DISTRICT JUDGE DENIES REQUESTS TO AMEND MEDICAL CANNABIS LAWSUIT AFTER DISMISSAL

LINCOLN- A Lancaster County District Court judge has overruled two final attempts to amend legal challenges against Nebraska’s two medical cannabis petitions. In a five-page order Thursday morning, District Judge Susan Strong denied requests from John Kuehn, a former state senator and former State Board of Health member who brought the initial lawsuit, and Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen to amend their complaints.

Strong said the amendments would not affect the outcome of the lawsuit that she had already dismissed last week, and for which she had already anticipated the legal arguments. The dismissal upheld the ballot certification of two measures from the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign to legalize and regulate the drug. Voters passed the two measures, and state constitutional officers certified those election results Monday, including Evnen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, whose office defended Evnen in the Kuehn-led lawsuit.

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RESULTS CERTIFIED FOR NEBRASKA'S 2024 GENERAL ELECTION

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s state constitutional officers have officially certified the November 2024 general election, which includes the formal approval of five ballot measures. The State Canvassing Board on Monday unanimously accepted the election results for all but one race — a seat on the Dawson Public Power District, which will head to an automatic recount Wednesday morning.

The Canvassing Board consists of Gov. Jim Pillen, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, State Treasurer Tom Briese, and State Auditor Mike Foley. Evnen, whose office oversees and administers Nebraska elections, celebrated the “exemplary work” of election officials and voters, who completed the first general election with voter ID.

Deputy Nebraska Secretary of State Wayne Bena, who oversees the state’s Elections Division, said he spent the majority of the morning on Election Day this Nov. 5 dealing with whether yard signs were too close to polling sites.“If that’s the biggest part of my day, I know it’s going to be a good day,” Bena told the canvassers.

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FORMER LAWMAKERS HELP SENATORS-ELECT LEARN THE ROPES OF LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- When state senators gather in Lincoln next month to start the 109th Nebraska Legislature, nearly two-thirds of those lawmakers will have two years of experience or less in the Capitol. Thirteen senators will be forced out next year due to term limits, while four others either chose not to seek reelection or lost their races this fall. In their place will be 16 newly minted senators, along with once and future Sen. Dan Quick of Grand Island, who returns to the Legislature after a four-year break.

The outgoing lawmakers will take with them a combined 127 years of experience. The remaining senators will have a combined 131 years of experience. To stem the loss of institutional knowledge, as well as ease the transition of new senators, Speaker John Arch of La Vista and other lawmakers and legislative staff have sought to expand and deepen the orientation process, relying on former members to bring the "freshmen" up to speed. Before Thanksgiving, the incoming state senators convened at the Capitol for several days of seminars and hands-on practice, giving them a peek at what they can expect when the gavel strikes at 10 a.m. on Jan. 8.

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LATEST 2024 FARM INCOME FORECAST SHOWS OVERALL DECREASE FROM 2023

LINCOLN- Farm income is projected to decrease by 4% in 2024 compared to 2023, driven primarily by lower cash receipts from commodity crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s December forecast. Net cash farm income, which accounts for income minus expenses, is estimated at $158.8 billion—3.5% lower than 2023 figures when adjusted for inflation but still 9.8% above the 20-year average. While overall agricultural commodity sales are expected to dip less than 1%, the decline in crop receipts by over 9% is nearly offset by an 8% increase in receipts from animal and animal products.

Carrie Litkowski, USDA Economic Research Service farm income team leader, emphasized the importance of these findings, saying, “It feels a little more important, as we near the end of the year, to evaluate the current state of the farm economy as a starting point for considering what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead for U.S. agriculture.” Crop-focused farms are forecasted to see reduced net cash income in 2024, whereas livestock farms are likely to experience gains. Iowa’s agricultural sector may feel a significant impact, as corn and soybean receipts—key drivers of the state’s farm economy—are projected to decrease by 23% and 14%, respectively, on a national level.

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GOV. PILLEN'S TOP 2025 PRIORITIES INCLUDE TRANS ATHLETE BAN, TWEAKED SCHOOL AID

LINCOLN - Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen revealed some of his top legislative priorities Sunday, outlining a policy agenda focused on social issues and property tax reform — both hallmarks of the first-term governor's initial two years in office.

When lawmakers reconvene in Lincoln in January for the 2025 legislative session, Pillen will seek to ban the sale of lab-grown meat and bar transgender K-12 athletes from sports teams and locker rooms that do not match their biological sex at birth, the governor's office signaled in a Sunday night news release. Pillen will also implore lawmakers to replace Nebraska's distinctive presidential electoral system with a winner-take-all model backed by President-elect Donald Trump.

The governor, too, will urge lawmakers to rethink how the state distributes aid to public schools, targeting the decades-old Tax Equity and Equalization Support Act, or TEEOSA, formula that has confounded lawmakers for years and left school funding increasingly reliant on property taxes.

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GOV. PILLEN CALLS FOR INCREASE IN SALES TAX

NORFOLK - Gov. Jim Pillen says it’s time for Nebraska to raise sales taxes to help fund state government and deal with budgetary shortfalls. During his monthly radio call-in show on Monday, the Governor used the state to the north as an example as to how Nebraska can reduce property taxes.

"South Dakota, people brag about how there's no income tax and they have very moderate property taxes," Pillen said. "But the hardcore reality is they have a sales tax on everything.

"And they have a two-tiered sales tax because they have to have revenue. I think that Nebraska needs to get in the game and compete and understand that to fund our government, we need the greatest revenue coming from sales tax and the least revenue coming from property tax."

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PLANS MOVING FORWARD FOR ANOTHER RACETRACK CASINO IN NEBRASKA

SOUTH SIOUX CITY- The opening of the Hard Rock in downtown Sioux City a decade ago ate into the revenues of the WinnaVegas Casino Resort near Sloan, Iowa. WinnaVegas, owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, had opened 22 years earlier. Ho-Chunk Inc. has been waiting for years to even the score.

In 2020, Nebraska voters finally gave their blessing to casino gaming at the state's horse tracks. Now, four years later, things are starting to fall into place for the Sioux City metro's newest casino. Ho-Chunk Inc. CEO Lance Morgan has stressed repeatedly that through the company's WarHorse Gaming subsidiary, it has been plowing all its capital and energy into the casinos in the state's two largest metros.

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FINAL VOTES COUNTED IN KEY CENTRAL NEBRASKA LEGISLATIVE RACE

GRAND ISLAND- The final votes have been counted in a Nebraska legislative rematch race that favored a former union leader over the incumbent, second-ranking state senator.

As of final votes counted Tuesday night, former State Sen. Dan Quick continued to lead State Sen. Ray Aguilar. Quick was up by 135 votes, which is outside mandatory recount margins. Quick served in the Legislature from 2017 to 2021. Then in 2020, Aguilar, who had served between 1999 and 2009, beat Quick to return to the District 35 seat.

Quick is a retired welder and mechanic, a former leader of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1597, and a former Central Community College Board of Governors member. In a statement on Tuesday, he thanked his voters and Aguilar for his service. “I want to thank all voters for participating in this election,” Quick said. “I vow to be a Senator who fights for all members of our community, no matter who they voted for.”

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PILLEN, DELEGATION TO WRAP UP TRADE TRIP WITH VISITS TO GERMAN BUSINESSES THAT HAVE HUSKER TIES

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen and a state delegation are to finish a weeklong trade and diplomatic mission to Central Europe Thursday, in part with visits to businesses in Germany that have ties to Nebraska. While in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, the Husker group is to meet with officials of Bayer, a global enterprise that operates crop science facilities across the Midwest, including a major research station in Beaver Crossing, Nebraska.

The group also scheduled a stop at Evonik, a global company that develops specialty chemicals for a variety of industries. It has produced lysine, an animal feed additive, in Blair, Nebraska, since 2000. The group’s time in Germany is the second phase of the mission and follows three days in the Czech Republic.

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PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, COLLEGE OF SAINT MARY PARTNER TO TRAIN MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

LINCOLN- A new partnership between the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Lincoln Regional Center and the College of Saint Mary in Omaha seeks to train future mental health nursing professionals.

DHHS announced the new partnership Tuesday as a way to benefit college students with training and professional experience in a direct mental health setting. It will also provide the regional center with additional staff, where concerns have been raised in the past year about staffing levels, including from mental health technicians who protested over working conditions and safety.

Twenty-two students are enrolled for training at the center through the program, which began in late September.

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OMAHA MAYOR VETOES NEW ELECTRICAL CODE, SAYS CITY COUNCIL VERSION IS COUNTER TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING

OMAHA- Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert has jumped into the fray over the city’s updated electrical code by vetoing a City Council measure that opponents, including area homebuilders, said threatened affordable housing efforts. The city ordinance in question, which passed narrowly last week by a 4-3 City Council vote, was intended to align Omaha’s electrical code with updated national and state codes.

The city’s version, however, included a handful of new national requirements that the Nebraska Legislature earlier this year decided should be carved out of an updated state code. Stothert’s veto letter, sent to the council Thursday, said she favored adopting a local code that mirrored the state one, a position that also was endorsed by Gov. Jim Pillen.

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$8.3M IN FEDERAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS AWARDED TO 18 COMMUNITIES

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Department of Economic Development awarded $8.3 million in federal community development block grant funds to 18 communities across the state for downtown revitalization and other improvements.

Community Development Block Grant funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The state DED administers the program for communities outside Lincoln, Omaha, Bellevue, and Grand Island, which are big enough to administer their own CDBG programming.

“For the state to grow, it’s critically important to invest in projects that enhance the attractiveness of our communities,” said K.C. Belitz, DED director. “These initiatives elevate quality of life and strengthen our ability to recruit new residents to Nebraska.”

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UNK TO HOST LISTENING SESSIONS NOV. 18-19 IN SEARCH FOR NEXT CAMPUS CHANCELLOR

KEARNEY- Two days of listening sessions will be hosted at the University of Nebraska at Kearney next week to learn more about desired qualities for the next UNK chancellor. The Nov. 18-19 listening sessions are designed for the UNK community to ask questions, share their hopes and ideas for UNK’s trajectory, and provide other feedback for the regional-focused, central Nebraska campus.

Former UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen retired on May 31 after 22 years. Interim UNK Chancellor Charlie Bicak, an educator and administrator for decades at UNK, took over on June 1. The listening sessions will take place at the UNK Regional Engagement Center, Room 120:

• Nov. 18, 3 p.m., designated for faculty.

• Nov. 18, 5 p.m., designated for students (food provided).

• Nov. 18, 7:15 p.m., designated for community members.

• Nov. 19, 9 a.m., designated for faculty.

• Nov. 19, 10:30 a.m., designed for deans and vice chancellors.

• Nov. 19, noon, designated for staff (food provided).

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NEBRASKA ADVOCACY GROUPS BRACE FOR DONALD TRUMP'S DEPORTATION PROMISE

OMAHA- President-elect Donald Trump has long promised a crackdown on illegal immigration, including the largest mass deportation operation in the country’s history. If Trump succeeds in his plans to return undocumented immigrants to their previous countries, critics say, the plan could send shock waves through the state from South Omaha to western Nebraska.

Though advocates are hopeful that legal and economic challenges to Trump’s proposed plans could diminish the effects, legal aid and advocacy organizations are preparing for the “worst case scenario,” Anna Deal, the legal director at Nebraska’s Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, said. Approximately 40,000 undocumented immigrants are living in Nebraska. However, that number is likely an undercount due to the difficulty of surveying people living in the country illegally. The number could range anywhere from 25,000 to 75,000, according to a 2023 report from Pew Research.

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ATTORNEYS SUMMARIZE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL CANNABIS BALLOT MEASURES

LINCOLN- Attorneys summarized their arguments this week for why a district court judge should void the election results last week for Nebraska’s successful medical cannabis ballot measures. On Nov. 5, Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted to legalize and regulate medical cannabis, though a legal challenge continues in Lancaster County District Court.

The lawsuit, filed by John Kuehn, a former state senator and former member of the State Board of Health, seeks to invalidate those measures, citing allegations of systemic fraud and malfeasance that “permeated” the process. The main arguments from Kuehn and Secretary of State Bob Evnen allege that “cheating is a choice” and that instances of fraud or malfeasance should eliminate the presumption that other signatures a circulator or notary touched were validly collected.

The core of legal arguments advanced by Evnen’s attorneys hinges on a 1919 Nebraska Supreme Court case dealing with an anti-women’s suffrage referendum that allowed all signatures tied to a circulator who had committed fraud to be tossed from the ballot, defeating the anti-suffrage effort.

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TOP STATE LABOR OFFICIAL, JOHN ALBIN, TO RETIRE FOLLOWING A 35-YEAR RUN WITH THE LABOR DEPARTMENT

LINCOLN – Nebraska Labor Commissioner John Albin will retire after 35 years of service, having modernized the Department of Labor and guided it through the COVID-19 pandemic. Albin, who began as an administrative law judge and later served as commissioner under three governors, oversaw the shift to digital unemployment claims. His final day is set for December 20, after which he plans to focus on family and travel.

Albin noted his team’s resilience during the pandemic and his role in expanding JAG Nebraska, a workforce program now in nearly 85 schools. Governor Jim Pillen praised Albin’s dedication, emphasizing his impact on the state. Pillen will soon announce plans for the department's interim leadership.

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NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE RELEASES GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS

LINCOLN- Tax Commissioner James R. Kamm reports that gross General Fund receipts for October were $482 million.

The forecast made by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board (Board) on October 31, 2024 used actual amounts for receipts through October. The Board forecast was divided into monthly estimates by the Tax Commissioner and Legislative Fiscal Analyst on November 12, 2024. Previous monthly press releases are found at

https://revenue.nebraska.gov/about/news-releases/general-fund-receipts-news-releases

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NEBRASKA VOTERS LOOK TO FUTURE AFTER TRUMP CARRIES STATE BY WIDER MARGIN THAN 2020

LINCOLN- Hundreds of Lancaster County residents attended the Republican and Democratic campaign parties in downtown Lincoln on Tuesday night, expressing optimism and apprehension about what the results could mean for the future.

With 97% of votes counted, Donald Trump had won 60.2% of the vote in Nebraska and secured an Electoral College victory, according to the Associated Press. Trump expanded his vote share in the state from when he ran in 2020, outpacing Kamala Harris by nearly 22 percentage points, as opposed to his 19-point victory in the state over Joe Biden four years ago.

Harris still carried the more heavily populated areas of Lancaster County and Douglas County, as Biden did in 2020, but she did so by smaller margins.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LAUNCHES AI-FOCUSED TASK FORCE, SEEKS COMMUNITY INPUT

LINCOLN- The University of Nebraska system has launched a systemwide artificial intelligence task force and seeks input to enhance and understand AI use. NU President Jeffrey Gold announced the AI task force Wednesday, stating that harnessing the power and potential of AI is an important step on what he has coined “our journey to extraordinary.”

The announcement includes the formation of a 15-member task force, with members from each of NU’s main campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney. Gold said the task force’s goal is to understand opportunities for campuses to collaborate and identify shared strengths.

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CIVIC NEBRASKA REPORTS CONFUSION OVER VOTER ID AT SOME POLLING PLACES

OMAHA- Civic Nebraska on Tuesday reported confusion at several polling locations over the state’s relatively new voter ID requirement. The nonpartisan voting rights group, which monitors Nebraska’s elections, said that as of about noon it had received reports that poll workers at five polling places — two in Lincoln, two in Omaha, and one in Bellevue — were incorrectly telling voters they could not cast a ballot if the address on their ID did not match the address on their voter registration.

Civic Nebraska said the reports came from its Voter Helpline and volunteer election observers. In most instances, Civic Nebraska said, the voters in question resorted to casting provisional ballots, known as the “ballot of last resort,” which will not be counted until after Election Day. Civic Nebraska said in the news release that it alerted the Secretary of State’s Office about the reported concerns, and the state’s Election Division reminded all county election offices of actual voter ID requirements.

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