NEBRASKA SENDS TASK FORCE ONE TO HELP WITH RESCUE AND RECOVERY IN CENTRAL TEXAS FLOODS

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is deploying Nebraska Task Force One to help with search and recovery after central Texas flash flooding that has killed at least 100 people, including children, and left others missing.

Over the weekend, the Guadalupe River in Texas’s Hill Country flooded. The river, about 70 miles north of San Antonio, rose 26 feet within 45 minutes, Texas state officials said. The area has about 20 campsites clustered along its banks, according to the Texas Tribune, including Camp Mystic, a summertime haven for generations of Texas girls.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA SUES GENERAL MOTORS FOR ALLEGEDLY COLLECTING, SELLING DRIVER DATA WITHOUT CONSENT

LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers on Tuesday announced that his office is suing General Motors for allegedly collecting and selling data on drivers without their consent for at least the past decade.

The 40-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday morning in Lancaster County District Court, alleges that Michigan-based General Motors and associated OnStar products collected driver data and sold it to third-party companies without drivers’ consent since at least 2015. In turn, that data would be sold to insurance companies, sometimes leading to increased rates or canceled insurance. 

Collected data allegedly included how fast someone was driving, how hard stops were, geolocation and whether seat belts were worn.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA EDUCATION COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCES 2026 BID FOR NU BOARD OF REGENTS

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s state education commissioner officially jumped into the 2026 race for a vacant seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Thursday.

Commissioner Brian Maher of Lincoln, 63, a lifelong educator who has served as state commissioner since July 2023, said his “vision” for NU is “a report card for the future” focused on achievement, alignment and a pathway for students to enter and succeed in NU, affordability in tuition and taxpayer dollars and enhancing NU’s appeal for in-state and out-of-state students. Maher also said he would prioritize helping NU gain reinstatement into the prestigious American Association of Universities, a similar goal of Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, whom Maher is seeking to succeed. NU had been a member of the AAU for more than 100 years until it was voted out in 2011 for not meeting certain membership criteria. 

For the full article, click HERE.

PILLEN TAPS SCHOOL OFFICIALS, FORMER STATE SENATORS FOR NEBRASKA SCHOOL FUNDING COMMISSION

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday announced the appointments of all but one member to Nebraska’s new School Financing Review Commission to review and provide annual recommendations to examine state aid to schools and reduce reliance on local property taxes.

State lawmakers created the 18-member commission, chaired by Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher, in a 48-0 vote this spring. It took effect June 5 and required initial appointments within 30 days.  The group’s main task is reviewing the main school funding formula — the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA) — and providing periodic suggestions so the Legislature can update it. 

The appointed members of the commission are:

Property Tax Administrator (or designee):

Sarah Scott, Property Tax Administrator

Governor’s Representative:

Grant Latimer, Policy Advisor to Governor Pillen

Representatives Appointed by the Legislature (three, nonvoting):

Senator Dave Murman, Chairman, Education Committee

Senator Eliot Bostar, Appointed by the Revenue Committee

Senator Jana Hughes, Appointed by the Executive Board

Postsecondary Education Representative with Expertise in School Finance:

Paul Turman, Chancellor, State College System

Superintendents or School Board Members from Class I, II, III Districts (four):

Class I: Ann Foster, Superintendent, Brady Public Schools

Class II: Jason Dolliver, Superintendent, Pender Public Schools

Class III: Aaron Plas, Superintendent, Bennington Public Schools

Additional: Keith Runge, President, Columbus Lakeview School Board

Class IV District Member (one) and Class V District Member (one):

Class IV: Liz Standish, Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs, Lincoln Public

Class V: Shavonna Holman, School Board Member, Omaha Public

At-Large Members (five):

Former Senator Lou Ann Linehan

State Treasurer Tom Briese

Certified Public School Teacher: (This position has not yet been appointed)

Former Senator Fred Meyer

John Schwartz, Superintendent, Millard Public Schools

For the full article, click HERE.

Read Governor Pillens news release by clicking HERE

TRUMP ALLIES TARGET FOREIGN FARMLAND OWNERSHIP — WITH NEBRASKA FRONT AND CENTER

“Today we tell China to get the hell out of American agriculture,” Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said. Leaders from Nebraska and Kansas joined the Trump administration to announce a new plan to secure American farms from foreign threats.

Marshall reiterated his position, “Do not pass go, get the hell out of American agriculture and the Trump administration is going to lead the way.”

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins leads the charge on the new effort dubbed the National Farm Security Action Plan, with a goal of banning adversaries from buying farmland. “Actively engaging at every level of government to take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and foreign adversaries,” Rollins said during a press conference.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA COMMISSION APPROVES EMERGENCY MEDICAL CANNABIS REGULATIONS

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission on Thursday approved emergency regulations to begin accepting medical cannabis applications as soon as Gov. Jim Pillen gives his final green light. State law requires him to do so by Tuesday.

The emergency regulations, unveiled for the first time minutes before the 10 a.m. meeting, largely mirror a legislative proposal that lawmakers stalled on last month. The regulations would take effect for up to 90 days, pending Pillen’s approval. The two medical cannabis-related laws that voters approved mandate that applications must start being accepted no later than July 1. Commissioner Lorelle Mueting of Gretna, an addiction prevention specialist through Heartland Family Service, affirmed that commissioners want public feedback on the emergency regulations through July 15, to inform future, formal regulations. 

For the full article, click HERE.

NATIONAL SECURITY OR A NEW RED SCARE? NEBRASKA LAW CREATES REGISTRY FOR FOREIGN AGENTS

Every business and nonprofit organization in Nebraska will soon have to attest that they do not work for or on behalf of foreign terrorist groups or "adversary nations" like China and Iran under a new security law that opponents have cast as modern-day McCarthyism.

The first-of-its-kind law, which Republican Gov. Jim Pillen signed Wednesday, requires anyone in Nebraska working on behalf of numerous designated terror groups or a handful of foreign countries to register as foreign agents if their work includes political campaigning, collecting or loaning money, or publishing information about any foreign country or political party. That means the state will soon be collecting and publishing the names, addresses, and citizenship statuses of Nebraska political lobbyists or public relations professionals working for Chinese-owned companies like Smithfield Foods or foreign-funded influencers posting on social media about life in other countries.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA AUDITOR DETAILS CONTINUED ‘WIDESPREAD MISUSE’ OF STATE VEHICLES TO STORES, PRIVATE ERRANDS

LINCOLN — The Nebraska auditor on Wednesday flagged “widespread misuse” of state-owned vehicles — including allegations of an employee taking multiple trips to his family’s vineyard and winery and another in which a worker used a state car to “gallivant” around Lincoln for his side business.

In a 38-page report, the State Auditor’s Office focused on 2024 and on a slice of the vehicles handled by the Department of Administrative Services’ Transportation Services Bureau, which controls about 1,200 of the state’s 4,000 vehicles. The TSB leases vehicles to state agency personnel for official government use on an as-needed basis, racking up about 15 million miles a year.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR RESIGNING AFTER TWO YEARS

The director of Nebraska's Department of Economic Development will leave the agency next month after two years on the job, Gov. Jim Pillen announced Tuesday.

"K.C. Belitz, the former chief operating officer of the Nebraska Community Foundation whom Pillen appointed in July 2023 to lead the state's economic development efforts, will resign effective July 18, Pillen's office said in a news release in which the governor wished Belitz 'the very best in all future endeavors." 

For the full article on, click HERE

NEBRASKA’S 3% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS UNCHANGED FROM LAST MONTH AND SIXTH LOWEST NATIONALLY

LINCOLN  — Nebraska’s latest monthly unemployment rate is 3% — unchanged from the previous month and showing a pattern that returns the rate more steadily to pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels. According to May data released Tuesday, the preliminary state unemployment rate ticked up from the revised 2.7% rate for May 2024.

According to other newly released labor data, Nebraska ranks No. 6 among states with the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rates. The national rate for May 2025 is 4.2%, unchanged from the previous month and up from the 4.0% reported for May 2024. 

For the full article, click HERE

NEBRASKA ELIMINATES WAITLIST FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SERVICES AFTER 30 YEARS

For the first time in 30 years, Nebraska has eliminated the state’s waiting list for individuals seeking intellectual and developmental disability services that more than 2,700 individuals had been in line for when Gov. Jim Pillen promised to do away with the list last year. For decades, Nebraska children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been forced to wait as long as eight years for services like job coaching, training workshops, group homes, independent living support and respite care.

But as of Monday, there were zero Nebraskans in line for such services, Pillen and other state officials announced at a news conference in Lincoln, where Pillen called the waitlist's longtime existence "an embarrassment" and pledged the list "will be kept at zero" as long as he is governor.

For the full article, click HERE.

GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, GREG ABBOTT VETOES THC BAN, CALLS FOR REGULATION INSTEAD

Texas Senate Bill 3 (2025) was a sweeping proposal to ban all consumable hemp products containing any THC – including popular delta-8 and delta-9 items. After the Legislature approved SB3, 

Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed it on June 22, citing conflicts with federal law (the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp) and likely constitutional challenges. In his veto statement, Abbott argued a full ban would simply be “dead on arrival” in court and urged lawmakers to adopt strict regulations instead (testing, age limits, licensure, etc.). Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – who had pushed the ban as a top priority – sharply criticized the veto. In short, SB3 would have completely prohibited THC-infused hemp products to protect youth (a “poison in our public,” as Patrick called them), but Abbott’s action keeps the existing hemp market alive and moving toward regulatory reform.

There were arguements on the floor about how this was comparable to Nebraska’s LB316

For the full article, click HERE.

BY THE NUMBERS: NEBRASKA’S 2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

LINCOLN — Two years after a motion-filled and filibuster-riddled 2023 session, Nebraska lawmakers in 2025 settled into a new rhythm as stall tactics again dominated legislative debate.

Throughout the 89-day session that concluded June 2, Nebraska lawmakers filed 347 motions, according to legislative records. It’s the second-highest tally for any session except 2023, when a record 1,160 motions were filed throughout the 88-day session. Similar to that year, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha again filed the most motions.

For the full article, click HERE.

PILLEN CONFIDENT IN NEBRASKA BUDGET, WON’T ‘SPECULATE’ ON PROJECTED OUT-YEAR HOLE

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen remains confident in his preferred policies to grow Nebraska and cut costs, even as the speaker of the Legislature has again identified the state budget as the “biggest challenge” for 2026. Many of the budget tweaks likely to be pursued in 2026 could respond to changes in federal government funding or state revenue projections, but Pillen said state lawmakers, combined with past policies, will make up the difference.

In a post-session interview with the Nebraska Examiner, he said his cabinet, too, shares his business mentality to improve services while decreasing costs, and he remains committed that state government must be run differently. “Feel real good about where we sit and that as long as people don’t start thinking there’s money to spend, we’ll be in real good shape,” Pillen said. 

For the full article, click HERE.

PILLEN SUPPORTS LOCKING NEBRASKA CLOCKS AT PERMANENT STANDARD TIME

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has endorsed which way the state should lock the clocks, putting his weight behind ending twice-a-year clock changes by using permanent standard time. In his monthly radio call-in show Monday, Pillen told a caller from Seward that as a farmer in the “pig business,” he’s “spent a lot of time trying to fool Mother Nature.” He said daylight saving time — the current position of the clocks — is a little like that.

“The hardcore reality is you really can’t fool Mother Nature, and that’s probably, in the simplest version, why, if something comes with it, I would be an advocate for having regular daylight time all year round,” Pillen said. Clocks “spring ahead” one hour on the second Sunday in March (March 9 this year) and “fall back” one hour on the first Sunday in November (Nov. 2 this year). Nebraska lawmakers considered three proposals this spring related to the position of the clocks and remain one vote away from sending a bill to Pillen. The end-of-session time crunch meant neither LB 34 or LB 302 was rescheduled for a third and final debate. If both bills passed, Pillen would get the final say.

For the full article, click HERE.

COURT FILINGS REVEAL DETAILS OF IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATION THAT LED TO OMAHA MEATPACKING PLANT RAID

A federal audit at Glenn Valley Foods this spring found that of 177 employees at the plant, 107 were suspected of working with either fraudulent or inadequate documentation, according to a federal court affidavit. That’s what ultimately prompted the federal raid at the Omaha meatpacking plant on June 10 and the arrest and detention of more than 70 workers.

As more details begin to emerge about the raid that has drawn protests from immigration advocates, the operation offers a window into the means and tactics federal authorities are using as they try to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of deporting 3,000 undocumented people per day. An affidavit related to one of the first criminal cases coming out of the raid detailed the results of a Department of Homeland Security audit of the employment documentation for workers at the plant — the basis for the subsequent federal civil search warrant and raid. 

For the full article, click HERE.

HAUSMANN CONSTRUCTION CHOSEN TO BUILD NEW NEBRASKA PRISON, AT $313 MILLION

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services on Wednesday selected which construction company will build the state’s next prison: Hausmann Construction of Lincoln.

Correctional Services said the Lincoln-headquartered company was the lowest base bidder for the project, at $313.3 million, compared to the joint ventures of Sampson Construction/Caddell Construction ($344.3 million) and Clark Construction/MCL Construction ($341 million). One partner in each of the joint ventures was based in Nebraska. The Nebraska Legislature appropriated $350 million for building a replacement prison, but some lawmakers worried rising construction costs could push the project over. 

For the full article, click HERE.

GOV. PILLEN ASSIGNS DISTRICT COURT JUDGE FOR NEBRASKA’S FIFTH DISTRICT

Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed a new judge for Nebraska’s fifth judicial district. In a release sent Tuesday, Pillen’s office said the Governor appointed Jason S. Doele of Norfolk to the position of District Court Judge. Nebraska’s Fifth Judicial District consists of Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward, and York counties.

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA LAWMAKER ANNOUNCES SKIN CANCER DIAGNOSIS, PLEDGES TO SEEK REELECTION IN 2026

Lincoln — A Nebraska state senator announced this week that he has faced a serious form of skin cancer for the past two years but remains committed to finishing his term and seeking reelection in 2026.

State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, in a Wednesday post, announced to supporters that he was diagnosed the first week of January 2023 with metastatic melanoma, which can spread to other parts of the body. Jacobson said the cancer has spread to his right lung, and he’s continued a range of treatments over the past two years.

For the full article, click HERE.

HILGERS WRITES NEW ROUND OF LETTERS TO NEBRASKA THC RETAILERS, THIS TIME LINCOLN

LINCOLN — The owners of 82 smoke and vape shops and other THC-friendly retailers in Lincoln are receiving cease and desist letters this week from Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers about selling THC-containing products.

Hilgers, the state’s top prosecutor, ramped back up his push to get stores to stop selling delta-8, delta-9 and other products containing tetrahydrocannabinol that he argues offer people an unregulated, unsafe, illegal way to get high. Store owners in several cities that Hilgers has targeted have argued state law is unclear about the legality of selling the products. Some have argued that federal law might have a loophole allowing it.

For the full article, click HERE.