NEBRASKA JOINS VIRGINIA IN ASKING SCOTUS TO UPHOLD LAW AGAINST TIKTOK

NEBRASKA - Following the passage of a federal law earlier this year that calls for the owners of social media app TikTok to either sell it or be subject to a ban on the app in the U.S., Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief Friday urging the Supreme Court to uphold the law.

TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, sued the U.S. government over the law, saying it impeded their First Amendment rights, but a federal appeals court recently upheld the law. The high court will hear oral arguments in the appeal case Jan. 10.

Miyares co-led the amicus brief alongside Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. Attorneys General in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah also signed on in support.

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NEBRASKA, UTAH, TEXAS AND 12 MORE STATES SUE FEDS ON HOUSING EFFICIENCY STANDARDS

LINCOLN- Nebraska, Utah, Texas and a dozen other states have teamed up to fight the federal government’s energy efficiency standards that officials there say make affordable housing more expensive. Some resisting the standards have called them “radical.”

The complaint takes issue with the Act’s “Energy Efficiency Standards” section, which imposes regulations when constructing new public housing and single-family and multifamily residential housing. The standards often dictate the types of lighting, ventilation systems, roofs, and heat pumps used in construction.

According to the complaint, that section delegates efficiency standards to two private organizations, the International Code Council and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. That should be unconstitutional, the lawsuit alleges.

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OMAHA INLAND PORT AUTHORITY VOTE BREAKS LOGJAM ON $90M BUSINESS PARK PROJECT

OMAHA- Omaha’s Inland Port Authority board on Thursday approved the release of nearly $7.4 million in state funds to help a development team assess if a long-sought $90 million business park project near Nebraska’s largest airport is viable.

The action breaks a logjam on a grant announced a year ago by Gov. Jim Pillen. The funds at the time were awarded to a team led by the Omaha Economic Development Corporation for creating a shovel-ready site intended to be a major industrial and job hub for North Omaha.

Funding, however, has been held up by the Inland Port Authority, which governs a 300-acre site where the business park would rise. Some members of the nine-person port board believed the OEDC-led group hadn’t provided the board enough financial and other details for its plan that targets a 160-acre site west of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and north of Carter Lake.

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PILLEN APPOINTS INTERIM COMMISSIONER FOR NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

LINCOLN - Gov. Jim Pillen announced Tuesday that he has appointed Katie Thurber as interim commissioner for the Nebraska Department of Labor.

She steps into the top labor spot John Albin left when he retired on Dec. 20, after serving the state Labor Department in various roles over 35 years.

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NEBRASKA HAS THE 4th HIGHEST PROPERTY TAXES IN THE U.S.

NEBRASKA- America’s homebuyers have had an extraordinarily difficult few years. A combination of surging demand and scarce inventory has led to fierce competition among buyers, driving home prices to record levels. On top of this, high interest rates have increased borrowing costs, creating another major hurdle for aspiring homeowners. Another factor is property taxes. Typically calculated as a percentage of a home’s assessed value, property taxes have become an increasing burden as property values continue to outpace inflation.

At the state level, the Northeast and Midwest lead with the highest effective property tax rates for owner-occupied homes. Here is a summary of the data for Nebraska:

• Effective property tax rate for owner-occupied homes: 1.435%

• Median property taxes paid for owner-occupied homes: $3,523

• Median owner-occupied home value: $245,200

• Median owner-occupied household income: $94,687

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PILLEN APPOINTS JUSTICE TO NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT

LINCOLN- Gov. Jim Pillen has selected a district judge from his hometown of Columbus as the next associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. Platte County District Judge Jason M. Bergevin succeeds Justice Jeffrey Funke, whom Pillen elevated in the fall to chief justice. Bergevin joined his district court in 2022, which was his first judgeship.

“I am honored to be chosen as the next judge of the Nebraska Supreme Court from the Fifth Judicial District,” Bergevin said in a statement. “Three highly qualified applicants stepped forward for this position. I appreciate Governor Pillen’s confidence in me. I will work hard to continue serving the Nebraska Judicial Branch and the people of our state.”

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CAN NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS BALANCE THE BUDGET AND DELIVER TAX RELIEF?

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers face an ambitious task in 2025 of balancing the state budget with an estimated $432 million shortfall and fulfilling the governor’s continued goal of pushing for more property tax relief.

The first regular session of the Nebraska Legislature is the time when senators tackle the two-year state budget, with the next cycle lasting from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. Traditionally, lawmakers have passed the budget through three main bills that handle revenues, expenses, and the cash reserve. Those bills must see floor debate no later than day 70 of the 90-day session, and receive final approval from lawmakers by day 80.

Given the expected shortfall, returning senators expressed differing levels of optimism when asked about the feasibility of new tax relief in 2025.

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OMAHA CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WITH GOAL TO ACHIEVE 'NET ZERO' BY 2050

OMAHA - A climate action plan approved by the Omaha City Council this week aims to reduce Omaha’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and make the city more resilient to such effects of climate change as more frequent floods and more extreme weather.

Net zero means adding no more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than removed from the atmosphere. The plan includes an intermediate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 52% by 2035. “I’m pleased that Omaha has now joined every other major city in the country in adopting and now pursuing a climate action plan,” City Council President Pete Festersen said Wednesday. “We’ve done a number of positive things in recent years, but a city needs a comprehensive plan. We need to pursue it with urgency.”

The council voted 5-2 Tuesday to pass an ordinance approving the Climate Action and Resilience Plan and making it part of Omaha’s Master Plan. Council members Don Rowe, Juanita Johnson, Ron Hug and Danny Begley joined Festersen in voting yes. Council Vice President Aimee Melton and Council member Brinker Harding voted no after unsuccessfully pressing to delay the vote to take out portions they opposed.

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NEBRASKANS RANKED BEHIND ONE OTHER STATE IN ONLINE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING, STUDY SHOWS

LINCOLN- Nebraska was No. 2 among states with the biggest thirst for online Christmas shopping, according to a study by an online coupon platform. Nebraska and No. 1 West Virginia were the only states to score above 70 for search intensity. For the study, Coupon Mister analyzed Google Trends data across the U.S., covering search trends from late 2022 to early December this year.

Researchers said that while urban hubs such as Omaha and Lincoln offer a range of options for shoppers, Nebraskans in rural areas benefit significantly from online shopping as it saves them long trips to stores and retail centers. As for popular online search terms among Nebraskans, “Best Christmas deals” was tops.

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NEBRASKA AUDITOR ALLEGES MORE FRAUD BY CONTRACTED DHHS CAREGIVERS

LINCOLN - Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley released a second letter Wednesday lambasting two Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services programs, listing “shocking examples” of alleged wrongdoing by caregivers contracted by the HHS to provide services to Medicaid recipients.

In a news release, Foley said his office found an Omaha-based home health care agency received over $1 million in reimbursements through HHS’s personal assistance services and personal care services programs. Foley alleged many of the reimbursements requested by the agency were fraudulent, pointing out that one reimbursement was for a caregiver who was in law enforcement custody at the time services were supposedly performed.

Foley said the agency’s founder had been authorized to provide child care services in a different HHS program. However, HHS terminated its agreement with the founder due to improper billing procedures and double billings resulting in overpayments.

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MADE IN NEBRASKA: MANUFACTURING JOBS IN STATE AT HIGHEST POINT IN DECADES

SNYDER, Neb. — This little village of 300 has become such a manufacturing powerhouse, its population more than doubles when the morning shifts start at the four factories lining the highway. One company alone employs 250 people making big aerial ladder trucks for fire departments all over North America.

The town also boasts another firm making smaller fire engines, still another assembling specialty vehicles for the water well industry, as well as a new food processor. “We build some pretty cool stuff here,” said Jeff Hunke, who grew up in Snyder and owns and runs Hunke Manufacturing. “I mean, this little town puts aerial ladders in New York City.”

But Snyder isn’t the only place in Nebraska where manufacturing booms. Nebraska in recent years has been undergoing a bit of a manufacturing renaissance, with the 109,000 people currently employed in the industry representing a 23-year high. Nebraska’s manufacturing employment is up more than 9% in the past five years alone, adding more than 9,000 jobs. That growth, by percentage, is nearly 16 times the national rate and one of the highest among the states.

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NEBRASKA GAS TAX GOING UP NEARLY A PENNY BEGINNING JAN. 1

LINCOLN - Nebraska drivers will pay the state nearly a penny more per gallon to fill their tanks beginning Jan. 1. The Nebraska Department of Revenue announced Monday that the state motor fuels tax will rise to 30.4 cents per gallon on Jan. 1, up from 29.6 cents per gallon currently.

The change was triggered by the variable tax rate, which is set to bring in the amount of money budgeted for highway and bridge construction and maintenance. In addition to the variable tax rate, components of the state gas tax rate are the wholesale tax rate and fixed tax rate. The wholesale tax rate will drop Jan. 1 from 13.3 cents to 13.2 cents.

The State Highway Trust Fund gets money from three sources: gas taxes paid at the pump, sales taxes paid on motor vehicles and a portion of each motor vehicle registration.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKER SEEKS FEDERAL WAIVER FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG DONATION PROGRAM WITH IOWA NONPROFIT

LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker will seek a federal waiver next year for Nebraska’s planned partnership with an Iowa nonprofit for a new prescription drug donation program. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward led Legislative Bill 1035 through Nebraska’s 2024 session to partner with SafeNetRx in Iowa. The bill passed the final round of voting 47-0. The nonprofit collects, inspects and distributes non-expired and safe medications to patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

LB 1035 changed Nebraska law to allow the nonprofit to distribute medications to Nebraska pharmacists, who could previously donate to SafeNetRx but couldn’t receive medications back. “LB 1035 will give a second life to much of the many tons of medication that is currently being collected and incinerated each year in our state,” Hughes said in a recent Facebook post, referring to state law to destroy unused meds to keep them out of water systems or landfills.

The program needs a waiver because of concerns about the federal Drug Supply Chain Security Act of 2013, which pressed pause on Hughes’ planned partnership before it could begin. The federal law, planned to be implemented over a decade, was designed to replace a patchwork of state laws for a chain of custody on medication that is addictive or has the potential for abuse. It also sought to prevent counterfeit products from entering the pharmaceutical supply chain.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE TO REVISIT WINNER-TAKE-ALL PROPOSAL IN 2025. WILL THE 'BLUE DOT' SURVIVE?

LINCOLN - Though the urgency has significantly lessened, several Nebraska lawmakers remain steadfast in their effort to switch Nebraska’s presidential elections back to a winner-take-all approach.

State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City confirmed he plans to bring back a bill he introduced in 2023 that would reinstate winner-take-all as the system Nebraska uses to award all five of its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote. Nebraska is one of two states, alongside Maine, that divides its electoral votes by congressional districts, although two of the five votes are distributed based on the statewide winner.

Lippincott’s original bill, Legislative Bill 764, went largely ignored through the 2023 and 2024 sessions, until Gov. Jim Pillen released a statement supporting the bill in the final weeks of the 2024 session, past the point when the bill had a serious chance of passing. He considered calling a special session to debate the issue, but there was not enough support among lawmakers to pass the measure.

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ENDING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME WOULD CHANGE YOUR SUNRISES, SUNSETS. HERE'S HOW

NEW YORK — Twice a year, the clocks change, and Americans are subject to endless arguments over the merits of daylight saving time. Will this biannual tradition soon come to an end?

President-elect Donald Trump recently posted that “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time,” calling it costly and inconvenient. If successful, Trump would be bringing an end to a practice that’s been observed on-and-off in the United States since 1918.

Originally implemented to save energy by increasing daylight hours during World War I, it was standardized nationally in 1966 under the Uniform Time Act. Under this law, daylight saving time would be observed from the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November. Contrary to popular belief, it is incredibly unpopular among farmers as they lose morning light and it disrupts their livestock. Over the past few years, the concept of a permanent time, be it in daylight saving time (setting the clocks forward by one hour) or standard time, has repeatedly popped up in politics.

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NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN TO BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL

OMAHA — First-term Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is set to be discharged from Nebraska Medicine in Omaha on Friday, after he chose to have surgery Wednesday to repair his broken ribs. A press release stated he will continue his recovery at the governor’s residence and plans to resume his office activities next week. Pillen and his family shared their gratitude in the press release for the care and support provided by the medical team and staff at Nebraska Medicine.

On Thursday, the Governor’s Office updated the public on Pillen’s condition after he underwent a surgery to stabilize his ribs. The procedure involved stabilizing the broken ribs using metal plates to promote stronger long-term healing of the ribs, assist with pain management during the recovery process and reduce the odds of complications.

On Sunday, Dec. 22 Pillen was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center after being bucked off a horse near Columbus. He sustained minor lacerations to his spleen and kidney, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung resulting from the rib damage, and a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae. There were no injuries to his neck, head, nervous system or additional internal organs.

He initially underwent a coil embolization – a minimally invasive procedure to address minor bleeding from his spleen. Pillen’s injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

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WALT RADCLIFFE, 'DEAN OF THE LOBBY', PASSES AWAY

LINCOLN — It was 1979, and a college freshman was searching the State Capitol for lobbyist Walt Radcliffe, who was scheduled to speak to young leaders from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Eventually, the freshman, Scott Moore, caught up with Radcliffe, who posed a profane question to the student that was something like, “What the heck am I supposed to say to these kids?” “I knew right then that this was someone I was going to like,” said Moore, who went on to become a state senator, Nebraska Secretary of State and later, a top executive at Union Pacific.

Stories like that, and many more, circulated across the state as word spread about the death of Radcliffe, 77, on Thursday afternoon.

A Lincoln native whose work spanned 10 governors, Radcliffe was the undisputed dean of the statehouse lobbying corps. He had his own padded bench in the Capitol Rotunda. His firm, Radcliffe Gilbertson & Brady, annually ranked among the state’s top in annual revenue. He also served as a valuable — and engaging — font of institutional knowledge about the Legislature for lawmakers and governors as such knowledge was disappearing due to term limits.

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UNL RESEARCHERS DELVING INTO WHICH FOODS HELP SLOW AGING OF BRAIN

LINCOLN — Beef may not only be “what’s for dinner,” but may help slow the aging of our brains. That’s what researchers at the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln seek in what’s described as a “first-of-its-kind” study on whether a link exists between eating beef and brain health.

Previous research by the center’s director, Aron Barbey, involving 100 older adults discovered that eating foods with certain fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins served to slow the aging process and resulted in higher scores on cognitive tests. So nutrition mattered, the study concluded. Other factors, such as demographics, fitness levels, and body shape and size didn’t account for the differences, the report, issued in May, concluded.

“Understanding which proteins and nutrients most affect brain health is a fundamental question in neuroscience, yet one that remains largely unexplored,” Barbey said. “As we work to improve public health, it’s crucial to explore how foods like beef might influence brain function.”

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U.S. SENATE CHANGES COURSE, APPROVES BILL ALLOWING CABINS TO REMAIN AT SW NEBRASKA RESERVOIRS

LINCOLN- A political barrier fell, and the U.S. Senate on Monday passed a bill that would allow more than 180 lakeside cabins to remain at two southwest Nebraska reservoirs. The proposal, introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., had been held up “as political leverage” last week, but the opposition stepped aside on Monday.

The bill was introduced on behalf of cabin owners along Swanson and Red Willow Reservoirs in southwest Nebraska who were threatened with removing their abodes to make way for campground improvements planned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the reservoirs. “Thankfully, today Congress has agreed to right this wrong by transferring control of this land back to local officials,” Fischer said Monday in a statement.

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NEBRASKA, PROPELLED BY INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, SURPASSES THE 2 MILLION POPULATION MARK

OMAHA — According to newly released Census estimates, Nebraska’s population has topped 2 million, and a key driver was a jump in international migrants.

As of July, the estimated number of people in the state was 2,005,465.

That’s a one-year addition of 17,601 Huskers. At an annual growth of 0.88%, Nebraska ranked as the 17th fastest-growing state in data released Thursday, according to Josie Schafer of the Center for Public Affairs Research, the state’s liaison to the Census Bureau.

“It’s strong growth, better than expected,” said Schafer. “We’ve been pretty slow growth from the million to 2 million mark.”

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