NEBRASKA URGED TO BECOME 'MOST WELCOMING PLACE IN AMERICA' FOR IMMIGRANTS

LINCOLN- Nebraska business leaders are arguing that it's "glaringly apparent" that the state won't be able to meet its workforce needs without more immigrants, according to a consultant to the Nebraska Chamber Foundation. The North Carolina-based Economic Leadership Group, which consults with the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is meant to assess the state's economic competitiveness.

The group released a trio of reports examining how Nebraska stacks up among its peer states in an array of areas, the health of the state's manufacturing industry, and immigration in relation to the state's workforce. In all three studies, immigration surfaced as a top solution to fill the state's workforce gaps and ward off economic decline.

According to the reports, a majority of Nebraskans consider the current federal immigration system "broken." "They understood that there's a stigma around illegal immigration but stressed that legal paths must be improved," the consultant group wrote, "They felt that America needs to 'close the back door' but 'open the front door' for a greater volume of legal immigration."

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BIDEN APPROVES DISASTER, ASSISTANCE FOR NEBRASKA PANHANDLE'S WINTRY STORMS IN EARLY APRIL

LINCOLN- President Joe Biden has granted a major disaster declaration for the early April wintry storms that impacted eight counties in the Nebraska Panhandle. The Friday declaration has unlocked federal assistance to help with recovery from last month's storms, as requested by Gov. Jim Pillen in early May.

The counties that are to receive assistance include: Banner, Cheyenne, Dawes, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, and Sioux. "Some residents in the impacted areas were without electricity for up to a week," an early-May release from the Governor's Office stated, "Other storm impacts included closed highways, downed trees, and some damage to local buildings and equipment."

Andrew Meyer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to oversee the operations in western Nebraska. Meyer is also overseeing FEMA assistance in eastern Douglas and Washington Counties following the Arbor Day tornado outbreak, for which Biden also approved federal assistance and a disaster declaration.

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LAWMAKERS MEET WITH GOV. PILLEN IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING TO DISCUSS PROPERTY TAXES

LINCOLN- Over a dozen state lawmakers met with Gov. Pillen in the Governor's Mansion early on Thursday to discuss property taxes. According to several senators, the group meeting with Pillen was asked to keep the discussion confidential.

"There was a meeting this morning, yes, at the Governor's Mansion," said Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, "The subject was 'What are we going to do about property taxes?'" While Linehan, at the request of the governor, withheld specific details, she said that no concrete plan came of Thursday's discussion.

Gov. Pillen is planning to call the Legislature back to Lincoln for a special session to deal with the issue of property taxes, but also indicated that there's no point in doing so if there isn't a solid plan that has support from the 33 lawmakers needed to overcome a potential filibuster.

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SARPY COUNTY SEEKS TO STEP UP TRUST, TRANSPARENCY BY HIRINH THIRD-PARTY WHISTLEBLOWER CONTRACTOR

BELLEVUE- Nebraska's fast-growing Sarpy County is poised to take an extra step to provide an anonymous, third-party path for its employees and citizens to report harassment, waste, and suspected mismanagement. The county, as of late May, is now offering this resource, formally titled IntegrityCounts, which is operated independently by Candian company Whistleblower Security Inc.

Under an annual $13,700 contract, Whistleblower Security is to confidentially accept information around-the-clock, information that will then be delivered to a committee of county officials for evaluation and the creation of a plan to tackle the issue. "This platform will help Sarpy County maintain the highest ethical standards in serving the public," said Sarpy County Board Chair Angi Burmeister.

Sarpy County officials said they began to offer this service to "promote transparency and accountability." Reports can be made by phone, email, or through an online service. Those who submit reports and tips are not required to provide any personal information. "Ultimately, problems can't be solved if they don't see the light of day," said Sarpy County Commissioner David Klug.

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS RIDE TO BACON'S AID WITH $2.8 MILLION AD RESERVATION

OMAHA- The Congressional Leadership Fund, a top fundraising arm of the U.S. House Republicans, recently announced that it has reserved $2.8 million in Omaha-area television advertising time for the fall rematch between incumbent Rep. Don Bacon and State Sen. Tony Vargas.

The reservations for Bacon came as a part of a $141 million wave of national spending by the group, which often invests significantly in swing districts held by Republican incumbents. Dan Conston, the group's president, called the investment "a significant early down payment on Republicans holding the House majority."

The tally for ad reservations this year rose sharply compared to 2022, when $1.3 million was spent. House Democrats are also spending in District 2 on behalf of Sen. Tony Vargas, as the Democrat-led House Majority PAC pledged $2 million to reserve ad time. The House Majority PAC, like the Congressional Leadership Fund, has spent significantly this year on the national scale, reserving a total of $186 million in television ads.

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ABORTION INITIATIVE WITH THE MOST VOTES WOULD BECOME LAW, SHOULD VOTERS PASS MORE THAN ONE

LINCOLN- According to Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, if voters pass more than one competing constitutional amendment seeking to prohibit, restrict, or enshrine abortion in the state Constitution, the initiative with the most votes would pass and become law, as the passage of two or more would generate constitutional and statutory conflicts.

"If they're on the same topic," said Evnen, "you're looking for the amendment that received the most raw votes. It's not the percentage." Three groups are currently circulating petitions to place abortion-related initiatives on the 2024 General Election ballot. One, put forward by Protect Our Rights Nebraska, would enshrine the right to abortions in the state Constitution.

A second, circulated by Protect Women and Children, would allow no abortions after the first trimester, much like current law, but would also allow the Legislature to restrict abortion further. Finally, another petition circulated by Now Choose Life would grant "personhood" to embryos and fetuses in the mother's womb, essentially outlawing abortion entirely.

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U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DAN OSBORN APPEALS TO WORKING CLASS AT LINCOLN TOWN HALL

LINCOLN- Independent U.S. Senate Candidate Dan Osborn leaned into his blue-collar roots and railed against the state's "country club" congressional members during his first town hall event on Tuesday in Lincoln. Osborn, a Navy veteran and former union president, drew a stark contrast between himself and incumbent U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, against whom he is running.

"There is no one like me in the U.S. Senate," he told the crowd. For around an hour, Osborn fielded questions on topics ranging from abortion access to the war in Ukraine. He often sought the middle ground in his answers as he cast his candidacy as one meant to disrupt the status quo.

"We are not near as divided as the media wants us," Osborn said to cheers and applause, "I would say 95% of the stuff, we all agree on, whether I'm at a bar in Pickrell, Nebraska, or we're here in Lincoln. People understand we need a change." When faced with a question about whether the United States should fund the Ukrainians in their war against Russia, an issue that has divided Republicans in Congress, Osborn said supporting Ukraine was putting America first.

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SLAMA WILL NOT ENDORSE LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE

LINCOLN- In her latest legislative column, State Sen. Julie Slama, who decided not to run for reelection this year, offered her reasoning for endorsing neither Dennis Schaardt nor Robert Hallstrom, both candidates in her Legislative District. Slama highlighted her past experiences endorsing candidates, and pointed to the competitive nature of the District 1 race.

"Since both Dennis Schaardt and Bob Hallstrom advanced to the November election to represent Southeast Nebraska in our Legislature, I've been asked several times if I'll be making an endorsement in the race," wrote Slama, "I won't be endorsing either Bob or Dennis for several reasons--most importantly because I think they'd both do a solid job of representing District 1 in Lincoln."

According to Slama, one of the most "valuable lessons" she learned during the 2020 campaign "came from a higher-ranking elected official who graciously refused to endorse either candidate in [her] race because the official had positive relationships with each candidate." Slama said she embraced that message wholeheartedly, and expects the race between Hallstrom and Schaardt to be highly competitive.

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NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO ENGAGE IN TWO NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE RACES

WASHINGTON, DC- Two Democrats seeking seats in Nebraska's Legislature will be exposed to a national audience of potential donors after a Democratic Party committee designated them 2024 "spotlight" candidates, party officials said.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee — the party committee focused on electing Democrats to statehouses across the country — tabbed Mary Ann Folchert and Victor Rountree as the party's candidates who "represent two of the best opportunities to check the MAGA agenda in" Nebraska's formally nonpartisan Legislature.

Folchert, a former Westside Community Schools teacher, is seeking to unseat Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, a Republican who has emerged as among the Legislature's most controversial figures in her two years representing the Millard area. Kauth won the primary election 59.13% to Folcherts 40.87%.

Rountree, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, is vying with Ben "Felix" Ungerman, a retired Air Force colonel and chief of staff in the Nebraska office of U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, for the Legislative District 3 seat set to be vacated by term-limited Sen. Carol Blood, a Democrat who once served on Bellevue's City Council. Ungerman beat Rountree 53.06%-46.94% in the primary election.

The designation does not come with a specific campaign finance windfall but ensures the DLCC will fundraise on behalf of the candidates.

GOVERNOR PILLEN, AT BEATRICE TOWN HALL, SAYS HE'S CONFIDENT SPECIAL SESSION WILL YIELD REFORM

BEATRICE – Saying Nebraskans are sick of the conversation, Governor Jim Pillen said it’s time for the State of Nebraska to fix its tax system to relieve the burden of property taxes.

Pillen held another of his townhall meetings Friday at the Beatrice Public Library, to get input from residents about tax and spending issues. Pillen said he plans to call a special session late this summer to pass a comprehensive tax reform package-something that failed to happen in this year’s regular legislative session when the clock ran out and a plan under consideration lacked support.

"It's going to be really hard to get done before the Fourth of July and I've made commitments to sell Nebraska around the world, so it's going to be after the middle of July to before school...that's going to be the goal."

Pillen said the benefit of a special session will be the ability to focus on one issue. He told an audience at the Beatrice Public Library that the effort to reduce property taxes will take spending restraint, removing sales tax exemptions and instituting a hard cap on local governments to help hold future spending down.

Pillen told the Beatrice audience Friday that another component of tax reform is eliminating mandates passed on to local governments that put pressure on their budgets.

NEBRASKA ADVOCATES FEAR 'CATASTROPHIC' NURSING HOME STAFFING RULE WILL LEAD TO CLOSURES

LINCOLN- Some Nebraska advocates and lawmakers are concerned that more nursing homes will close their doors in light of a now-finalized federal rule concerning minimum staffing requirements. In May, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a rule that will set the minimum number of daily nursing hours that must be provided to each resident at 3.48 per day.

The new rule will also require that a registered nurse be on hand at all times. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the agency administrator, said that the changes are meant to ensure that eligible people can benefit from the "critical lifeline" of health coverage. The rule came in response to mass nursing home closures, which were prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who introduced legislation to prevent the rule's publication, also sought to establish an advisory panel on nursing home workforce issues. The bill, however, was referred to the Senate's Committee on Finance and no action has been taken. Gov. Jim Pillen also spoke out against the change during a property tax town hall in Grand Island. "For crying out loud," Pillen told the crowd, "we don't have enough registered nurses to do that."

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OMAHA-BORN MALCOLM X TAKES A PLACE IN NEBRASKA HALL OF FAME

LINCOLN- Although Malcolm X left Nebraska before he turned two years old amid threats to his family, it is in Nebraska that the human rights advocate planted his roots, said Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the slain civil rights hero. Shabazz and around 200 others gathered Wednesday in the Nebraska Capitol to induct Malcolm X into the Nebraska Hall of Fame.

Shabazz told those in attendance that she saw her father's entry as the state's 27th hall-of-famer, and the first who is African American, as significant in urging others to push boundaries. "Let Malcolm's dedication to truth and justice inspire us all, ensuring that future generations understand the full story of my father's life and transformation as it relates to their journeys."

A climatic moment came with the unveiling of a bust of Malcolm X, which was sculpted by Lincoln artist Nathan Murray and is to be displayed in the Nebraska Capitol's statuary hall. Former Sen. Ernie Chamber, who served in the Legislature for 46 years, commented on the fact that the induction of Malcolm X seemed, to him, an improbable feat.

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AG HILGERS SUES TIKTOK, BLASTS SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY AS 'DECEPTIVE' AND 'HARMFUL'

LINCOLN- On Wednesday, in a move that he cast as a potentially 'historic' case, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced that the state was suing media giant TikTok, accusing the company of misleading parents and children while "intentionally designing and operating a platform that is addictive and harmful."

In the 82-page lawsuit, which Hilgers unveiled at a press conference, TikTok is alleged to have marketed the app as youth-friendly while also creating intentional and addictive algorithms to lure minors to the app and keep them there. Hilgers also said that the content displayed on the app often does not align with the community standards TikTok touts.

"This truly is digital poison and it's poisoning our communities," Hilgers said of the app. Hilgers' complaint seeks monetary relief and an injunction, though his major goal is for TikTok to "stop misleading parents." Representatives from BryteDance, the technology firm that owns TikTok, did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

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UNMC REPORT SEES GROWTH, CONTINUED CHALLENGES FOR NEBRASKA'S HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE

OMAHA- The University of Nebraska Medical Center is projecting "steady growth" in the number of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working in Nebraska by the end of the decade. The number of physicians, according to the report, is expected to grow by 19% by 2030.

This forecast came from UNMC's "2023 Status of the Nebraska Healthcare Workforce," which is published annually by the college's Office of Rural Health Initiatives. While the report expects growth in certain fields, however, it also indicated that several challenges remain for Nebraska.

According to the report, despite the number of physicians practicing in Cornhusker State rising from 3,950 in 2017 to 4,271 in 2023, an increasing number of those new workers are choosing to work in urban areas of the state. Indeed, the report found that 83% of all diagnosing and treating practitioners were concentrated in metropolitan areas.

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NEBRASKA HOLDS HEARING ON PROPOSAL TO DIVERT WATER FROM THE PLATTE TO THE REPUBLICAN RIVER BASIN

LINCOLN- Following a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling last fall, a review of a proposal to transfer water from one river in Nebraska to another was put back on track. The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources announced that a public hearing would be held on Thursday in Bertrand, Nebraska to receive input on what would be a historic trans-basin diversion of water.

Last October, the Supreme Court ruled that several natural resource districts and a power company in the Platte River Basin lacked standing to object to a water transfer, which two natural resource districts in the Republican basin had proposed in 2018. That ruling left the decision to Tom Riley, the director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.

Jesse Bradley, the department's deputy director, said the agency is proceeding with the transfer, but that there is no set timeline yet. However, before the transfer can occur, state law requires the agency to receive public feedback on seven factors, including economic and environmental impacts.

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NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINS STEADY AT 2.5%

LINCOLN- Nebraska's unemployment rate has remained steady for the past eight months, coming in again at 2.5% in April, according to data released last week by the Nebraska Department of Labor. That number is in stark contrast to the national average of 3.9%, which rose slightly from March's 3.8%.

Nebraska's unemployment rate, just as March's did, makes the state the fourth lowest nationally, with North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont recording the lowest three rates in April. Also notable this month, according to Labor Commissioner John Albin, is the number of filled jobs in Nebraska's nonfarm sector.

In April, that number reached an all-time high of 1,063,738, up about about 0.7% from March. "This was driven by record highs in Omaha and Lincoln of 516,399 and 198,570 respectively, Albin said of this data. The private industries reporting the most job growth in April were private education and health services.

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NEBRASKA 'EXURBS' OUTSHINE SUBURBS IN LATEST POPULATION GROWTH FIGURES

LINCOLN- According to annual estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, which measured growth between mid-2022 and mid-2023, Nebraska's population count stalled or backtracked slightly in several key suburban areas around the state. However, the pace of population growth seemingly picked up in smaller communities located on the very fringes of the state's metro areas.

Demographers call these outer areas exurbs, or places that are "farther out than a suburb but still in or close to a metropolitan area." Josie Schafer, who directs the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said she believes the growth communities like Plattsmouth, Wahoo, and Ashland have experienced is due to post-pandemic remote work opportunities.

Families might also be moving away from the core metropolitan areas of Nebraska for either more affordable or more reclusive housing, said Schafer. "Those suburbs have been growing fast, and that's put pressure on house prices to go up," she said, "Now when folks are looking for somewhere to go, moving farther out might mean a little bit cheaper housing."

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STATE ECONOMIC INDEX SHOWS GROWTH IN APRIL

LINCOLN- Following a steep and, for some, concerning decline in March, Nebraska's Leading Economic Indicator, which is operated by economists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and designed to predict economic activity six months in advance, rose 0.42% in April. The indicator had previously declined by 1.31% in March after a record increase in February.

"The monthly report suggests the Nebraska economy will grow during the fourth quarter of 2024," said Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research, "Overall, while the Nebraska economy struggled in the first quarter of 2924, growth is expected to accelerate mid-year."

Thompson also pointed out that business expectations were positive in April, with respondents reporting plans to increase sales and employment over the next six months. The six components considered by the Economic Indicator include business expectations, building permits for single-family homes, airline passenger counts, initial claims for unemployment insurance, the value of the dollar, and manufacturing hours worked.

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PILLEN JOINS 23 OTHER GOVERNORS IN OPPOSING WHO POWER INCREASE IN HEALTH EMERGENCIES

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen has joined the governors of 23 other states in opposing the Biden Administration's anticipated commitment to two international agreements that would enhance the World Health Organization's authority to declare public health emergencies and grant the WHO director more control over member states during such emergencies.

According to a news release from Pillen's office, the agreements in question aim to modify the WHO's current International Health Regulations to allow for the establishment of a new "Pandemic Agreement." Critics, including Pillen, argue that the change would allow the WHO to infringe upon U.S. sovereignty.

In a letter addressed to Pres. Biden, the governors expressed their concerns and warned that the proposed international rule changes would empower the WHO with "the authority to restrict the rights of U.S. citizens including freedoms such as speech, privacy, travel, choice of medical care, and informed consent."

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NEBRASKA LEADS WITH NEW VETERAN JUSTICE PROGRAM, AIMING TO STEER VETERANS BACK TO 'HERO STATUS'

LINCOLN- Last month, Nebraska lawmakers voted 44-0 to approve LB253, a bill to create a new veteran justice program beginning in 2025 that would establish evidence-based treatment and case plans for veterans whose military-related conditions contributed to criminal offenses.

Former U.S. Senator and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said the program could help restore justice-impacted veterans to "hero status." Sens. Wayne and Brewer, the latter of whom served in the military for 36 years, led the bill through the Legislature. Brewer described the legislation as a tool for supporting combat-impacted veterans who made mistakes upon returning home.

"Many times that exposure causes issues that they would not normally have in their lives," said Brewer, "Therefore, that's why their treatment should be uniquely different." According to data from the Council on Criminal Justice, roughly one in three veterans reports being arrested or booked in jail at least once.

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