JUDGE DISMISSES FELONY CHARGE AGAINST FORMER STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY DIRECTOR

LINCOLN – A judge ruled late Tuesday that prosecutors had waited too long before bringing former History Nebraska director Trevor Jones to trial and dismissed the felony theft charge he faced.

Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong, in a 12-page ruling, granted a motion filed by Jones’ attorney to discharge the theft by deception charge, agreeing that prosecutors had violated the former director’s right to a speedy trial.

Mallory Hughes, Jones’ defense attorney, filed the motion in November, arguing that prosecutors with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office had failed to request a trial date and that Jones should have stood trial by Sept. 12, six months, minus exclusions, after the case was bound over to district court.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKER SEEKS TO LIMIT MAIL-IN VOTING, END ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION

LINCOLN- A Nebraska lawmaker proposed a law Wednesday that would eliminate online and mail-in voter registration and do away with "no-excuse" early and mail-in voting, among other proposed changes that Sen. Rick Holdcroft said are meant to "build up people's confidence" in the state's elections.

Holdcroft's proposal would end online voter registration that has been in place in Nebraska since 2015 and halt mail-in registration that has been available for even longer while limiting who would be allowed to cast mail-in ballots in elections in Nebraska, which for now is one of 28 states that offer "no-excuse" absentee voting.

The Bellevue lawmaker's proposal would instead require voters applying to cast early ballots to have an eligible reason to do so, including being age 80 years or older, blind, a member of the U.S. military or military spouse, expecting to be out of town on Election Day or being unable to travel to a polling place for health or religious reasons, among other exceptions.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS CONSIDER RESTRICTING ABORTION MEDS, COULD HAVE UNINTENDED EFFECTS

LINCOLN- A Bellevue senator is looking to increase regulations around abortion medications in Nebraska, but the bill he introduced Tuesday may inadvertently ban the most common abortion pills available. Legislative Bill 512, introduced by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, would add new requirements for physicians who prescribe abortion-inducing medications, including testing the patient for an ectopic pregnancy and scheduling follow-up visits within two weeks of the drug being prescribed.

Holdcroft said his intent is not to completely ban medicated abortions but to make the process safer. He claimed that currently if a woman experiences complications after taking such medications, she's advised to go to the emergency room instead of her doctor. However, LB 512 also limits what abortion-inducing drugs can be prescribed, prohibiting drugs that could be used for other medical purposes. That would include the two most common abortion medications in the U.S. which are used to treat medical issues besides inducing abortions.

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OPPOSITION RISES TO PILLEN-LED PUSH TO DETAIN JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN NEBRASKA AS YOUNG AS 11

LINCOLN- Child and civil rights advocates on Thursday railed against a proposed law, promoted by Gov. Jim Pillen, that would give prosecutors and judges the new authority to put Nebraskans as young as 11 in detention facilities and let them charge certain 12-year-olds as adults. State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston said he introduced Legislative Bill 556 at the request of the governor and the urging of Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine.

Opponents led by Voices for Children in Nebraska, ACLU of Nebraska, and RISE, a nonprofit focused on prison and community re-entry support, held a Capitol news conference and also issued statements in opposition. “Let us be clear, LB 556 contemplates jailing and criminally prosecuting children who are still young enough to bring home a weekly spelling list,” said Juliet Summers, executive director of Voices for Children.

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LAWMAKERS OFFER 'WORKING FAMILIES AGENDA' AS ANSWER TO NEBRASKA 'CULTURE WAR' BILLS

LINCOLN- Lawmakers seeking to avoid a “divisive culture war” unveiled a slate of legislation Thursday they said would help Nebraska’s working families and workforce development. A bipartisan group of 10 state senators in the officially nonpartisan Legislature — eight Democrats, one Republican, and one nonpartisan progressive — previewed a “working families agenda” at an afternoon news conference, led by State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, George Dungan of Lincoln, Dan Quick of Grand Island, Jane Raybould of Lincoln and Wendy DeBoer of Omaha.

The issues highlighted Thursday included tax equity, education, housing, health care, and child care. State Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, Megan Hunt of Omaha, Margo Juarez of Omaha, Victor Rountree of Bellevue, and Dave “Woody” Wordekemper of Fremont joined the announcement, as did Jon Nebel of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 22.

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LINCOLN POLICE CHIEF JOINS OMAHA IN SAYING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS NOT THEIR ROLE

OMAHA — Police chiefs in Nebraska’s two largest cities said Tuesday they are unaware of any planned immigration raids or other enforcement activities coming to their areas as a result of President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

Furthermore, both the Lincoln and Omaha chief issued bilingual public statements this week to try and assure residents that local officers won’t actively seek out people based on immigration status.

Lincoln Police Chief Michon Morrow said her team wanted to be known for its community-based policing. “We want to assure the community that filing a police report or accessing law enforcement services is not dependent on citizenship or immigration status and can be done so without fear,” she said. “We are dedicated to making sure everyone feels safe and treated with respect when they interact with LPD officers.”

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SECOND NEBRASKA BILL FOCUSED ON TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IS BASED ON NSAA PARTICIPATION POLICY

LINCOLN — Transgender student-athletes in Nebraska K-12 schools would have a narrow path to participation in a new legislative proposal unveiled Wednesday seeking to codify existing guidelines.

Legislative Bill 605, from State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, would require all of Nebraska’s 245 public school districts to adopt policies regarding the eligibility of transgender students to participate in extracurricular activities, including sports. Time is being taken up, Raybould said, focusing on an effort from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha to define “male” and “female” in state law and restrict sports teams and bathrooms to a student’s sex at birth.

Kauth’s LB 89, the Stand With Women Act, would also apply to collegiate athletics and other areas of state government, such as prisons, economic development and health care.

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LAWMAKERS PROPOSE REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT NEBRASKA'S NEW MEDICAL CANNABIS LAWS

LINCOLN — Three similar legislative proposals introduced Wednesday seek to help implement the voter-enacted legalization and regulation of medical cannabis in Nebraska by later this year.

The legislation, introduced by State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Ben Hansen of Blair and Terrell McKinney of Omaha, would create registry programs and further stipulate the licensing and regulatory duties of the new Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission. All three would allow Nebraskans, after receiving a written recommendation from a health care practitioner for medical cannabis, to apply for a registry card, identifying them as a qualified patient. The registry would similarly apply to registered caregivers, such as for minors.

The bills, which are all structurally similar with some key differences, are: Legislative Bill 651 (Conrad), LB 677 (Hansen) and LB 705 (McKinney). “The time is long overdue that Nebraskans in need of care have access to that care,” Conrad told reporters.

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LAWMAKER PROPOSES 'BACKUP' WINNER-TAKE-ALL MEASURE FOR NEBRASKA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS

LINCOLN- The GOP-led push to change how Nebraska allocates its Electoral College votes for president has a new “backup” plan: a possible 2026 constitutional amendment. Since 1991, Nebraska has allocated its five presidential electors by awarding two votes to the winner of the presidential popular vote statewide and one vote each for the popular vote winner in each of the state’s three congressional districts. Maine is the only other state that follows the district model.

Legislative Resolution 24CA, by State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams, would ask Nebraskans in November 2026 whether that practice should end and all votes go to the presidential ticket that wins the most votes in the state. It is “another choice,” said Dorn, should Legislative Bill 3, introduced by State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, fall short of ending the practice in one fell swoop. Dorn said he supports Lippincott’s effort.

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REPORT: NEW NEBRASKA PROPERTY TAX LAW MOSTLY WORKING BUT NEEDS SMALL FIXES

LINCOLN- State lawmakers have long been frustrated when it comes to finding ways to rein in Nebraska’s reliance on property taxes to fund local government, but a recent Tax Foundation report said a new law passed by the Legislature last year is helping. The analysis, commissioned by the Nebraska Chamber Foundation, said the legislation (Legislative Bill 34) championed by former Sen. Lou Ann Linehan and signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen at the end of a special session “has teeth in ways that previous bills did not” in controlling property tax increases across the state.

But the Tax Foundation’s findings, shared with reporters in a Zoom call Friday, said the law needs to be amended to ensure local officials can keep meeting the needs of their communities while also preventing steep increases the law was designed to prevent. The law should also be tweaked to make sure Nebraska’s cash reserve remains at healthy levels in the event of an economic downturn, the report indicated.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS REVISIT ONLINE SPORTS BETTING THROUGH BIPARTISAN PROPOSALS

LINCOLN- A bipartisan duo in the Nebraska Legislature is proposing legalizing online sports betting as a way of boosting state revenues, but only if Nebraska voters also stand by the plan. State Sen. Stanley Clouse of Kearney and Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln each introduced a proposal on online sports betting, which would work together to legalize and regulate the practice.

Bostar, a Democrat, introduced Legislative Resolution 20CA, which would effectively put the legalization of online sports betting on the ballot in 2026 if the Legislature approves it. Clouse, a Republican, said his proposal, Legislative Bill 421, would regulate the practice, but only if voters approve Bostar’s resolution.

Online sports betting has been in consideration by lawmakers several times, most recently during last year’s special session, when Bostar introduced a similar constitutional amendment that didn’t make it past the finish line. Opposition to past proposals was primarily centered on moral objections to the state facilitating something that could worsen gambling addictions across Nebraska.

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LAWMAKERS VOTE TO LIMIT 'SOFT NOS' DURING FINAL STAGE ON NEBRASKA BILLS

LINCOLN- Lawmakers can no longer give a “soft no” against ending debate or passing legislation during the Nebraska Legislature’s third and final stage of debate unless they have a conflict of interest. Most senators in the officially nonpartisan Legislature’s Republican majority backed a pared-down rules change Thursday from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, passing it 31-17, but the measure had one Democratic backer: State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha, vice chair of the Rules Committee. She helped Kauth draft her amended proposal.

All but three Republicans supported Kauth’s proposal. Republican State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, Merv Riepe of Ralston, and Dave “Woody” Wordekemper of Fremont opposed the change. The narrow change adopted Wednesday will prevent senators from being “present, not voting” on procedural cloture motions to shut off extended filibusters during the final reading, as well as during the last votes on whether to send legislation to the governor for approval.

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LAWMAKER JOHN CAVANAUGH OFFERS 'CARROT AND STICK' PLAN FOR NEBRASKA'S YOUNGEST CRIMINAL OFFENDERS

LINCOLN- A Nebraska lawmaker Friday said he has a “compromise” of sorts for those wanting adult consequences for younger kids involved in serious crimes and those who favor a more rehabilitative approach. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha introduced a bill that lowers to 13 the age at which a youth could face adult penalties for felony charges. However, under Legislative Bill 407, cases for kids accused of major crimes — as young as 13 and up to 15 — first would have to be handled in juvenile court, which Cavanaugh said is more focused on rehabilitation.

LB 407 provides that court officials could later transfer those child felony offenders to adult court to face adult penalties if they fail to complete the juvenile court program. Also to be considered this legislative session is a separate proposed law change urged by Gov. Jim Pillen, which would lower the age at which a child could be detained for an alleged crime from 13 to 11. It also would drop the age, from 14 to 12, at which a minor can be charged as an adult for the most serious felonies.

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ALL NEBRASKA TEACHERS WOULD RECEIVE RETENTION BONUS UNDER LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL

LINCOLN- All Nebraska teachers could receive an annual bonus under a proposed expansion of an existing grant program to recruit and retain teachers through 2028. Legislative Bill 411, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, would amend the Nebraska Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act, adopted in 2023, to automatically apply to all K-12 school teachers. The current law allows grants of $2,500 a year once teachers reach their second, fourth, and sixth years of teaching in the state, with retention bonuses as well for teachers in high-need subject areas.

The expanded grant amount would grow, depending on a person’s years of teaching experience. “We continue to talk about the need for public school teachers and the fact that we are woefully understaffed, and one of the things that we all agree on that would help with that is just to give them more money,” Dungan said.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS WILL HAVE OPTIONS WHEN REVAMPING 'GOOD LIFE' LAW

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will have at least a few bills to consider this year as they work to fix, replace or even eliminate the Good Life Transformational Projects Act, which the state aimed at creating unique, tourist magnet destinations.

One measure, introduced Wednesday by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, appears to provide another shot for Rod Yates’ mega sports-themed vision surrounding his Nebraska Crossing shopping center in Gretna.

Yates this month moved to terminate his good life district application that had been approved by the state early last year. He did so after reaching an impasse with the City of Gretna, which rejected Yates’ demands as too risky for taxpayers, legally and financially. Ballard’s Legislative Bill 637, which he named the Destination Nebraska Act, reads much like the original Good Life Act. It does not name Yates, but appears tailored to his ideas.

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RULES COMMITTEE AVOIDS ADVANCING CONTROVERSIAL RULES CHANGES TO FULL NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN — A legislative committee considering 22 proposed rules changes to how Nebraska lawmakers debate and conduct themselves declined to take a vote Tuesday on advancing key conservative-led measures.

The Legislature’s Rules Committee instead advanced two relatively minor changes proposed by two committee members: State Sens. Ben Hansen of Blair and Teresa Ibach of Sumner, the chair and vice chair of the Legislature’s Executive Board that oversees daily operations of the legislative branch.

Hansen’s proposal, Rule Change 6, would allow all gubernatorial appointments other than for agency or department heads to be considered more quickly, in a single report by committee. That would allow the dozens of appointments that committees consider each year to go as one report, unless five or more senators request an individual nomination to be debated separately.

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PILLEN BUDGET PROPOSAL WOULD BURY ALL 'GOOD LIFE' DISTRICTS, BUT LAWMAKER HOLDS OUT HOPE FOR A FIX

LINCOLN- All of Nebraska’s “good life” districts appear to be in a precarious spot as Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget seeks to deny $5 million a year set aside for the new state incentive that had been committed for multiple years to boost the buildout of those destination sites. Pillen’s recently revealed biennial budget package targets “Good Life Transformational Projects” as one of about 50 programs and incentives the Legislature and governor approved over the past five years but that Pillen now proposes cutting. It’s part of his strategy to address a projected two-year $432 million state budget shortfall.

Specific to the good life districts, the governor wants to reject roughly $5 million annually in incentives budgeted through 2029, for a revenue savings of about $20 million in four years. The plan notes that the benefit was to stretch longer, for up to 30 years — derived from a now-controversial cut in the state sales tax rate within the district boundaries.

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NEBRASKA NOTCHED SECOND-WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD IN 2024, BASED ON AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

OMAHA- Federal climate scientists’ announcement that Earth’s average temperature in 2024 was the warmest on record may have left Nebraskans wondering where the Cornhusker State fell on the temperature scale, but their questions are now answered. Nebraska last year recorded its second-warmest year in 130 years of records, while Iowa marked its third warmest year during the same period, said Eric Hunt, an agricultural meteorology and climate resilience specialist with the University of Nebraska extension service.

Nebraska’s statewide average temperature was 52.7 degrees Fahrenheit in 2024, second only to the average of 54 degrees measured in 2012. Hunt said no individual months were the warmest on record in the state in 2024. Only January and July had temperatures below 20th-century averages. Several months were in the top five warmest: February was second warmest and both September and December came in fourth warmest.

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NEBRASKA STATE EMPLOYEES UNION REACHES TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

LINCOLN — The largest union representing Nebraska state employees announced last week that its members would vote soon on a tentative agreement with Gov. Jim Pillen’s negotiators. The Nebraska Association of Public Employees, known to many in the state as NAPE/AFSCME, is set to meet and vote on the proposed contract for 2025-2027 starting Jan. 13.

The union has said it won’t release the language of the contract until after its members weigh in. But it highlighted some potential changes.In a Jan. 8 post to its more than 8,000 members, union leaders, including executive director Justin Hubly, wrote that they had secured raises of 6.5% to 19% over the next two years.

They also touted paid maternity leave, higher pay for people who speak multiple languages, better pay for some overnight shifts and more flexibility to donate sick leave to other workers. The union also highlighted having pushed up the minimum wage of state contractors to $15 an hour, which would help state employees better compete with contracted labor.

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NEBRASKA HAS NUCLEAR REASONS TO PAY ATTENTION TO TRUMP'S TALK OF BUYING GREENLAND

OMAHA- Even before returning to office, President-elect Donald Trump has the nation’s eyes turned north, with his recent talk of buying Greenland. The vast snow-covered island off Canada’s northeast coastline has long held the attention of at least some Americans: the military strategists at the Offutt-based U.S. Strategic Command, whose job is to protect the United States and its allies from nuclear Armageddon.

Last week, freshman Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., a Trump ally, introduced a bill he is calling “Make Greenland Great Again” that would authorize the president to negotiate for its acquisition. The bill quickly gained 10 co-sponsors. Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, isn’t one of them. He agrees Greenland is strategically important, but he’s wary of making threats to allies. He compared it to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric before seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

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