LAWMAKERS PUSHING EMBRYOLOGY IN SCHOOLS PIVOTS FROM POPULAR FETAL GROWTH VIDEO

LINCOLN- A Nebraska state senator who proposed adding the study of human fetal development to the state’s science curriculum said his bill was not related to debates over abortion and he’s open to barring a controversial video that depicts fertilization and fetal growth. Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue said he introduced LB213 to enhance the science curriculum, saying students do not know enough about human development. He acknowledged during an Education Committee hearing Monday that people have varying beliefs on when life begins but said it occurs “certainly somewhere before birth.”

Holdcroft proposed lessons on embryology would occur in elementary, middle and high school. Science classes would cover stages of embryonic development and include videos “of at least four-dimensional quality” depicting fetal growth. Parents would have the option to keep their children out of the lessons.

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NU RESEARCHERS AND FANS LOBBY LAWMAKERS TO RAISE, NOT LOWER, STATE FUNDING

LINCOLN- NU has requested a 3.5% increase for each of the next two years in its roughly $700 million state-aided university budget that funds core academic operations. Gov. Jim Pillen, a former NU regent, however, has recommended a 2.07% cut next year, as he tries to fix a projected $432 million state budget shortfall over the next two years and also provide more property tax relief to Nebraskans.

Also testifying before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee were business leaders such as Heath Mello of the Greater Omaha Chamber, who spoke of NU’s annual $6.4 billion economic impact to the state, as reported in a recent economic impact study. NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, in his comments to the committee, described the university’s budget request as a modest but essential increase needed for the university system to continue its “promise to Nebraska — to remain the key engine of opportunity and innovation for generations to come.”

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NU REGENTS HOLD SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL CHANGES TO POLICIES AND BYLAWS

LINCOLN- The University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Tuesday weighed what changes might be needed to NU bylaws and policies to meet the demands of a Feb. 14 Trump administration letter stressing its legal interpretation against “race-based preferences.” The Valentine’s Day letter from the U.S. Department of Education drew immediate attention for its clear threat to schools that fail to comply — the risk of losing federal funding — which aids everything from students to research.

The NU system had already been looking to update dated language in its bylaws and policies, much of which Dr. Jeffrey Gold, the NU president, said had not been updated since the 1980s. The letter helped NU focus on which to review first. One appeared to be targeting language referencing affirmative action, from before the state’s voters passed an initiative outlawing the approach in 2008. Others aimed at language addressing race and ethnicity, including in admissions and tuition-setting. The NU board did not immediately take action on the proposed changes.

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DED AWARDS $414k TO GROUPS FOR RECRUITING OUT-OF-STATE TALENT

LINCOLN- A total of $414,706 in awards will go to Nebraska organizations to recruit talent as part of the state’s “Good Life is Calling” campaign. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development, in announcing winning proposals Thursday, said it launched the campaign in 2021 to promote the state’s quality of life and career opportunities. Last year, the Legislature approved Gov. Jim Pillen’s funding request to carry out the next phase, designed as a more targeted recruitment of out-of-state talent. Winning proposals, which range from local governments to businesses, are to provide matching funds.

DED Director K.C. Belitz, in a news release, said his agency is excited to partner with organizations statewide on initiatives to “promote the Good Life.” Here is a list of the awardees:

• Midland University, $85,000

• Greater Omaha Chamber, $75,000

• Hastings College, $50,000

• South Sioux City, $50,000

• York County Development Corp., $47,800

• Cheyenne County Chamber Foundation, $29,500

• Major Talent, $20,000

• Marble Technologies, $15,000

• Lincoln Literacy, $14,406

• JT Martin, $9,000

• Boone County, $8,000

• Falls City, $6,000

• Knox County, $5,000

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NEW BUDGET FORECAST SHRINKS NEBRASKA'S BUDGET DEFICIT TO 267 MILLION

LINCOLN — Nebraska's projected $432 million budget deficit diminished Friday with a more optimistic economic forecast — but lawmakers still face some budgetary challenges. 

The Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board projected slight growth in revenues through June 30, 2027, which includes the next two-year state budget period. Overall, the board predicted an additional $165 million in tax revenue within that time. If accurate, that would reduce the state's deficit to approximately $267 million. 

The board forecasted state tax revenues of $6.4 billion for the current fiscal year, which is $100 million higher than the previous projections in October. For the upcoming budget cycle beginning on July 1, the board projected revenues at about $7 billion for the first year and a little more than $7 billion for the second year, marking a $65 million increase from past projections. 

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NSAA SAYS IT WILL COMPLY WITH TRUMP ORDER ON TRANSGENDER PARTICIPATION IN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s high school sports will comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams inconsistent with their sex at birth.

The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA), the governing body for most high school sports, announced Monday that its eight-member board of directors had unanimously adopted a resolution last week stating that it would comply with the president’s order “until further notice” and follow state and federal law.

Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 that pledges to rescind federal funds from any “educational program” that fails to comply with his ban. The order asks federal agencies to interpret Title IX — the civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination — so that federal funding could be withdrawn if transgender athletes were allowed to compete.

The decision means that NSAA will scrap, for now, its 9-year-old policy that had allowed trans athletes to compete if they met several criteria, including proving, via a medical examination and physiological testing, that they did not possess “physical or physiological advantages over genetic females of the same age group.”

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EVOLVING FIX FOR LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT FACES CONTINUED RESISTANCE

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature’s Executive Board heard testimony Tuesday about the effort to clarify its oversight of state agencies after Attorney General Mike Hilgers and Gov. Jim Pillen sought to limit legislative reach. Legislative Bill 298, sponsored by Speaker John Arch of La Vista, would reconstitute many functions of the Offices of Inspectors General for child welfare and corrections and place them under a newly created Division of Legislative Oversight as part of the Legislature.

This design would operate as the legislative branch’s eyes and ears for how the money it spends on behalf of taxpayers is being used, primarily by the executive branch. The new division would report to a new Legislative Oversight Committee picked by the Legislature’s Executive Board. “We aren’t police,” Arch said during his testimony about the reasons behind the bill. “Our requests are not part of a criminal investigation. Our purpose is to legislate and to appropriate. We can’t do either without information.”

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ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST BACKERS BEMOAN 'RAID' ON FUNDS FINANCING RECYCLING, CONSERVATION

LINCOLN — As part of Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget, millions of dollars now devoted to restoring wildlife habitat and local recycling efforts would be diverted for new purposes: aiding campgrounds, marinas, and cabins at state parks. Pillen also would increase money transfers to a water resources fund that finances the management of water use by farmers.

All told, three pending legislative bills — two of which were introduced on behalf of the governor — would earmark nearly all of the state lottery funds now distributed via competitive grants by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. This year, the Trust had about $26 million to distribute in matching grants. Pillen’s two budget bills would earmark $20.5 million of that money for other uses, while another bill seeking funds to combat nitrate contamination of groundwater would take another $5 million.

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DESTINATION NEBRASKA ACT: NEW PATH PROPOSED FOR ROD YATES' MEGA PROJECT IN GRETNA AREA

LINCOLN — Faced with instant skepticism from some state lawmakers, businessman Rod Yates Wednesday unveiled a new plan he hopes will get his much-discussed sports-themed tourist magnet up and running between Lincoln and Omaha. Having scrapped his earlier application to develop the Gretna area project as a “good life district” under Nebraska law, Yates’ latest and more compact version would take shape under a proposal by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln

Ballard, joined by the Yates team, outlined Legislative Bill 637 during a public hearing before the Legislature’s Revenue Committee on Wednesday. He said the Destination Nebraska Act allows for the establishment of two “destination sites” in the state that in time could create jobs and draw big tourism dollars. While Yates is not specifically named, the bill is tailored for a 1,000-acre project site that expands his existing 40-acre Nebraska Crossing shopping center campus near Interstate 80 and Highway 31.

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CHAMBER'S PRIORITIES INCLUDE SAVING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM GOV. JIM PILLEN WOULD END

LINCOLN — Nearly two years ago, Gov. Jim Pillen announced a $20 million internship program aimed at strengthening Nebraska’s workforce and keeping the next generation in high-paying jobs on their home turf. The governor told a room full of conference-goers at the time that the state contract partnering with the Aksarben Foundation would connect students with jobs and help jumpstart careers in the “good life.” He said Nebraska’s workforce shortage strategy “begins with recruiting in our own backyard.”

But with the state facing a budget shortfall, Pillen now wants to redirect what’s left in the internship fund, roughly $11 million in state funds, to help fill a projected $432 million gap over the next two years. A related Legislative Bill 423 would essentially eliminate the internship grant program in its current form. Hoping to sway state lawmakers otherwise is the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which lobbies for businesses statewide. Keeping alive a state-funded internship program is among the chamber’s priorities for the 2025 legislation session.

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LABOR FILIBUSTER FALLS A SECOND TIME TO RIDESHARING BILL

LINCOLN — The company-fed push to cement drivers for ridesharing and food delivery apps as independent contractors in Nebraska survived a second round of labor-centered resistance. Battle lines had been drawn during the previous debate in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, with nearly all Democrats siding with drivers and nearly all Republicans siding with companies that include Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. The core argument remained whether people who pick people up or bring food should be prohibited from receiving the rights of being employed, including the ability to join a union.

Freshman State Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse has said he introduced Legislative Bill 229 at the request of the companies, which are fighting other states’ efforts to treat drivers as employees. He and other defenders of the proposal have argued the bill clarifies that the status quo is the way those businesses are meant to be run, with drivers working when they want. It advanced 33-16, with a single Republican departure, Dave Wordekemper of Fremont, a paramedic with the local fire department.

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE COMPETING BILLS TO END TWICE-YEARLY CLOCK CHANGING

LINCOLN — The full Nebraska Legislature again signaled majority support Thursday for ending the twice-a-year practice of changing the clocks. However, nearly 30 state senators chose to advance both bills before the Legislature this year would do so differently, delaying a final decision on whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time should be the path forward for the Cornhusker State. Most lawmakers said they could be swayed in either direction.

Legislative Bill 34, from State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, advanced 29-13 to establish year-round daylight saving time. That’s the period between March and November when much of the country “springs forward” one hour and offers later sunsets in the summer. LB 302, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, advanced 28-9 for year-round standard time. That’s the current position of clocks after “falling back” one hour for earlier sunrises in the winter.

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GENETIC INFO WOULD BE SHIELDED FROM LIFE, DISABILITY, LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE UNDER BILL

LINCOLN — Legislative Bill 338 from State Sen. Dave “Woody” Wordekemper of Fremont, seeks to expand access to and knock down one barrier to some people getting genetic testing: whether the results can be used in determining premiums or eligibility for life, disability, or long-term care insurance. Modeled after a law in Florida that passed in 2020, LB338 would shield such information from being used to limit, deny, or set higher premium rates for such coverage. Nebraska would be the second state to pass such a law.

LB 338 would allow someone’s genetic information to be used by disability, life, or long-term care insurers if the person seeking insurance has a specific clinical diagnosis. The legislation would not prevent such insurers from asking about family history or reviewing someone’s medical record, which might include someone’s genetic test results.

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A RANGE OF OPPOSITION RISES TO GOV. JIM PILLEN'S BUDGET BILLS

LINCOLN — From child care to tourism to banking, housing, and wildlife, advocates of various Nebraska industries spoke in opposition Tuesday of Gov. Jim Pillen’s budget bills. Sixteen people voiced objections to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, while Pillen’s state budget administrator Neil Sullivan defended recommendations aimed in part at addressing a projected $432 million state shortfall over the next two years.

Mark McHargue of the Nebraska Farm Bureau spoke in a “neutral” capacity, saying he was not making a blanket endorsement but was in full support of the governor’s effort to put more state funds toward property tax relief. People who wrote in opposition to Legislative Bills 260 through 264, all introduced on Pillen’s behalf by Speaker John Arch of La Vista, totaled 135. Three wrote in support of the proposals that were the topic of a combined public hearing at the State Capitol.

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PRELIMINARY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE BUDGET UNVEILED, SHOWS +$700M SHORTFALL IN OUTYEARS

LINCOLN — The Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on Tuesday unveiled a preliminary committee budget, a key early step before Nebraska lawmakers pass a two-year budget by mid-May. Led by State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, one of the committee’s biggest tasks this year is closing a projected $432 million budget shortfall, which the preliminary budget takes steps toward closing. The committee has gone through all state agencies at least once, in addition to the budget recommendations that Gov. Jim Pillen outlined in his Jan. 15 address to the Legislature, advancing some in the preliminary budget.

Pillen’s recommendations would close the projected $432 million budget shortfall with more than $63 million in the positive direction. Meanwhile, the committee’s preliminary budget closes approximately $171 million of the projected shortfall, leaving another $262 million to find either through increased revenue or reduced spending. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, a new face on the Appropriations Committee, said it is “not best practice” to make substantial policy changes through the budget.

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PROBE BY STATE OMBUDSMAN FINDS PAST MISMANAGEMENT AT NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

LINCOLN — An investigation by the State Ombudsman’s Office found “reasonable grounds” to support claims by three Nebraska State Historical Society employees of mismanagement by the agency’s interim managers. In a press release Thursday, State Ombudsman Julie Rogers said a formal investigation looked at claims of mismanagement from July through October of 2024, during which Cindy Drake — an appointee of Gov. Jim Pillen — served as interim director of the agency.

While the Ombudsman’s Office did not detail the complaints, one former Historical Society employee said Drake and two deputy directors had created a toxic work environment at the agency. The probe found mismanagement, but not “gross mismanagement,” Rogers said, adding that the investigation is now considered closed.

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NEBRASKA JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP'S CHALLENGED FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BUYOUT PLAN

LINCOLN — Nebraska this week joined a group of 21 other Republican-led states in seeking to file a brief in support of President Donald Trump's executive order offering a buyout to federal employees. The move comes on the heels of Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers last week joining in friend-of-the-court briefs in defense of Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship in federal cases filed in Washington, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

A federal judge in Seattle, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" and entered a preliminary injunction. Two other federal judges since have followed suit, temporarily blocking it from going into effect. In the latest case over Trump's so-called "Fork Directive" to federal employees, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who led the group of states that include Nebraska, is asking a federal judge in Massachusetts to deny the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO's motion for a temporary restraining order in the case against Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.

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CARBON PIPELINE DEVELOPERS SAYS IT HAS 100% OF ROUTE THROUGH NEBRASKA FINALIZED

LINCOLN — The developer of a carbon pipeline seeking to inject the greenhouse gas deep under eastern Wyoming said it’s on track to start operations in Nebraska later this year. Tallgrass Energy, the operator of the 392-mile Trailblazer Pipeline, said it has secured 100% of the right of way needed to connect 10 ethanol plants to the main stem pipeline, which formerly carried natural gas from eastern Colorado as far east as Beatrice.

Bold Alliance, which along with agriculture groups signed a “community benefits agreement” last year with Tallgrass Energy setting forth rigorous protections for landowners and financial contributions for public safety and community development, said the effort worked. Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance, said the voluntary easements sought for pipeline projects have frustrated landowner advocates who say they are often used as a precursor ahead of an eminent domain filing.

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PROPOSAL WOULD EXPAND DEFINITION OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS

LINCOLN — During the debate in the Nebraska Legislature on Thursday, lawmakers considered expanding the definition of who would be considered independent contractors as opposed to employees. It was the second round of consideration for Sen. Bob Hallstrom’s proposal (LB229) to classify people like Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors. That’s already the case, but it’s been challenged in other states, so Hallstrom wants to make it clear in state law. On Thursday, he proposed an amendment that would extend it to certain delivery drivers.

“This would apply both to Uber, Lyft, and companies like DoorDash that deliver parcels as opposed to people,” Hallstrom said. He distributed a letter from an Uber driver who said he values the flexibility being an independent contractor gives him to pursue his other jobs as a theater employee and a traveling musician. Hallstrom said many drivers feel the same way.

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL FOR EXPANDED SYPHILIS BLOOD TESTING FOR EXPECTANT NEBRASKA MOTHERS

LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL FOR EXPANDED SYPHILIS BLOOD TESTING FOR EXPECTANT NEBRASKA MOTHERS

LINCOLN — Lawmakers advanced a proposal Monday designed to expand syphilis blood testing for expectant mothers to stem a rising tide of maternal and congenital syphilis. Legislative Bill 41, from State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, would expand blood testing requirements for pregnant women to include two additional tests for syphilis. A test is already required at each woman’s first prenatal examination. Riepe’s bill would add a third-trimester examination and a test at birth.

Riepe said the state has seen a sharp increase in syphilis infections, particularly among women and newborns. Since 2017, overall syphilis cases have risen nearly 400%, but the increase is sharper for women and congenital syphilis for infants at birth, at a 1,100% increase each. “These numbers represent real families impacted by their very first preventable disease,” Riepe said.

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