PRESIDENT TRUMP NOMINATES FEDERAL PROSECUTOR TO BE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR NEBRASKA

President Donald Trump has nominated Lesley Woods Murphy to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer recommended the federal prosecutor for the position.

"And I look forward to her swift confirmation in the United States Senate," Fischer said in a statement.

While her nomination is pending, Woods Murphy has been appointed as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska, effective immediately, replacing acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Molsen.

“Lesley Woods Murphy has spent her career working to bring criminals to justice and ensure the law is firmly enforced. Her experience in complex legal matters, remarkable successes in court, and efforts to improve public safety through strong law enforcement partnerships will no doubt make her an excellent U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska," Fischer said.

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NEBRASKANS VOICE ANGER OVER LACK OF PROGRESS, BARRIERS IN MEDICAL CANNABIS BILL

LINCOLN- Six months to the day after Nebraskans passed ballot initiatives legalizing and regulating cannabis for medical use, some of those same Nebraskans questioned whether or not their elected representatives had received the message. For two hours Monday evening at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, state lawmakers listened as Nebraskans from across the region voiced anger, frustration, and, in some cases, despair over the lack of progress the Legislature has made in carrying out the will of voters expressed last November. 

Nearly 71% of voters backed Initiative 437, which legalized cannabis for medical use and allows patients, at the recommendation of their doctor, to possess up to 5 ounces to treat any medical conditions, while 65% supported Initiative 438 to create a regulatory structure around the medical cannabis industry. While both measures have been in effect since Gov. Jim Pillen signed a proclamation declaring them successful, a bill (LB677) from Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair to implement the initiatives has been slow to work its way through the legislative process this session.

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STATE SET TO GET NEW TRAFFIC LAWS, HIGHER PENALTIES FOR BREAKING THEM

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers are set to update the state’s rules of the road — and levy harsher penalties on the drivers who break them — under a proposed law moving through the Legislature. Lawmakers on Thursday gave first-round approval to a controversial package of proposals (Legislative Bill 530) that would change several aspects of Nebraska’s criminal justice structure. 

The bill faces fierce opposition from Democrats in the formally nonpartisan Legislature, but one set of proposals included in the bill has avoided such pushback: new rules meant to help protect pedestrians, cyclists, first responders, and construction workers, among others, along Nebraska’s roadways. 

Introduced by Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, the proposed changes would create a category of people in state law known as “vulnerable road users,” a class that includes road construction and utility workers and first responders, and pedestrians, skaters and wheelchair users when they’re in a crosswalk or on the shoulder of a road. The new law would require motorists to, when possible, change lanes when approaching or passing any vulnerable road user.

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EFFORT TO LET LARGEST CITIES CONSOLIDATE ELECTIONS WILL INCLUDE LINCOLN

LINCOLN- Lawmakers rejected a last-minute amendment Thursday to keep Lincoln city elections in off years, rather than allowing city officials to tie them to statewide elections. The amendment, from State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln, came after concerns from some Lincoln city officials that the amended Legislative Bill 521 could cause problems for the capital city. The original bill from State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha would have allowed just Omaha to move its elections, but when the proposal was amended and attached to LB 521, it added Lincoln.

The amendment to remove Lincoln from the bill failed 16-30. A reconsideration motion failed 18-26. The broader bill advanced by voice vote to the third and final round of debate. Century-old state laws dictate the election timing for cities the size of Omaha (metropolitan class, 400,000 or more residents) and Lincoln (primary class, 100,001 to 399,999 residents). Omaha and Lincoln city officials can already advance changes to their city charter to move election timing, but without a law such as LB 521, the changes could not be carried out.

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PROPOSAL AIMED AT GETTING MORE RELIGION IN STATE SCHOOLS SIDETRACKS ED COMMITTEE

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Legislature’s Education Committee has been trying for a month to get one of its packages of education proposals out of committee and onto the floor. But the past few executive sessions have been tense, and committee members remain divided. Now, the committee chair, who until last week had been optimistic about the package’s chances, says the bill that includes giving teachers more time off to deal with significant life events is running out of time to reach the legislative floor this year. The obstacle: lawmaker objections to including one senator’s priority proposal that would allow K-12 students to be excused during the school day for off-site religious instruction and coursework. 

Two Democratic-aligned lawmakers and one Republican on the committee have questioned the inclusion of the religious-themed bill in the package. But the Education Committee chairman, State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenville, continues to emphasize the importance of including the bill. The inclusion of Central City State Sen. Loren Lippincott’s Legislative Bill 550 was part of a “deal” involving the state Legislature’s Retirement Systems Committee, one Democrat and other Republicans on the committee, and the state’s largest teachers' union. 

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CHANGES TO STATE PATROL SURVIVORS' RETIREMENT BENEFITS IGNITE LEGISLATIVE FIGHT

LINCOLN- One state lawmaker’s continued efforts to boost benefits for Nebraska State Patrol troopers, a largely consensus issue, ignited a rare fight among legislative allies. The fight flared up last week in the Nebraska Legislature after State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln and his ally, State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, struck a deal to add a proposal to increase survivors’ benefits in the case of a trooper’s death from 75% up to 100%. In the case of dependent children without a surviving parent, it would bump benefits up to 100% until the child turns 19 years old.

Bostar’s Legislative Bill 76, as introduced, would also have raised maximum annual cost-of-living adjustments for Patrol members’ retirement benefits. A narrower version, just related to survivors’ benefits, was amended into Ballard’s Legislative Bill 645, related to school retirement, on April 24 in a 39-0 vote, without issue. At that time, the increased benefits would have taken effect on July 1.

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LEGISLATION WOULD PROTECT STATE VETERANS' BENEFITS FROM 'PREDATORY CLAIM SHARKS'

LINCOLN- For-profit consultants make millions each year charging veterans for help in filing benefits claims. Nebraska is moving to crack down on what some call “predatory claim sharks.” It is already against federal law for companies not accredited with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans fees for help in claiming benefits. But in 2006, a “clear enforcement method” vanished from federal law, State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst told the Nebraska Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee in March.

New York, New Jersey and Maine are among states that recently passed protections against “claim sharks,” who McKeon said use “aggressive tactics and false promises.” LB 693 would change state law so that anyone receiving compensation for preparing, advising, or consulting someone for earned veterans’ benefits or making referrals for such services would commit a “deceptive trade practice” unless otherwise allowed by state or federal law.

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SENS. MEYER AND MCKINNEY PRIORITY BILLS ADVANCE ON SEPARATE PATHS

LINCOLN- A pair of priority bills that by fluke had ended up linked, then faced moments of conflict and potential demise, are now decoupled and moving on to next rounds of debate in the Nebraska Legislature. Floor discussions on State Sen. Terrell McKinney’s Legislative Bill 48 and State Sen. Glen Meyer’s LB 382 had gone on for several days before lawmakers voted Thursday to advance each separately.

At points in recent weeks, McKinney, of North Omaha, threatened to disrupt the remainder of the session if his priority bill was killed. Another lawmaker questioned whether McKinney was being mistreated because he was Black or a Democrat. His LB 48 calls for an around-the-clock Family Resource and Juvenile Assessment Center pilot program in Omaha. The goal is to have two sites that would address family dynamics, mental health, substance abuse, and educational challenges to juvenile delinquency.

Meyer, of Pender, didn’t face outright opposition to his priority legislation, LB 382, which calls for taking $4 million over two years from a Medicaid cash fund to keep afloat services offered by the state’s eight designated agencies for the aging, including Meals-On-Wheels. But when McKinney’s pilot program last month failed to garner enough votes to move forward, another lawmaker revived it by tacking it on as an amendment to Meyer’s LB 382. Meyer’s priority bill happened to be next up for discussion after McKinney’s.

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NU PRESIDENT: STATE BUDGET COULD MEAN TUITION INCREASES THIS YEAR

LINCOLN- The Legislature gave first-round approval to the state’s two-year budget on Tuesday, including a marginal increase in state support to the University of Nebraska system. At the end of eight hours of debate, lawmakers advanced the mainline budget bill (LB 261) that would close a projected deficit of $262 million on a 37-6 vote. NU President Jeffrey Gold told faculty, students, and staff he would continue working with Gov. Jim Pillen and state senators “to advocate for the critical mission of the university” as the budget continues through two more rounds of debates. 

But, in a letter to lawmakers on Monday, Gold said the funding level approved by the Legislature, along with cuts imposed by the federal government, could mean a “stark” reality for NU moving forward. On Tuesday, senators approved a plan to increase NU’s state appropriation by 0.625% in each of the next two years, or by $8.7 million over the next biennium. The amount represents roughly $36 million less than what the NU Board of Regents requested last year in consultation with the Department of Administrative Services, Gold wrote, or about 17.8% of the total sought.

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STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL STEPS UP MEDICAL CANNABIS OPPOSITION, REGULATORY BILL AWAITS DEBATE

LINCOLN- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers escalated his opposition to legislative efforts to help implement medical cannabis Wednesday, parading out more than a dozen law enforcement officers who support his stance. At a Wednesday news conference, Hilgers blasted Legislative Bill 677, from State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, asserting that the effort to build a regulatory framework around voter-approved medical cannabis is nothing more than a path to recreational marijuana that he argued would “supercharge the black market.”

As he has already said this year, he urged lawmakers to wait until at least January, as he continues challenging in court the laws that voters approved last fall. “This is not about the will of the people,” Hilgers, joined by various sheriffs, said of LB 677. “This is going to make Nebraska less safe, more dangerous. It’s going to handcuff the good men and women here that are in front of you and all their colleagues around the state.” Hansen, other lawmakers, and supporters of the 2024 ballot measures have already indicated that they have no intention to wait. They argue that without LB 677, the voter-approved laws could become the “wild west” or prevent Nebraskans who need cannabis the most from accessing it.

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LAWMAKERS OK PLAN TO FILL $262 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT WITH RAINY DAY FUNDS, DMV CUTS

LINCOLN- After a heated eight hours of debate, Nebraska lawmakers advanced a measure that would fill most of a projected deficit looming over the state’s next two-year budget. The Nebraska Legislature advanced Legislative Bill 264 Wednesday on a 34-6 vote, pushing it through the first of three rounds of floor debate. The measure, the second of two mainline budget bills, has to do with transfers from cash funds and the cash reserve over the next biennium, starting on July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2027. The Legislature must pass these bills by May 15.

An amendment that dropped late Tuesday covered recent adjustments the Appropriations Committee made to lower a projected $262 million deficit by an estimated $219 million. A second amendment to fill the remaining gap will be considered on the first mainline budget bill during its second round of floor debate, according to the Appropriations chair, State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood.

The amendment includes dozens of cuts to various cash funds, as well as a $132 million transfer from the state’s rainy-day fund. Some of the largest cuts include $12.5 million from the Department of Motor Vehicles Cash Fund and $8 million in interest from the Nebraska Capital Construction Fund. 

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WHERE THREE OF NEBRASKA'S NEW GOLF COURSES LAND ON LINKS MAGAZINE'S LATEST RANKINGS

NEBRASKA- In its first rankings of Nebraska courses since three of the state’s four newest ones opened, Links Magazine has Landmand at No. 4, CapRock Ranch at No. 7 and Lost Rail No. 9. Opened too late last year for possible ranking was GrayBull Club near Maxwell.

Links’ rankings for Nebraska are Sand Hills at No. 1, followed by Dismal River Red, Prairie Club Dunes, Landmand, Omaha Country Club, Prairie Club Pines, CapRock Ranch, Wild Horse, Lost Rail and Dismal River White.

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VANISHING $100 MILLION: STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS DECRY FEDERAL CUTS

LINCOLN- Nearly $100 million in funding already disbursed to Nebraska is being clawed back as part of the Trump administration’s plan to shrink the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Nebraska, it will mean less federal money for university research, childhood vaccinations and mental health, and substance abuse treatment. It means fewer dollars for battling opioid addiction, addressing health disparities in underserved areas, and responding to infectious diseases.

A grant termination order recently sent to leaders at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services lays out two reasons for the cuts. One: It will save money. A representative of the federal government wrote in an email that the cancellation was part of President Donald Trump’s February executive order to start the “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative, to reduce federal spending. And two: The COVID-19 pandemic is over.

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LAWMAKERS APPROVE AGENCY MERGER OF STATE'S NATURAL RESOURCES INTO ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

LINCOLN- Nebraska lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to merge two state agencies this summer and create one central department intended to increase the state’s focus on water. Legislative Bill 317, from State Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, passed 34-12 without debate. This July 1, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources will be folded into the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, creating the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment. 

Gov. Jim Pillen said Thursday he would sign LB 317 next week. Brandt introduced it on his behalf. The governor has also created a “Water Quality and Quantity Task Force,” focusing on a resource that he said “is our lifeblood.” Pillen called the legislation a “win-win” that would help streamline operations and cut red tape.

“As a farming and ranching state that is growing, this is the right time for Nebraska to create a modern model of stewardship and double down on our work to protect and enhance our water resources,” Pillen said in a statement. 

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'WELL-OILED MACHINE' PREPS FOR ONLINE SPORTS BETTING BALLOT PUSH

LINCOLN- After the Nebraska Legislature halted efforts to put the question of online sports betting before voters in 2026, the gaming industry does not plan to wait around. Lance Morgan, the CEO of WarHorse Gaming, which operates Lincoln's casino, said lawmakers could still pass a measure next year allowing Nebraskans to legalize online and app-based sports gambling at the ballot box. But in the meantime, efforts to kick-start a ballot initiative will likely begin.

“The industry’s not going to wait and cross their fingers, they’re going to prepare for the petition drive,” Morgan said. Planning for a potential initiative is already underway, and most of the money to fund the push, which could formally begin in the fall, is in place, Morgan added. Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar pulled a measure to put a constitutional amendment to legalize mobile sports betting, including through popular platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings, on the ballot after it became clear it wouldn’t be able to survive a filibuster.

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AMENDED BILL LIFTING LIFETIME BAN ON FOOD FOR NEBRASKANS WITH A PAST DRUG FELONY ADVANCES

LINCOLN- A measure to remove a lifetime ban on public food assistance for Nebraskans who have served sentences for drug felonies passed another hurdle Wednesday. An amended Legislative Bill 319, designated as a priority by Bellevue State Sen. Victor Rountree, advanced on a 31-14 vote to final reading. Current Nebraska law offers a narrow exception to the ban for people with one or two drug possession or drug use felony convictions. They can access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, if they have completed a licensed and accredited treatment program. 

Rountree’s bill would open the door for other felony drug offenders who currently can’t access SNAP benefits, as long as they’ve completed their sentence or are on parole or under post-release supervision. An amendment that passed Wednesday, on a 32-14 vote, added a requirement that those with three or more felony drug convictions undergo a substance abuse treatment program to be eligible, unless a licensed health care provider determines that treatment is not necessary.

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CONTROVERSIAL BOYD COUNTY FIGHT FROM THE 1980s AND '90s RETURNS TO LEGISLATURE

LINCOLN- It’s been a while since the words “low-level radioactive waste” have been spoken on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature, but state senators revived the topic two weeks ago. During debate on a bill allowing the merger of two state agencies, a debate broke out over whether the legislation should include repeal of the 1986 Low-Level Radioactive Waste Act, a package of regulations passed amid the heated controversy over locating a waste repository in Boyd County.

That controversy divided families and towns in the rural county, spawned a hunger strike by a leading opponent of the waste dump, and eventually led to a judge’s ruling that Nebraska must pay $145.6 million in damages for rejecting the repository, designed to dispose of radioactive waste from five central U.S. states. Two state senators, Tanya Storer of Whitman and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, questioned the need to repeal the waste storage regulations during floor debate on April 22, and asked why it was included in a then-446-page proposal for a merger of the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy with the Department of Natural Resources.

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BILL TO MATCH LINCOLN, OMAHA ELECTIONS WITH STATE ELECTIONS ADVANCES

LINCOLN- Lincoln and Omaha city officials would have the future option to move city elections and align them with Nebraska statewide elections, under this year’s annual election cleanup bill. Legislative Bill 521, from State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, advanced 42-0 on Thursday. Sanders, who chairs the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, said the goal is “modernizing” elections.

LB 521 would make a series of changes, including to allow hospice or disability services patient records to count as a photo voter ID, stop petition signature verification of candidates or new political parties at 110% of the goal (similar to ballot measures), notify a voter if their voter registration is canceled, prohibit petition circulation within 200 feet of ballot drop boxes and permit the secretary of state to distribute petition pages to counties “by a secure method,” rather than just mail or by law enforcement. 

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE 'PUBLIC SAFETY' PACKAGE ALLOWING DETENTION OF NEBRASKANS AS YOUNG AS 11

LINCOLN- After debate that spilled into three days, Nebraska lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bundle of “public safety” proposals highlighted by a contentious provision to lower the age at which a Nebraska youth can be detained — to 11 years old. The age drop was backed by Gov. Jim Pillen and originally included in a bill by Ralston State Sen. Merv Riepe, which did not fully make it out of committee but did, in part, emerge in the bundle now known as Legislative Bill 530.

Segments of at least nine bills were folded into the megabill before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee moved it to the floor for full debate. Lawmakers advanced it 33-0, with 16 senators marking present not voting, to move the package to final reading. The vote came after committee chair, Lincoln State Sen. Carolyn Bosn, agreed to continue negotiations with Democratic lawmakers who view the juvenile justice elements as overly punitive. Several have said prevention and rehabilitation services are more effective when dealing with young people whose brains are still developing.

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PROPOSAL TO EXPAND COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS TO COVER PRIVATE K-12 TUITION ADVANCES

LINCOLN- Nebraska’s educational savings accounts designed to help pay for public or private college expenses could expand to cover private K-12 tuition, in line with federal law, beginning in 2029. The proposed change from State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area was amended 32-11 Tuesday evening into Legislative Bill 647 after multiple hours of debate. At least 42 states already allow such savings accounts to cover tuition at K-12 private schools, which was first allowed in 2018 after passage of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for up to $10,000 per beneficiary per year.

A 529 savings plan — in Nebraska, NEST 529 — offers tax breaks to encourage families or students to donate and allow the savings to grow tax-free. Multiple attempts to expand the accounts in Nebraska have stalled in recent years. State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, who led LB 647 as chair of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, said he didn’t have the “foreknowledge” to use NEST 529 accounts for his children. “It’s a great way to save for college education, and with the implementation of this bill … those funds could also be used for primary education,” von Gillern said. 

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