2026 TENTATIVE LEGISLATIVE SESSION CALENDAR

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Legislature has released its tentative calendar for the 2026 Legislative session. As a reminder, the 2026 session is a short session of 60 days with 11 recess days. The first day of the 2026 legislative session is set to be Wednesday, January 7th.

The calendar is subject to revision by the speaker of the Legislature but will be finalized and redistributed before January 7th. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the 2026 session or calendar!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2026 SESSION CALENDAR 

2026 TENTATIVE LEGISLATIVE SESSION CALENDAR PUBLISHED

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Legislature has released its tentative calendar for the 2026 Legislative session. As a reminder, the 2026 session is a short session of 60 days with 11 recess days. The first day of the 2026 legislative session is set to be Wednesday, January 7th.

The calendar is subject to revision by the speaker of the 110th Legislature but will be finalized and redistributed before January 7th. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the 2026 calendar!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2026 SESSION CALENDAR 

NEBRASKA TAX REVENUES $12 MILLION ABOVE PROJECTIONS FOR AUGUST

LINCOLN — For the second month in a row, Nebraska’s general fund tax receipts came in modestly above forecasts, but there’s still a ways to go to fill the state’s projected deficit. The Department of Revenue released Nebraska’s August tax receipts Monday showing a net gain of 2% over what Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board predicted in April. That jump equates to roughly $12 million in additional tax revenues flowing into the state’s coffers.

Nebraska ended the last fiscal year with net tax receipts down about $86 million from forecasts, leading to a projected state budget deficit of about $95 million. The latest receipts help with filling that deficit, along with Nebraska’s July receipts being roughly $20 million higher than projections. The forecasting board considers these reports when making revenue projections, Legislative Fiscal Analyst Keisha Patent said.

But the progress also must contend with other economic factors, including the federal budget reconciliation bill. A different revenue report that came out earlier this month shared that the new tax and spending law could cost Nebraska’s state government about $216 million over the next two years. 

For the full article, click HERE. 

STATE AUDITOR: MITCHELL, NEBRASKA, MAYOR MAY HAVE USED PUBLIC EQUIPMENT FOR PERSONAL GAIN

LINCOLN — State Auditor Mike Foley in a new report this week accused the mayor of a small western Nebraska town of possibly misusing public equipment and resources for the mayor’s personal benefit, including spraying a weedy area near his driveway with a city-owned utility vehicle.

Foley also raised eyebrows about “excessive” city payments to the mayor’s “Handyman” business. The auditor on Tuesday released a 20-page report to the Panhandle City of Mitchell detailing findings and including photos. One image, for example, purports to show Paul Murrell, the mayor of the town with a population of less than 2,000 people, using a city-owned weed sprayer vehicle in an area near his home.

For the full article, click HERE.

FORMER STATE SENATOR REMEMBERED FOR DOGGED ADVOCACY OF RURAL NEBRASKA

LINCOLN — Former Nebraska State Sen. Loran Schmit is remembered as a dogged advocate for rural Nebraska and the father of the state’s ethanol industry, as well as a legislative leader who was ahead of his time on other issues, including gambling. Schmit, 96, died Wednesday at his home in Bellwood.

“He was an example of someone with a vision and a passion who was willing to go to the mat to make it happen,” said Scott Moore, a former legislative colleague.

It was a passion, he said, that sometimes worked against Schmit, a farmer, lobbyist and businessman.

For the full article, click HERE.

ADVOCATES SAY NEBRASKA MISSED GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND RURAL BROADBAND

LINCOLN — Advocates for rural Nebraska and telecommunications companies are expressing disappointment and some condemnation over the decision to propose spending only $43.8 million of the $405 million in federal money awarded to the state to expand high-speed internet “for all.”

These “provisional” awards by the Nebraska Broadband Office that Gov. Jim Pillen created raise the prospect that $350 million in unspent funds awarded to the state under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Act could be returned to Washington, D.C., and not spent here.

It also means, some advocates said, that up to 10,000 locations in rural Nebraska will settle for less-reliable satellite or wireless internet service instead of the top-of-the-line broadband delivered via fiber optic cables. “If there were a trophy for squandering opportunity, Nebraska would already have it on the shelf,” said Emily Haxby, a Gage County Board member who has been a leader in seeking better internet service in her county and elsewhere.

For the full article, click HERE.

HOW THE FED’S RATE CUT IMPACTS MORTGAGE RATES

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hoping that mortgage rates will keep dropping following the Federal Reserve’s first rate cut since last year? Don’t bank on it. As expected, the central bank delivered a quarter-point cut Wednesday and projected it would lower its benchmark rate twice more this year, reflecting growing concern over the U.S. job market.

Mortgage rates have been mostly falling since late July on expectations of a Fed rate cut. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage was at 6.35% last week, its lowest level in nearly a year, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. A similar pullback in mortgage rates happened around this time last year in the weeks leading up to the Fed’s first rate cut in more than four years. Back then, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage got down to a 2-year low of 6.08% one week after the central bank cut rates.

For the full article, click HERE.

$300M CREIGHTON DONOR-FUNDED PLAN AIMS TO RESHAPE PART OF DOWNTOWN OMAHA

OMAHA — A roughly $300 million donor-funded plan is poised to reshape a 12-block recreational and athletic corridor on the east side of Creighton University — further meshing the private institution into the downtown of Nebraska’s largest city.

Creighton calls the initiative “Fly Together” and says it involves 11 new or upgraded facilities and outdoor spaces covering about 700,000 square feet of the Bluejays’ east campus.

Planned additions and improvements include a new Student Fitness Center, upgrades to the Rasmussen Fitness & Sports Center and the creation of the Jaywalk, a new pedestrian passageway linking Creighton to the Builder’s District, which is a separate office, entertainment and housing site under development by Noddle Companies. 

For the full article, click HERE.

DOZENS VENT AT 'PINK POSTCARD' HEARING IN LINCOLN OVER PROPERTY TAXES

Lincoln - Dozens of Lincoln and Lancaster County residents aired frustrations over ever-increasing property taxes Thursday at a joint public hearing meant to provide transparency over property tax rates.

For about 90 minutes Thursday evening, property owners lined up to voice concerns over rising property valuations that, they said, the City Council and Lancaster County Board are not doing enough to counteract. Officials from the city and county — as well as officials from the towns of Waverly and Hickman — were required to send delegates to Thursday's hearing under the "Truth in Taxation" law passed by Nebraska's Legislature in 2022.

For the full article, click HERE.

LEGISLATIVE STUDY HEARING ON STATE TAKEOVER OF SCENIC NIOBRARA RIVER CANCELED

LINCOLN — A Friday interim study hearing on whether the State of Nebraska should takeover management of the scenic Niobrara River from the National Park Service has been canceled due to a family matter involving the senator who requested the study. It was not immediately clear whether the hearing, sponsored by State Sen. Tonya Storer of Whitman, would be rescheduled prior to the 2026 session of the Nebraska Legislature.

Another interim study scheduled Friday before the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee also was withdrawn. That hearing, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. George Duggan, was to investigate the need for a “Green Amendment.”

Currently, the National Parks Service manages the Niobrara, which was federally designated in 1991 as a wild and scenic river worthy of protection. The Park Service operates that section of river with an annual budget of $1.2 million and had been providing $100,000 each year to the Niobrara Council, a committee of local officials who provide input and some management help.

For the full article, click HERE.  

TRUMP'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REQUESTS NEBRASKA'S VOTER ROLLS. STATE OFFICIALS ARE MULLING IT OVER

LINCOLN — Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen has a Monday deadline from the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over a full database of voters’ registration information, including driver’s license and Social Security numbers.

Whether he will comply is uncertain. “We request Nebraska’s voter registration list to assess your state’s compliance with the statewide voter registration list maintenance provisions of the National Voter Registration Act,” a Sept. 8 letter from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to Evnen, a Republican, states.

The letter specifies that the registration list must include a registrant’s full name, date of birth, address, state driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. 

For the full article, click HERE.

FRIDAY NIGHT BLOWOUTS: HOW TRANSFERS SHIFTED COMPETITIVE BALANCE IN NEBRASKA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

OMAHA - Fueled by the rise of club sports, COVID cancellations and trickle-down trends from the college game, talented athletes are increasingly leaving their neighborhood schools to join stronger teams, according to coaches, administrators and sports writers who spoke with the Flatwater Free Press.

Over the last three years, nearly 1,500 high school athletes have switched teams without having to sit out under the state’s loose transfer rules. At the highest level, the consolidation of talent has tipped the scales of competitive balance, said Jeff Johnson, associate director of the Nebraska School Activities Association. “The good have gotten better and the bad have gotten worse,” Johnson said.

For the full article, click HERE.

UNL REMOVES INTERIM TAG, NAMES BUTTON CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

LINCOLN - The University of Nebraska-Lincoln named Mark Button as executive vice chancellor on Monday, elevating him from the interim position he has served in since January. Button, who previously served as the dean of UNL’s College of Arts and Sciences, was named interim chief academic officer following the departure of Katherine Ankerson last year. 

“Mark Button is a proven leader who is helping us effectively navigate our current challenges while ensuring we maintain institutional momentum,” UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett said in a press release. 

For the full article, click HERE.

NEBRASKA OFFICIAL'S DEAL WITH KENYA DRAWS ONLINE BACKLASH — AND DISTANCE FROM GOV. PILLEN

Nebraska's secretary of state signed a rogue memo with Kenya's government earlier this month promoting economic partnership and cultural exchange between the Cornhusker State and the African country in a move that drew online criticism and, eventually, condemnation from Nebraska's governor.

Secretary of State Bob Evnen signed a memo of understanding Sept. 2 with a Kenyan diplomat agreeing to promote student and teacher exchanges, encourage the "lawful mobility of students and apprentices," and promote temporary migration for employment and job training, among other things.

The memo — which Evnen's office did not publicize domestically, though it made headlines in Kenya — makes no mention of any specific industry. But in a TikTok video posted by the Kenyan diplomat, Evnen pointed to commercial truck drivers who he said were being partially trained in Kenya before finishing training in Nebraska.

For the full article, click HERE.

WHITE HOUSE WAITS ON REDISTRICTING TALKS WITH NEBRASKANS FOR NOW

LINCOLN — Thirteen Nebraska state lawmakers visited Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. But they didn’t get an Indiana-like pitch to redistrict a red state, as reporters waited. 

Instead, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs hosted lawmakers from Nebraska and Iowa to “hear firsthand” how President Donald Trump and his team are implementing his approach and how to “advance it at the state and local level.” While that was the official reason, national and local news outlets reported in recent days that Trump’s team might use the meeting to discuss mid-decade redistricting with Nebraska lawmakers.

For the full article, Click HERE. 

NEBRASKA LAWMAKER, PASSENGER RAIL ADVOCATES HOST TOWN HALL IN NORTH PLATTE

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Railroads built Nebraska and helped usher in some of the state’s earliest economic benefits, ProRail Nebraska leader Bob Kuzelka told a group gathered Tuesday night at the town’s public library.

“And now they can do it again,” he said, advocating for expanded passenger rail in the state to increase transportation options and grow tourism and commercial development along rail routes. “At every stop, lots of people get on, people get off.”

Kuzelka was among a trio of speakers on the third leg of a five-stop town hall tour organized by State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha and ProRail to educate Nebraskans on the possibilities and benefits of passenger rail options, gauge interest and broaden support. ProRail is associated with the Rail Passenger Association and seeks improved passenger rail and other forms of surface public transportation serving Nebraska. The feedback the group and Juarez seek is for a legislative interim study also evaluating existing passenger rail infrastructure in Nebraska. Juarez and other advocates say they recognize the cost and that resistance by some, including state officials, signals a tough road ahead for expanded passenger rail options. 

For the full article, click HERE. 

FUNDING RESTORED TO NEBRASKA DRUG DISPOSAL PROGRAM AFTER MIDSUMMER CUTS

LINCOLN — State officials will continue to fund Nebraska’s statewide drug disposal program, reversing a midsummer decision not to renew a contract despite legislative funding having been set aside for that purpose.

Lawmakers approved an annual $289,416 appropriation for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to continue contracting for such a program to properly dispose of prescription drugs. It’s the same process that’s been in place for a program the state has at least partially funded since 2015. 

But state officials, as of July 1, refused to renew the contract until this week, effectively freezing the funds. The state restored funding after the Nebraska Examiner asked DHHS about the cut last week and sought more information from the agency and the Governor’s Office, including why the state cut came without legislative approval and whether DHHS had made any other similar administrative cuts.  

For the full article, click HERE. 

STATE SEN. KAUTH TAKES STEPS TOWARD IMPEACHING NU REGENT, PILLEN WEIGHS IN

OMAHA — A Nebraska state senator is taking the first steps toward pursuing impeachment proceedings against a University of Nebraska regent charged with driving drunk in a crash that caused serious injuries.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha confirmed Examiner reporting that she is exploring what the Nebraska Legislature needs to do to consider articles of impeachment against NU Regent Elizabeth O’Connor of Omaha.

Kauth confirmed Saturday that she has discussed her plans with the Governor’s Office and top legislative leadership. "This is such a grotesque abuse of public trust that it needs to be addressed,” Kauth told the Nebraska Examiner on Saturday.

For the full article, click HERE. 

GOVERNOR SIGNS REVISED EMERGENCY REGULATIONS SUBMITTED BY NEBRASKA MEDICAL CANNABIS COMMISSION

Gov. Jim Pillen announced he has approved the adoption of the emergency regulations recently submitted by the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission. Pillen said he signed the regulations on Tuesday.

The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission held an emergency meeting on Monday to set limits on the number of plants that cultivators will be allowed to grow. This came after Pillen rejected the proposed changes to the emergency regulations approved back in July. The commission said that Pillen took issue with its last proposal for allowing too much plant growth but that he didn’t give a specific number on how much should be allowed.

Pillen’s office asked the commission to consider such a limitation to ensure that an excess of cannabis production would not lead to an unregulated and unintended black-market supply.

For the full article, click HERE.

STATE SEN. RICK HOLDROFT OF BELLEVUE TO SEEK REELECTION TO NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE

State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue announced earlier this week that he will seek a second term representing District 36 in the Nebraska Legislature. "In the Legislature, I’ve helped deliver historic property tax relief and continue working to find solutions to lower burdensome taxes. We’ve backed the blue, increased the penalties for dangerous criminals who threaten our children and worked to keep Nebraska families safe," Holdcroft, a Republican, said in his campaign announcement.

He said he's "championed conservative legislation" regarding abortion, science standards in schools, removing taxes on certain utilities and restricting school sports participation by sex — as Holdcroft put it, "ban men from girls' sports."

For the full article, click HERE.