SENATORS, SANDHILL RESIDENTS TOUT BILLS TO ADDRESS 'CARE DESERTS' DUE TO CLOSING OF SENIOR CARE CENTERS ACROSS NEBRASKA

LINCOLN- Eleven state senators, as well as a handful of rural residents who must drive hours to receive medical care, called last week for an end to the expansion of 'care deserts' in Nebraska. The coalition of senators addressing this issue argued that such deserts force families to travel further for medical care. "We can't continue at this pace," said Sen. Myron Dorn, "We have to try and find a way to stop this cycle."

To address the issue, Sen. Dorn introduced LB941 and LB942, which will be heard this week before the state's Appropriations Committee. LB941 would increase current Medicaid reimbursement rates for care at assisted-living facilities, while LB942 would appropriate funds to the Department of Health and Human Services to increase Medicaid reimbursement for nursing facility care by 5%.

Jalene Carpenter, of the Health Care Association, argued that it's important that care is adequately reimbursed so care centers can avoid closing. Sen. Dorn echoed a similar sentiment, arguing that inadequate reimbursement rates shift the cost of care onto non-Medicaid residents.

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JUDGE TEMPORARILY HALTS HANDGUN ORDER IN OMAHA UNTIL COURT CASE IS DECIDED

OMAHA- Handguns are legal now in Omaha's city parks, trails, sidewalks and parking areas after a judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday against Mayor Jean Stothert's executive order limiting handgun possession on city property. The order was paused by Douglas County District Judge LeAnne Srb.

Srb's order questioned the City of Omaha's contention that it was restricting guns as a landlord and not as an authority. The judge wrote that the city might own the premises it regulates, but that Stothert's order "appears to be an action taken for the public welfare pursuant to governmental or police power."

The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association sued Omaha and Lincoln last year after both cities issued similar orders restricting handguns. The Lincoln lawsuit is currently headed to the Lancaster County District Court, with a date set for February 27th. On Friday, Sen. Brewer, who introduced the bill allowing the permitless concealed carry of firearms statewide, said he was "very encouraged by Judge Srb's decision to stop Omaha from enforcing Mayor Stothert's illegal executive order."

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NU VOLLEYBALL COACH SAYS NEBRASKA CROSSING COULD BE NEW HOME FOR OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL TRAINING CENTER

LINCOLN- Backers of turning Nebraska Crossing into a major, regional tourism destination for shopping and youth sports enlisted the help of a major state celebrity during a public hearing concerning the state's Good Life District Economic Development Act. John Cook, the University of Nebraska volleyball coach, told state senators that they should capitalize on the volleyball momentum in Nebraska and lure the Olympic volleyball training center to the state.

Cook told the Legislature's Revenue Committee that the current training site for the US's volleyball team is "abysmal," and that the head of USA Volleyball was "pretty fired up" about the possibility of moving to Nebraska. "They just fell in love with Nebraska," said Cook. Nebraska Crossing owner Rod Yates also told lawmakers that he was in "the final stages" of putting together an agreement to relocate the training facility to Gretna.

Yates said the facility would likely cost between $150 and $200 million, which would be financed via a voter-approved slice of sales tax proceeds from the expanded Nebraska Crossing. According to Yates, who cited Creighton University economic Ernie Goss, an expanded Nebraska Crossing could bring nearly 18 million visitors per year, and create 40,000 full-time jobs.

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NEBRASKA CHILD WELFARE, PRISON WATCHDOGS HAVE TEMPORARILY RESTORED ACCESS FOR OVERSIGHT ROLES

LINCOLN- A six-month battle between Nebraska's legislative and executive branches has gotten a reprieve, with watchdog access at least temporarily restored on Wednesday to the state inspectors general. Speaker John Arch and Executive Board Chair Ray Aguilar joined Gov. Pillen in a memorandum of understanding, which specified what information the executive branch would provide to the state ombudsman and inspectors general for corrections and child welfare.

"Over the years, this effort to provide greater and more effective oversight has now become an opportunity to step back and have a broader assessment of the oversight function of the Legislature and how to better coordinate that function," said Arch. The memorandum is set to expire at the end of the 2025 legislative session unless mutually extended.

Arch said that the varying parties in the oversight battle came up with three separate agreements. Firstly, a special committee to consider legislative oversight will be established. Second, certain statutes will be amended to address concerns from the Nebraska Attorney General. And finally, access to information will be reestablished between the executive branch and the office of the inspectors general.

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HANSEN BILL WOULD CUT NEBRASKA'S EARLY VOTING PERIOD TO 22 DAYS

LINCOLN- The window for voting early in Nebraska would open about two weeks later if the Legislature adopts Sen. Ben Hansen's LB1211, the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday. Several states, including Iowa, have reduced the window for early voting, often in response to Republicans pushing to limit voting by mail.

Early voting by mail in Nebraska currently begins 35 days before the statewide primary and general elections, with in-person voting starting 30 days before elections. "This bill is simple to understand," Hansen told lawmakers, "I believe 22 days is a reasonable amount of time...It limits the amount of time for ballots to lay around."

LB1211 received the backing of Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who submitted a letter calling the change a "sensible policy solution that sets uniformity in early voting practices without requiring additional changes to state law." Brian Kruse, the Douglas County Election Commissioner, said more ballots would be rejected if the timeframe was cut short, since, if issues were to arise, voters would have far less time to correct them.

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STATE SEN. SLAMA DECIDES AGAINST RE-ELECTION BID AT LAST MOMENT

LINCOLN- Southeast Nebraska will elect a new state senator this year after State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar changed course and decided not to run for re-election. Slama, a lawyer who earlier announced that she was running for a second term, said in a statement that she was stepping back to focus on her family, including a newborn child. She called serving in the Legislature an “honor and privilege.”

“I’ve decided to begin a new chapter as an attorney in the private sector and focus on the joys and responsibilities of being a new mom,” she said in a statement, the deadline for incumbents to file for re-election. Slama might not be finished with her political career, however. She steps away from the race with $146,000 raised cash on hand, more than any of her Republican peers in the Legislature.

Slama has made no secret about wanting to run for higher office one day, having applied for Gov. Jim Pillen’s consideration as the state treasurer after John Murante took another job. Local political observers have said she might eventually run for state treasurer, secretary of state or attorney general. She did not address those possibilities in her announcement.

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BLOOD ASKS PILLEN TO RESPOND TO 'WORSENING' VIOLENCE, WORKER SAFETY AT STATE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

LINCOLN- Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue has ramped up her plea to Gov. Jim Pillen, requesting that he act quickly to improve “worsening” safety conditions for workers at the state psychiatric hospital. In a letter sent to Pillen, she said the safety of patients and staff at the Lincoln Regional Center is “completely compromised.” Blood pointed to various situations she has been informed of.

“It’s our understanding that many of the patients at LRC are more akin to Nikko Jenkins than not,” Blood said in the letter to Pillen, referring to the Nebraska death row inmate who killed four people in a 10-day span in 2013 and has self-mutilated while in prison. “The situation at LRC continues to be dire.” Blood also said the staffing issue has been around for years.

DHHS said the department has already been working to implement improvements, including increasing wages by, he said, “over 50%.” He said 110 new nurse and mental health specialist positions recently were posted. Blood said she and her team continue to listen to workers and share the information publicly because she believes that lives are at risk.

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STATE SEN. MERV RIEPE SEEKS TO EXPAND MEDICAID COVERAGE TO INCLUDE OBESITY

LINCOLN- State Sen. Merv Riepe is looking to expand Medicaid coverage to include obesity, an effort he described Thursday as seeking to tackle the “root cause” of other ailments. LB907 seeks to expand coverage for intensive behavioral therapy and anti-obesity medications. The medications, prescribed in conjunction with diet and exercise changes, would be part of a tiered approach in addressing a chronic disease that affects more than 30% of Nebraskans.

“It’s just one more tool in the toolbox,” Riepe told the Health and Human Services Committee this week .Anti-obesity medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are eligible for use by patients with obesity who have body mass indexes of 30 or greater, or those with a BMI of 27 or greater and at least one or more comorbidity.

LB 907 includes a fiscal note from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services of about $300 million in the first two years, though a high-end estimate, without best practices in providing care or determining Medicaid eligibility, could cost up to $500 million annually. No one testified in opposition to LB907. The committee took no immediate action.

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SEN. MERV RIEPE GIVES TOP PRIORITY BILL TO ALLOWING ABORTIONS IN CASES OF FATAL FETAL ANOMALIES

LINCOLN- Sen. Merv Riepe, who tanked an effort last year by his fellow Republicans to pass a near-total abortion ban has given top priority this year to a bill that would allow abortions beyond the state's 12-week ban in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. The bill would amend Nebraska’s 12-week abortion ban, passed last year, to allow abortions in cases when a fetus is unable to survive outside the womb.

That diagnosis must come from two doctors who determine that, regardless of any life-saving treatment, a fetus is incompatible with life outside the womb and will result in death upon birth or shortly thereafter. The diagnosis and abortion must come before 20 weeks of pregnancy — a timeline consistent with Nebraska's previous 20-week ban on abortions.

The bill also removes criminal penalties for doctors who perform an abortion outside the exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. Adelle Burk with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska said Riepe’s bill falls well short of restoring full rights to abortion access, but that it “acknowledges some of the harm done by the bill passed last year and tries to control some of that damage.”

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PUBLIC SAFETY, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND CHINA: RENEWABLE ENERGY DEBATE RUNS HOT IN NEBRASKA

GREELEY- Better to walk out than get thrown out. And with that, Robert Bernt, an organic farmer in central Nebraska, turned and left the old school gymnasium where the county zoning board was evaluating a proposed wind farm. The project was being sought by area farmers who viewed it as a way to shore up their family incomes and feed tax revenue into local schools and government.

Most of the several dozen people in attendance shared Bernt’s anger. They accused local officials of aiding China, a major player in renewables, and jeopardizing neighbors’ health and property values. And they disputed the project’s promised economic benefits. One opponent called on the group to join him in prayer as he beseeched God to steer officials away from the plan. Most stood with him.

NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest developer of wind and solar projects, said it has already invested about $814 million in Nebraska and remains committed to continuing despite the opposition. That includes in Greeley County, where it’s developing the proposed wind farm. “We … believe that well-sited projects can provide significant benefits to the counties where they are built," said NextEra.

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BILL ADVANCED TO CLOSE LOOPHOLE IN INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR PROCEDURES DURING A COLONOSCOPY

LINCOLN- On Tuesday, the Nebraska Legislature voted 36-6 to advance a bill Sen. Carol Blood introduced to "close a loophole" in the Affordable Care Act. The ACA, according to Blood, intended to require coverage of colonoscopies as well as the removal of any polyps found during the procedure. However, a loophole makes the removal of a polyp "diagnostic" and a procedure whose cost is the patient's responsibility.

Under Sen. Blood's LB829, polyp removal, a biopsy, and lab tests will be covered by insurance. Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth opposed the bill, questioning whether requiring insurers to cover polyp removals would increase costs for all patients. Blood argued that those who refuse to pay the current extra fees can face life-threatening consequences.

Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, in response to Sen. Kauth, said costs would be saved if a patient's polyps are removed, since this would likely prevent future instances of cancer. Blood cited the fact that colon cancer kills 53,000 Americans each year, and that it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths.

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SEN. CONRAD INTRODUCES BILL TO ALLOW CHILDREN TO REPEAT A GRADE IN K-12 WITH PARENTAL PERMISSION

LINCOLN- In select circumstances under Sen. Danielle Conrad's LB1193, parents or guardians would have the final say in whether their children should repeat a grade in K-12 schools. More specifically, parents would be allowed to let their children repeat a grade in K-4 due to academic needs, illness, or excessive absenteeism. For students in grades 5-12, the reason would be limited to excessive absenteeism.

"In the rare instances where there are disagreements with the parent, and to be clear, most of the time there's not," said Conrad, "the parent's decision should really carry the day." Elizabeth Eynon-Kokrda, general counsel for the Education Rights Counsel and a proponent of the bill, argued that school districts currently contain "the entire body of rights here."

Eynon-Kokrda offered two examples to show the importance of this issue. In one, a ninth grade student survived being trafficked and missed the entire school year, but her parents were denied the opportunity to place their daughter back into ninth grade. "The current rule basically is, your age dictates where you go, specifically without regard to your circumstances," said Eynon-Kokrda.

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GOV. PILLEN, SEN. DEKAY LOOK TO PREVENT FOREIGN ADVERSARIES FROM OWNING NEBRASKA REAL ESTATE

LINCOLN- LB1301, introduced by Sen. Barry Dekay at the behest of Gov. Jim Pillen, would modernize a law that they argue is designed to prevent foreign adversaries and sanctioned nationals from buying land in Nebraska. "What we're doing is not something that is radically different," DeKay told the Legislature's Agriculture Committee on Tuesday.

A draft amendment for the bill would expand restricted land statewide, rather than specifically within 10 miles of Nebraska's military installations. It would also specify that a "nonresident alien" must disclose agricultural land purchases in line with federal law. Under the bill, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture would determine whether a violation of the "Foreign-Owned Real Estate National Security Act" occurred, and could forward the matter to the Attorney General's Office.

Restricted entities within the bill include those who are listed on any sanctions lists maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and those who are determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to have "engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States."

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SEN. MURMAN BRINGS THINNER, UPDATED PROPOSAL FOR K-12 TRANSPARENCY

LINCOLN- After trying to pass a "Parents' Bill of Rights" last year, Sen. Dave Murman is once again attempting to promote K-12 transparency through the newly introduced LB1399, the "Parents' Bill of Rights and Academic Transparency Act." He told the Education Committee on Tuesday that his previous bill received "great support," but that some teachers and school officials saw it as too burdensome.

"Teaching is already a difficult profession," Murman told the committee, "I've tried to put in the work to find some more reasonable compromises." LB1399, Murman's new bill, would set a time frame for which parents may obtain instructional material upon request, clarify to the public how curriculum materials are approved, maintain an online database of library resources, and require that schools receive parental approval before students can take surveys.

The bill would also update a 1994 law on parental involvement in schools, requiring schools to foster and facilitate "the fullest transparency allowed by law," instead of merely "informing" parents and guardians. Allie French, a 2024 legislative candidate and member of Nebraskans Against Government Overreach, said several proponents of the bill have requested records from K-12 schools and have received nebulous time frames in response.

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VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS PLEAD FOR FUNDS TO BUY RADIOS THAT LET THEM COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS, STATE AGENCIES

LINCOLN- As a wall of flames engulfed a Crete firefighter working a wildfire in Lancaster County in October 2022, other first responders had a problem — their radios. Some radios were outdated, some couldn’t communicate with a nearby firefighter and overloaded circuits blocked colleagues from summoning help for Brad Elder as the fire roared over him.

“We need help. We need help desperately,” Johnson told members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. He was among several volunteer firefighters who testified in support of a trio of bills that would provide more funding to purchase “interoperable” radios for the state’s volunteer first responders.

Right now, the state’s 449 volunteer fire and rescue department have a mixture of radios, old and new, with a mixture of ability to be “operable” with other departments, the State Patrol or other responders to multi-agency wildfires, accidents or floods. Those testifying told stories of seeing firefighters from other departments but being unable to communicate directly with them via radio because they were using different systems.

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PASSIONATE BATTLE OVER SCHOOL CHOICE RESUMES IN NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- The battle over school choice returned to the Nebraska Legislature on Tuesday over a proposal to allocate $25 million a year directly from state coffers to organizations that hand out scholarships to private and parochial schools. LB1402, introduced by Sen. Linehan, is meant to act as a replacement for the Opportunity Scholarship Act passed last year.

Last year's law is scheduled to appear on the November general election ballot, where Nebraskans will have the opportunity to decide its future. Scott Norby, an attorney for the Nebraska State Education Association, said last year's law "does indirectly what LB1402 does directly--the funding of private schools with public dollars."

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who introduced last year's proposal as well, said LB1402 is "an end run" around the ballot initiative, which she argued was marred by misinformation. "They don't want the competition, folks," she told the members of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, "It's so clear." She added that she would ask the Legislature to repeal the original Opportunity Scholarships Act if LB1402 passes this year.

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JUDGE RULES THE STATE OF NEBRASKA WAS NOT IN CONTEMPT FOR REMOTE WORK ACTIONS AFTER CIR RULING

LINCOLN- The State of Nebraska did not knowingly violate a Commission on Industrial Relations order when managers notified some state employees they were terminating previously approved work-from-home or remote-work agreements. Lancaster County District Court Judge Andrew Jacobsen ruled that the state did not “willfully” disregard the CIR order telling it to stand pat on Gov. Jim Pillen’s return-to-work executive order by ending arrangements approved before Pillen issued his order. 

Jacobsen, in a six-page order, said the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services and other state agency leaders had met and tried to figure out what the order allowed and did not. They also sought clarity from the CIR in a formal filing. “That is exactly what the state should have done,” he wrote. “The state’s actions are not those of a party thumbing its nose at a tribunal. They are instead the actions of a party laboring to understand how a tribunal’s order should be applied to policies not considered by the tribunal.” 

Justin Hubly, executive director of NAPE, said on Monday that the state has “fallen in line” and started following the spirit of the CIR order and that agencies stopped terminating employees’ remote-work arrangements. “We had to hold our members’ rights up and hold the state accountable,” Hubly said. “We’re glad they’re following it now. We wish they would’ve followed it out of the gate.” 

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NU UNVEILS FULL COST OF ATTENDANCE SCHOLARSHIP, STIPEND FOR PERFECT ACT PERFORMANCE

LINCOLN- The University of Nebraska announced it will pay Nebraska students who score perfectly on the ACT to obtain an NU education. Interim NU President Chris Kabourek joined with regents, state senators, three NU chancellors and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen to outline the inaugural President’s Scholarship for in-state students who obtain a 36 on the ACT.

The scholarship will cover cost of attendance — including tuition, fees, books and room and board — and provide a $5,000 annual stipend “to pursue whatever your dream in life is.” Kabourek said NU wants Nebraska students to list the university at the top of their list of desired colleges or universities, but many are leaving the state to continue their education. Moving forward, he’s said, NU can’t lose its “best and brightest.”

“If you sign with us, we’re going to go celebrate it just like we celebrate our five-star athletes,” Kabourek said at a news conference, explaining that many student-athletes receive a stipend. Unlike the Regents Scholarship, a top scholarship that waives the cost of tuition for qualifying students, the new scholarship will pay NU for students’ attendance.

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SEN. LOREN LIPPINCOTT SEEKS TO ALLOW OFFSITE RELIGIOUS ELECTIVES FOR PUBLIC K-12 STUDENTS

LINCOLN- A Nebraska state senator testified that allowing offsite religious electives could be “another tool” in addressing K-12 students’ behavior and academic performance. LB1066, introduced by Sen. Lippincott and 11 other senators, would allow a private entity approved by a public school board to offer elective courses in religious instruction. Students would be able to attend, at most, one period or one hour of such a course per day during a semester.

Lippincott said this method of instruction, or release time, could add a “valuable missing component” to Nebraska K-12 electives. “It would be no different than a kid working at the John Deere store or doing something like this,” Lippincott said. LB 1066 would allow school boards to adopt policies authorizing students to attend such courses, as long as they do not “undeniably promote licentiousness,” lack legal, moral or sexual restraints, or go against other school policies.

Parents or the sponsoring entity would be required to transport students to and from school, time that would be counted in the one-period-per-day window, but Lippincott told the Examiner the time would still be meaningful. Six states allow academic credit for such release time, according to School Ministries: Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.

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NEBRASKA TOURISM SLOGAN IS NO MORE. 'EVERYTHING HAS A SHELF LIFE,' OFFICIAL SAYS

LINCOLN- Frankly, it was a state tourism slogan that wasn’t for everybody. The Nebraska tourism director announced publicly that it was ditching its edgy, 5-year-old tagline: “Nebraska, honestly it’s not for everyone.” Officials said the slogan was successful in getting previously uninterested travelers curious about visiting Nebraska, but it had also been criticized — including by Gov. Jim Pillen — as reinforcing the state’s lack of soaring mountains and ocean beaches.

“It’s a thing of the past,” John Ricks, director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, told members of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee. “Times change. Everything has a shelf life,” added David Fudge, executive director of North Platte’s Nebraskaland Days festival. Ricks made the revelation during a public hearing in which he requested an increase in spending authority for his commission, from $7.4 million to $10.5 million, to increase marketing of visiting the state.

The increased spending, Ricks emphasized, would be financed by a combination of state lodging taxes and surplus tourism commission funds, not tax dollars. Dropping the slogan comes as a proposal is being considered in the Nebraska Legislature to transfer the now-independent Tourism Commission back under the control of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.

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