

LINCOLN- With less than three months until the Iowa Caucuses, and Nebraska's primary election coming up in May, both states' election officials took the time to highlight the integrity of their ballot systems. "If they don't feel like we're getting the job done, that can be just as devastating," said Paul Pate, Iowa's Secretary of State, "Then they don't have the confidence in the system."

The integrity of many states' ballot systems came under fire following the 2020 election, which later prompted the January 6th Insurrection, despite the fact that many different courts debunked claims of widespread election fraud. Last year, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen's office created a "FAKE vs. FACT" section on the Secretary's website, sharing data on why 12 different claims of election fraud in Nebraska were wrong.

"Our election commissions across the state hand-counted 48,000 ballots and found discrepancies with 11 ballots," said Evnen, "and five of those were the result of voters who didn't darken the oval. Nebraska has very secure elections, and our elections are a model for the nation." The 2024 election will be the first in Nebraska to require voters to present a valid ID, a newly-implemented law its supporters say will help to deter election fraud.

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NEBRASKA'S OPENSKY POLICY INSTITUTE HONES IN IN FISCAL POLICY, IMMIGRATION ISSUES

LINCOLN- With the Nebraska Legislature's next session a little over two months away, the OpenSky Policy Institute held panel discussions with lawmakers and stakeholders that could shape future legislative proposals. The impact of court fines and fees on defendants, problems with property taxes, and the role of immigrants in the state's workforce were among the top issues discussed.

After lawmakers recently approved $350 million to build a new state prison, OpenSky focused discussions at a Tuesday panel around ways to reduce fines and fees for those going through Nebraska's criminal justice system. Sen. George Dungan, who moderated the panel and serves as a public defender, said such costs can act as a barrier to a fair trial if a defendant can't afford them.

The Legislature also passed a pair of tax bills last session that will cut or offset more than $6 billion worth of property and income taxes over the next six years. OpenSky discussed ways to clean up this new tax system, with John Anderson, a Univerity of Nebraska-Lincoln professor, saying that the current process is too impractical for certain property owners. Anderson also pointed out that the proposed changes don't make a change. Finally, discussing immigration, OpenSky recommended that the state look into tapping into its immigration population as a way to reduce its sizable workforce shortage. 

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PILLEN SIDESTEPS QUESTION ABOUT APOLOGY TO REPORTER WHO GREW UP IN CHINA

LINCOLN- On Wednesday, Gov. Pillen sidestepped a question about whether or not he planned to apologize to an Omaha-based investigative reporter, Yanqi Xu, for saying that her work should be disregarded because she grew up "in Communist China." Pillen's comments came in response to an article Xu had written for the Flatwater Free Press, which concerned groundwater pollution linked to Pillen Family Farms' hog-confinement sites.

The story cited data collected by the state about nitrate levels in groundwater, and revealed that such levels were five times higher than considered safe for pregnant mothers to drink at 16 of Pillen's hog farms. Flatwater's executive director offered Pillen an opportunity to apologize last week, describing his comments as embarrassing and "dead working," and chiding the governor's unwillingness to respond "to the facts" present in Xu's story.

Xu was born in China but left the country in 2017 to pursue journalism in the United States, and has won national acclaim for her series on nitrate pollution in Nebraska's groundwater, titled "Our Dirty Water." Following a tour of a Lincoln manufacturing company, Pillen, when asked about his comments, said he's "100% focused on all the extraordinary opportunities that we have in Nebraska," ignoring the question entirely.

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TOO MANY RURAL NEBRASKANS LIVE TOO FAR FROM DOCTORS WHO DELIVER BABIES, COMMITTEE TOLD

LINCOLN- According to several testifiers who spoke on Sen. Jen Day's LR154, Nebraska could be doing more to help incentivize doctors to dedicate time and specialty to labor and delivery care, a move that they say will help the state fill its substantial maternal care deserts. The CDC defines such deserts as any county without a hospital or birth center present, which is nearly 53% of Nebraska's 93 counties.

According to one testifier, roughly 15% to 20%, or around 80,000, of Nebraska's birthing-age women live in a county that lacks adequate maternal care. Because of this, Dr. Ann Anderson Berry, director of the Child Health Research Institute at UNMC, told the Health and Human Services Committee that many women have to make "heartbreaking" choices over the course of their pregnancy.

Some of these difficult choices include deciding whether or not they can afford to miss work, whether they can obtain childcare to attend a faraway maternal health appointment, and whether or not such appointments can be skipped occasionally. "When you can't get health care in your community," said Anderson Berry, "the decision to seek care gets more complicated."

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STRAINS ON RURAL NEBRASKA AMBULANCE SERVICES SPUR CALLS FOR STATE HELP

LINCOLN- On Wednesday, representatives from several rural Nebraska communities, mostly volunteer firefighters or EMTs, crowded into the Nebraska Capitol to voice their concerns over emergency service deserts in those areas of the state. Most rural communities in Nebraska utilize volunteer fire and rescue squads, but many are struggling to replace older veterans.

According to the testifiers, who spoke on Sen. Myron Dorn's LR206, rural populations are again as well, meaning calls for emergency services are up significantly. "The issues are systemwide," said Michael Dwyer, a firefighter and EMT from Arlington, "The trends are historic, and the current system of EMS is not sustainable."

Nebraska is currently one of three states with the highest rates of rural residents living more than a 25-minute drive from where an ambulance is stationed, with more than 76% of the state's counties containing residents who live at least that far away. Rural first responders called on the Legislature to consider upfront payments for training new emergency responders, instead of making each department seek reimbursement, saying that this will hopefully alleviate some of the problems plaguing rural Nebraska.

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NEBRASKA FILES CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWSUITS OVER DELTA 8 PRODUCTS

LINCOLN- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced this week that his office is working to crackdown on deceptive THC-containing products called Delta 8. To that end, the state has filed 10 lawsuits in Platte, Scotts Bluff, Hall, Madison, Lancaster, Sarpy, Lincoln, Saline, Keith, and Dawes Counties.

Hilgers said the marketing on such laced products appeals to kids. One such example they have seen includes a laced rice cereal treat.

“No one who is buying these knows what’s in it,” he said during the news conference. Hilgers said the state tested 100 such products and found that only 15% of them were accurate in their labeled ingredients — and potency.

“It’s a game of Russian roulette that Nebraskans are losing,” he said. He stressed that the products have not been deemed safe by any Nebraska or regulatory body. In fact, he said synthetically produced THCs including Delta 8 are even unlawful in states where marijuana has been legalized or decriminalized recreational marijuana or there are significant limits on their use.

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NEBRASKA GOV. PILLEN APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen filled a key Department of Health and Human Services position that had been vacant for months. Pillen appointed Alyssa Bish as the department's director of Children and Family Services, which had been vacant since December, when Pillen opted not to retain the division's former director, Stephanie Beasley, after he was elected governor.

Bish, who will begin in her new role Dec. 28, has been the director of personnel within the Missouri Office of Administration since February. She also served as the director of strategy and leadership development for the state. A Nebraska native who studied communications at Wayne State College, Bish previously worked for Missouri’s Department of Social Services and in the state’s Children’s Division where she focused on improving the quality of foster care services and decreasing the backlog of cases.

“In addition to the success she has had, Alyssa brings a passion for helping children and families through difficult times," Pillen said in the news release. "I look forward to working with Alyssa as she brings that passion to this role at DHHS.” The state will pay Bish $175,000 annually. Beasley's annual salary before she left the job was $169,747.

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YORK COMMUNITY HOSTS CHILD CARE TOWN HALL WITH SENATOR JANA HUGHES

YORK- Members of the York, Nebraska, community brought their ideas and concerns about child care policy to their state representative this week. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward met with about two dozen constituents Monday evening at a town hall hosted by the York County Community Coalition and York County Development Corporation on the topic.

Hughes said she doesn’t have a background in child care, but she understands there are ways for the state to get out of the way of the industry. “I support whatever we can do to help child care because I vastly realize it is a top [No.] 2 to 3 issue for our district and the state,” Hughes said.

Hughes highlighted that state legislators in 2023 voted to further extend the expansion of child care subsidy eligibility through 2026 and authorize more tax credits for child care costs, such as $7.5 million in tax credits for the school readiness tax credit. Another possible solution, Hughes said, is to streamline licensing requirements. Senator Ibach is currently working on legislation that would do just that.

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