OPINION: 'NEBRASKA HAS NO BUDGET CRISIS' - FORMER SENATOR JOHN STINNER

"As a former state senator and chair of the Appropriations Committee, I am perplexed by the continuous discussion regarding our state’s “budget crisis.”

Let’s be clear. The situation in Nebraska right now is not a budget crisis. In my six years in the Legislature as chair of the Appropriations Committee, my colleagues and I navigated several historic budget crises. That’s not the situation we find ourselves in as a state today...

Fast forward to 2026. The pandemic is over. Nearly all of the individuals involved in the process of crafting LB 1107 have been term-limited and no longer serve in the Legislature. The Legislature has slowly chipped away at the package in the six years since, making the current landscape almost unrecognizable when compared to those original intentions. The guardrails are gone. The state has gone from feast to famine, blowing through a $1.9 billion surplus in 2023 to a $472 million deficit in 2026..."

Senator John Stinner is the previous Chair of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee.

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NEW BILL WOULD REQUIRE NEBRASKA K-12 SCHOOLS TO TEACH ANTI-COMMUNIST LESSONS

LINCOLN — A new bill would require Nebraska’s K-12 schools to teach lessons about the ills of communism. Legislative Bill 1024 from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenville would require each Nebraska school district, starting next school year, to make time to teach the history of communism — worldwide and in the U.S. 

The proposed curriculum would range from covering what the bill describes as “the increasing threat of communism in the United States and its allies through the 20th century” to “mass killings that have occurred under communist regimes.” 

Similar state laws have passed in Florida and Texas. Florida Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar has a federal bill that passed the U.S. House that would require the creation of a civics education program to teach high schoolers nationwide about “the dangers of communism.” 

“There’s a lot of students, especially in college, and kids that are out of the K-12 school system, who seem to support socialism and even communism nowadays,” Murman said. “I think we just have to be diligent that the risks and dangers, bad things that happen under communism, are taught in our schools.”

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FAMILIES URGE LAWMAKERS, DHHS TO STOP MEDICAID WAIVER CAPS FOR NEBRASKANS WITH DISABILITIES, ELDERLY

LINCOLN — Derek Caster, a 30-year-old Nebraskan with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, worries that proposed changes to how the State of Nebraska administers a Medicaid waiver for the aging and those with disabilities could be the difference between life and death.

At issue is a 238-page proposal from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services seeking to cap the number of hours for which live-in, often-family caregivers can be reimbursed under Medicaid for providing in-home care such as to Caster or others. The proposal would also place an annual cost limit on reimbursable care based on a DHHS estimate of nursing home costs statewide.

Caster, other waiver recipients, caregivers and advocates for the elderly and people with disabilities have been among many rallying at the Nebraska State Capitol and urging lawmakers to support them. “If we get a drop in our quality of care, I know for a fact I would be dead,” Caster said at a Capitol rally last week.

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NEBRASKA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR VOUCHES FOR MERGER WITH STATE TOURISM COMMISSION

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s new Economic Development Director Maureen Larsen expressed support for consolidating the department with the Nebraska Tourism Commission at her confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Gov. Jim Pillen named Larsen the permanent Department of Economic Development director in November. She had served as interim director since July following former director K.C. Belitz’ resignation. Prior to her appointment, Larsen served as Pillen’s general counsel and deputy director of his Policy Research Office.

Larsen, speaking before the Nebraska Legislature’s Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee, spoke on the possibility of a merger when she was asked about the state’s lagging tourism revenues. She noted that while national tourism levels had grown modestly over the last year, Nebraska remained relatively flat.

Larsen argued that consolidating the agencies would mean tourism initiatives would have a larger budget and more marketing resources to pull from, and DED has the capacity to utilize grant funding for tourism efforts. She noted that prior to 2012, the two agencies were one in the same.

“If you’re trying to recruit businesses, if you’re trying to recruit that talent to keep people in Nebraska, tourism is a giant component of that,” Larsen said.

Committee Chair State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, who introduced an interim study Tuesday to examine the potential impacts of merging the agencies, asked Larsen if she knew why the agencies split in 2012. Larsen, though she wasn’t in state government at the time, said it was her understanding that lawmakers didn’t believe DED was doing an effective job of handling tourism.

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MY TRUST WAS ‘VIOLATED’: NU PRESIDENT FAULTS UNL BUDGET PROCESS BUT SAYS CUTS STAND

LINCOLN - University of Nebraska President Jeff Gold told faculty and staff he had been misled during last fall’s budget-cutting process that resulted in the elimination of four academic programs and dozens of jobs at the system’s flagship campus. Speaking at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Thursday, Gold said he shared in the disappointment and frustration many expressed at the shortcomings of the metrics used to justify approximately $6.7 million in budget cuts.

“I trusted people who said they were accurately communicating that there were metrics that were validated and agreed upon,” Gold said. “I trusted people that said there was formal input on multiple levels of appropriate shared governance.”

Gold said his trust in that process had been “violated,” adding what had been described about the process both to him and members of the NU Board of Regents in meetings last fall “were not accurate.”

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LAWMAKERS SEEK OVERSIGHT AS NU, CLARKSON MOVE TO CONTROL NEBRASKA MEDICINE

LINCOLN - Senator Sorrentino introduced legislation Tuesday that would require the Legislature to review the University of Nebraska Board of Regents’ proposed takeover of Nebraska Medicine, a major health care provider in the state. Under LB1125, sponsored by Sen. Tony Sorrentino of Elkhorn, any contract initiated by the University of Nebraska (NU) to acquire a controlling or sole interest in a hospital or health care facility valued at more than $100 million would be subject to legislative approval. If lawmakers are not in session when such a deal arises, the Legislature’s nine-member Executive Board would convene to consider it. Last week, the regents unanimously approved an $800 million plan for NU to become the sole owner of Nebraska Medicine after its partner Clarkson Regional Health Services indicated it would withdraw from the partnership.

Amid that backdrop, the University of Nebraska and Clarkson Regional Health Services have moved to replace nearly all members of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors as the organizations advance the $800 million purchase and transition to sole ownership. The restructuring replaces much of the existing board — including the CEO and previous chair — with new members drawn from NU and Clarkson leadership, a step officials say is necessary to protect the nonprofit’s stability and mission as governance changes. NU and Clarkson filed amended articles of incorporation with the Nebraska Secretary of State to formalize the changes, and the four new voting members include NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold and Clarkson’s CEO Dr. Bill Lydiatt, among others. 

The board overhaul comes amid escalating legal and political tensions. The former Nebraska Medicine board had filed a lawsuit attempting to block the NU-Clarkson deal and expressed concerns about being excluded from negotiations, asserting they were fulfilling their fiduciary duties by questioning the transaction. Some state lawmakers have described the board changes as drastic, likening them to a “nuclear option,” and there is growing discussion in the Legislature — including proposals like Sorrentino’s bill — about strengthening legislative oversight of large hospital acquisition deals in Nebraska. 

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BIPARTISAN GROUP OF NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILLS TO STRENGTHEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTIONS

LINCOLN — Among the more than 500 new bills introduced in Nebraska’s 2026 legislative session were at least nine that seek to improve the state’s responses to domestic violence allegations. The Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence celebrated the introduction of these bills at a press conference in the Capitol rotunda Wednesday. Thirteen state senators, including introducers and supporters, attended, many wearing purple to signify support for domestic violence awareness.

Christon MacTaggart, the nonprofit’s executive director, said addressing domestic violence is a larger task than one bill can accomplish. She spoke on the need to fill existing gaps in services that have let some victims fall through the cracks.The bills highlighted Wednesday would address a range of different areas related to domestic violence services. Some would increase penalties for domestic violence related charges, others are looking to improve reports of domestic abuse, and a few are focused on enforcement of existing laws.

“We know that domestic violence thrives in silence, and also in the gaps in how we respond,” MacTaggart said. “The legislation highlighted today will hopefully respond to the realities of what those victims are experiencing and address these gaps.” Amy Cirian, domestic abuse death review team coordinator for the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, said there were 30 domestic abuse-related victim deaths in 2025 alone. From July 2022 to July 2025, seven children were killed as a result of a domestic homicide, and 49 children lost a parent to a domestic homicide.

Cirian said the cases are not only devastating to communities and children, they also strain some of Nebraska’s systems meant to respond to victims.

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COMPETING STATEHOUSE VISIONS FOR VOTING IN NEBRASKA VIE FOR THE BALLOT

LINCOLN — Two proposals with competing visions for the future of voting in Nebraska show some differences between how the two major political parties approach voting regulations. Both state constitutional amendments were heard Thursday in the Nebraska Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. One, from a Democrat, would lower the voting age to 16 from 18. The other, from a Republican, would tweak the state constitution to say only U.S. citizens can vote in elections, which is already a requirement. 

Dona-Gene Barton, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who studies political behavior, said the amendments offer a glimpse of how some Democrats and Republicans, at the state and federal level, view voting regulations. As an example, she pointed to recent bills in the GOP-led statehouse, which is officially nonpartisan. Voting-rights advocacy organization Civic Nebraska said the age-lowering proposal from Democrats “strengthens democracy” and questioned the GOP proposal’s new language on citizenship as unnecessary, saying it risks reinforcing “misinformation.” 

Republican Secretary of State Bob Evnen described the GOP proposal on citizenship as “important,” while the Government Committee’s GOP majority questioned the value of the Democratic proposal for lowering the state’s voting age.

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CHIEF JUSTICE HIGHLIGHTS SUCCESSES, SAVINGS OF NEBRASKA JUDICIAL BRANCH

LINCOLN — Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke on Thursday celebrated the judicial branch’s work to deliver justice to Nebraskans, often at lower costs than incarceration.

In his second annual “State of the Judiciary” speech, made annually before the Legislature, Funke highlighted how the state’s court-overseen problem-solving courts, probation system and more help keep wayward Nebraskans out of prison.

Funke said it costs about $5,000 each year to supervise a participant in one of 35 problem-solving courts, a portion of which participants pay, and about $3,500 each year to supervise an adult on probation.

By comparison, Funke said, incarceration costs state taxpayers about $50,000 each year.

“The work of the Judicial Branch is challenging and regularly involves issues which plague our society,” Funke said. “Support from both the executive and legislative branches is necessary to ensure that we continue to achieve our shared goals.”

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PILLEN SEEKS EXCEPTION TO MAKE TOM OSBORNE ONLY LIVING MEMBER OF NEBRASKA HALL OF FAME

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen is looking to add a single exception in state law to put his old football coach in the Nebraska Hall of Fame early.

State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings introduced Legislative Bill 1159 Tuesday on behalf of the governor. It would create a carveout allowing one living person to be included in the Nebraska Hall of Fame who meets several criteria that describes only former Huskers coach Tom Osborne.

The criteria include:

• The person must be a prior member of the U.S. House of Representatives;

• Be a former head coach of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team;

• Have served as athletics director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and

• Have attended Hastings High School

Under state law, members of the Nebraska Hall of Fame must have been dead for at least 35 years.

That means if LB 1159 passes, Osborne, 88, would make history as the first and only living member of the Hall of Fame.

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FORMER STATE SEN. LYNNE WALZ KICKS OFF 2026 DEMOCRATIC BID FOR GOVERNOR

FREMONT. — Former State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont confirmed Wednesday she will run as a Democratic candidate for Nebraska governor in 2026 after a statewide listening tour.

Walz launched an exploratory committee for governor in November and hinted she would enter the race if her concerns for the state matched those of Nebraskans. She hosted 10 listening sessions in December, from Scottsbluff to Omaha, as well as additional private events with local community leaders.

“What I found traveling across Nebraska is that we all have more in common than what divides us,” Walz told the Nebraska Examiner. “People really are ready for a change, and I think that, together, we can make a change.” Walz said she heard a common theme touring the state: “Government is no longer working for the people.” Those concerns include whether state officials uphold the public’s right to petition the government for ballot measures and respect the “will of the voters” or whether officials support “average” Nebraskans, help small business owners and hear the voices of everyday people.

She said the focus should be on daily issues, not divisive national issues or Washington, D.C.-style politics of “corruption or secret deals” that benefit the few. “Nebraska is full of possibilities, and we need a governor who will focus on creating and attracting good-paying jobs, supporting our public schools and lowering the cost of food, health care and day care,” Walz said Wednesday.

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HOW A NEW MEDICAL CANNABIS BILL COULD CHANGE YOUR DOCTOR, ACCESS AND PROTECTIONS

LINCOLN — After Nebraska voters approved medical cannabis in 2024, patients, caregivers and advocates spent much of the following year frustrated by a lack of legislative detail and funding to implement the law. The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission adopted regulations that, in some cases, conflicted with the voter-approved initiatives, while also noting it lacked appropriated funds to carry out its responsibilities. Lawmakers are now attempting to provide clearer structure through LB1235, a bill sponsored by members of the Legislature’s General Affairs Committee that would consolidate the two voter-approved initiatives and establish a more defined framework for medical cannabis in the state.

The bill would create patient and caregiver registries, set qualifying medical conditions, and require practitioners who recommend cannabis to register with the commission while prohibiting them from having financial ties to cannabis businesses. It also outlines licensing, fees and oversight for medical cannabis businesses, expands the authority and staffing of the Medical Cannabis Commission, and grants it enforcement powers, including license suspension and product recalls. While some advocates acknowledge the bill adds clarity, others argue it is more restrictive than what voters intended and say they plan to oppose it.

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SHOULD RESIDENTS OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS GET A VOTE? LINCOLN LAWMAKER'S BILL SAYS YES.

LINCOLN - Nebraska law allows cities and villages to regulate planning and zoning in areas just outside their boundaries through extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions, or ETJs, to ensure consistent development as communities grow. Residents in those zones must follow city building codes, permitting rules and infrastructure standards even though they cannot vote in city elections, which Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln called a form of “taxation without representation.” Ballard emphasized that while ETJs help cities plan for future expansion, residents and developers in those areas lack accountability when disputes arise over zoning or building requirements.

Ballard’s bill, LB951, would allow residents living within ETJs to vote in municipal elections, giving people up to three miles outside Lincoln and Omaha — and one mile outside smaller cities — a say in city council and mayoral races. The proposal drew support from developers and Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who argued that voters should be able to hold officials accountable when their property is regulated. Election officials cautioned the bill would require widespread redistricting, while city officials from Lincoln and Omaha pushed back, saying ETJ residents already have indirect representation and are subject to similar regulations elsewhere.

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FEDS SAY NEBRASKA GDP GREW 5% IN Q3 OF 2025, AS STATE REVENUES DON’T TRACK

LINCOLN — For the second quarter in a row, Nebraska’s federally measured Gross Domestic Product grew by about 5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

On Friday, the BEA released its report on statewide GDP growth for the third quarter of 2025, which includes tallies for July, August and September. The report showed that Nebraska’s GDP grew 5%, tying the state with Iowa and Vermont for the 13th-highest GDP growth over that time.

“The data is in — and Nebraska’s economy is knocking it out of the park,” Gov. Jim Pillen said in a social media post celebrating the BEA report Friday. The real GDP nationally rose about 4.4% for the quarter, making it the highest overall growth so far in 2025.

In 2025, Nebraska’s GDP has been a tale of extremes. In Q1, Nebraska tied with Iowa for largest losses of GDP at 6.1%, but the state bounced back in Q2, seeing its state GDP grow about 5.2% — the sixth highest growth nationally.

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AUDITOR FLAGS POSSIBLE PILLEN ‘FAVORITISM’ IN $2.5M NO-BID BIOECONOMY CONTRACT WITH LOBBYIST

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen, while pressing the Nebraska Department of Economic Development in 2024 to tighten its belt, steered the state agency to award a $2.5 million no-bid emergency contract to a bioeconomy consultant and lobbyist he knew and had traveled with as part of state delegations. 

State Auditor Mike Foley alleges the Economic Development Department, in carrying out that Pillen-picked contract, broke state law by not specifying in writing what emergency justified skipping the required step of bidding out contracts worth more than $50,000, a step meant to save taxpayers money.

In a Jan. 6 audit letter Foley shared with the Governor’s Office, which was obtained by the Examiner and authenticated by the auditor, Foley dinged the department for leaving blank a required section for explaining the emergency on the state’s “Procurement Exception/Deviation” form.

That’s where department personnel must explain the circumstances justifying seeking no bids. Foley criticized the agency for leaving the second page of the May 2024 form blank, writing that it “contained questions regarding the reasons for designating the contract as an emergency.”

Foley’s letter alleges that omitting this information meant the contract did not comply with “the legal requirement to specify the nature of the supposed exigency” under the Nebraska State Procurement Act in Nebraska Revised Statutes 73-815. 

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SPEAKER ARCH FORESEES GOOD FORTUNE IN PROPOSED NEBRASKA-IRELAND ALLIANCE

LINCOLN — A newly proposed state law to create a Nebraska-Ireland trade commission brought some extra Irish charm and attention to the State Capitol this week. The president and speaker of Ireland’s Senate, Mark Daly, joined Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch in touting the value of Arch-led legislation they expect would open doors for Nebraskans to Irish business and academic exchanges, as well as to 26 other countries in the European Union.

Said Arch: “Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to know, Where is the door? How do you actually find the opportunity to trade into the European Union? This is what Ireland is offering to us. They can help facilitate that.”

Plus, there’s the cultural bond. Roughly 12% of Nebraskans claim Irish roots. “We have a lot of Irish people in Nebraska, a lot of descendants, a lot of heritage,” Arch said in an interview alongside Daly. “It’s a natural fit.” If Legislative Bill 1087 passes, Nebraska would join 25 other states that have formed similar commissions with the “Emerald Isle” nation on the western edge of Europe, said Arch, who introduced the bill on Thursday.

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U.S. SENATE PASSES FUNDING BILLS SENDING MONEY TO LANCASTER COUNTY AND UNL

LINCOLN - The U.S. Senate passed three funding bills on Thursday, sending millions of dollars to Nebraska, including $1.2 million for equipment for the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office. Sen. Deb Fischer said the bills contain nearly $50 million for state law enforcement, water infrastructure and research institutions. The bills now head to the president's desk for signing.

"Bringing tax dollars back to our communities is a crucial part of my job," Fischer said in a news release. "I'll continue working to ensure Nebraskans have a say in how our federal government spends their hard-earned tax dollars."

The equipment going to the sheriff's office includes body-worn cameras. A sheriff's office spokesperson said the office started working with Fischer in 2024 to get the money for the equipment. The bills also included $1 million for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for equipment upgrades to support water quality research and another $1 million for UNL for work toward growing Nebraska’s bioeconomy. There was also $176,000 for Nebraska State Patrol task force technology upgrades to support investigations leading to the arrest of child predators.

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STATE SEN. DAN MCKEON RESIGNS FROM NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE MINUTES BEFORE EXPULSION DEBATE

LINCOLN — Instead of possibly becoming the first sitting senator to be expelled from the Nebraska Legislature, State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst resigned minutes before floor debate was set to begin. McKeon faced expulsion following allegations that he inappropriately touched a legislative staffer — allegations he denies. The Legislature’s Executive Board, which oversees the legislative branch’s internal discipline, introduced Legislative Resolution 282 for his expulsion.

That resolution was up for floor debate Tuesday. Just before the debate began at around 10 a.m., McKeon took the microphone and resigned his seat representing Legislative District 41. “This last year has humbled me,” McKeon said tearfully. McKeon, a married father of four, is a registered Republican who was elected to the officially nonpartisan Legislature in 2024, replacing former State Sen. Fred Meyer of St. Paul.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area, who vocally supported McKeon’s expulsion, said she believed senators had enough votes to expel McKeon — it required 33 — after checking with lawmakers Tuesday morning. State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings, who ran vote cards Monday to track legislators’ positions on expulsion, confirmed that he saw enough votes to possibly expel McKeon. Had the vote come, Lonowski said he planned to be present-not-voting.

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BILL SEEKS TO VOID NEBRASKA-ICE PARTNERSHIP AT FORMER STATE PRISON IN MCCOOK

LINCOLN — A legislative bill introduced Monday seeks to void a Nebraska-federal deal that last fall converted a rehabilitative-focused state prison to an ICE detention facility in McCook. Legislative Bill 963, from State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, seeks to void any state-federal immigration agreements without legislative approval. That would include the most high-profile case in which Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services agreed to lease the state’s “Work Ethic Camp” to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

McKinney’s bill also seeks to narrow state law and say the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services can house offenders under only state laws, not any “law.” A Red Willow County District Court judge cited that section of law as a reason to not halt the Nebraska-ICE partnership. “The executive branch does not have that autonomy and should not have signed our state up to have an ICE detention facility,” McKinney said.

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OMAHA PORT AUTHORITY MAKES KEY HIRES, MOVES TOWARD $90M STATE-FUNDED BUSINESS PARK PROJECT

OMAHA — The publicly funded Omaha Inland Port Authority has taken new strides — including hiring three more top managers and greenlighting the purchase of long-awaited business park property — to help attain its goal of creating jobs and economic prosperity in one of Nebraska’s poorest areas. Authorized by a 2021 state law, the port authority essentially launched in mid-2024 when the Omaha City Council confirmed its nine-member governing board. The entity is empowered with economic development tools, including the ability to issue revenue bonds for construction in a district spanning roughly 3,000-acres of northeast Omaha near Eppley Airfield.

In recent weeks, the board and Garry Clark, who was installed last summer  as OIPA’s inaugural executive director, assembled the economic development team to guide an initial $120 million investment into the district by the state. Public records show the three new hires, who bring a combined five decades of experience, earning salaries ranging from $135,000 to $165,000 a year. Clark’s salary is $210,000. 

Another person is likely to be hired to coordinate a planned “innovation district” within the boundaries, said Thomas Warren, an OIPA board member who is also Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr.’s chief of staff.

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