NEBRASKA GAS TAX GOING UP NEARLY A PENNY BEGINNING JAN. 1

LINCOLN - Nebraska drivers will pay the state nearly a penny more per gallon to fill their tanks beginning Jan. 1. The Nebraska Department of Revenue announced Monday that the state motor fuels tax will rise to 30.4 cents per gallon on Jan. 1, up from 29.6 cents per gallon currently.

The change was triggered by the variable tax rate, which is set to bring in the amount of money budgeted for highway and bridge construction and maintenance. In addition to the variable tax rate, components of the state gas tax rate are the wholesale tax rate and fixed tax rate. The wholesale tax rate will drop Jan. 1 from 13.3 cents to 13.2 cents.

The State Highway Trust Fund gets money from three sources: gas taxes paid at the pump, sales taxes paid on motor vehicles and a portion of each motor vehicle registration.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKER SEEKS FEDERAL WAIVER FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG DONATION PROGRAM WITH IOWA NONPROFIT

LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker will seek a federal waiver next year for Nebraska’s planned partnership with an Iowa nonprofit for a new prescription drug donation program. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward led Legislative Bill 1035 through Nebraska’s 2024 session to partner with SafeNetRx in Iowa. The bill passed the final round of voting 47-0. The nonprofit collects, inspects and distributes non-expired and safe medications to patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

LB 1035 changed Nebraska law to allow the nonprofit to distribute medications to Nebraska pharmacists, who could previously donate to SafeNetRx but couldn’t receive medications back. “LB 1035 will give a second life to much of the many tons of medication that is currently being collected and incinerated each year in our state,” Hughes said in a recent Facebook post, referring to state law to destroy unused meds to keep them out of water systems or landfills.

The program needs a waiver because of concerns about the federal Drug Supply Chain Security Act of 2013, which pressed pause on Hughes’ planned partnership before it could begin. The federal law, planned to be implemented over a decade, was designed to replace a patchwork of state laws for a chain of custody on medication that is addictive or has the potential for abuse. It also sought to prevent counterfeit products from entering the pharmaceutical supply chain.

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NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE TO REVISIT WINNER-TAKE-ALL PROPOSAL IN 2025. WILL THE 'BLUE DOT' SURVIVE?

LINCOLN - Though the urgency has significantly lessened, several Nebraska lawmakers remain steadfast in their effort to switch Nebraska’s presidential elections back to a winner-take-all approach.

State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City confirmed he plans to bring back a bill he introduced in 2023 that would reinstate winner-take-all as the system Nebraska uses to award all five of its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the state’s popular vote. Nebraska is one of two states, alongside Maine, that divides its electoral votes by congressional districts, although two of the five votes are distributed based on the statewide winner.

Lippincott’s original bill, Legislative Bill 764, went largely ignored through the 2023 and 2024 sessions, until Gov. Jim Pillen released a statement supporting the bill in the final weeks of the 2024 session, past the point when the bill had a serious chance of passing. He considered calling a special session to debate the issue, but there was not enough support among lawmakers to pass the measure.

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ENDING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME WOULD CHANGE YOUR SUNRISES, SUNSETS. HERE'S HOW

NEW YORK — Twice a year, the clocks change, and Americans are subject to endless arguments over the merits of daylight saving time. Will this biannual tradition soon come to an end?

President-elect Donald Trump recently posted that “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time,” calling it costly and inconvenient. If successful, Trump would be bringing an end to a practice that’s been observed on-and-off in the United States since 1918.

Originally implemented to save energy by increasing daylight hours during World War I, it was standardized nationally in 1966 under the Uniform Time Act. Under this law, daylight saving time would be observed from the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November. Contrary to popular belief, it is incredibly unpopular among farmers as they lose morning light and it disrupts their livestock. Over the past few years, the concept of a permanent time, be it in daylight saving time (setting the clocks forward by one hour) or standard time, has repeatedly popped up in politics.

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NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN TO BE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL

OMAHA — First-term Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is set to be discharged from Nebraska Medicine in Omaha on Friday, after he chose to have surgery Wednesday to repair his broken ribs. A press release stated he will continue his recovery at the governor’s residence and plans to resume his office activities next week. Pillen and his family shared their gratitude in the press release for the care and support provided by the medical team and staff at Nebraska Medicine.

On Thursday, the Governor’s Office updated the public on Pillen’s condition after he underwent a surgery to stabilize his ribs. The procedure involved stabilizing the broken ribs using metal plates to promote stronger long-term healing of the ribs, assist with pain management during the recovery process and reduce the odds of complications.

On Sunday, Dec. 22 Pillen was transported to University of Nebraska Medical Center after being bucked off a horse near Columbus. He sustained minor lacerations to his spleen and kidney, seven broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung resulting from the rib damage, and a minor fracture in one of his vertebrae. There were no injuries to his neck, head, nervous system or additional internal organs.

He initially underwent a coil embolization – a minimally invasive procedure to address minor bleeding from his spleen. Pillen’s injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

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WALT RADCLIFFE, 'DEAN OF THE LOBBY', PASSES AWAY

LINCOLN — It was 1979, and a college freshman was searching the State Capitol for lobbyist Walt Radcliffe, who was scheduled to speak to young leaders from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Eventually, the freshman, Scott Moore, caught up with Radcliffe, who posed a profane question to the student that was something like, “What the heck am I supposed to say to these kids?” “I knew right then that this was someone I was going to like,” said Moore, who went on to become a state senator, Nebraska Secretary of State and later, a top executive at Union Pacific.

Stories like that, and many more, circulated across the state as word spread about the death of Radcliffe, 77, on Thursday afternoon.

A Lincoln native whose work spanned 10 governors, Radcliffe was the undisputed dean of the statehouse lobbying corps. He had his own padded bench in the Capitol Rotunda. His firm, Radcliffe Gilbertson & Brady, annually ranked among the state’s top in annual revenue. He also served as a valuable — and engaging — font of institutional knowledge about the Legislature for lawmakers and governors as such knowledge was disappearing due to term limits.

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UNL RESEARCHERS DELVING INTO WHICH FOODS HELP SLOW AGING OF BRAIN

LINCOLN — Beef may not only be “what’s for dinner,” but may help slow the aging of our brains. That’s what researchers at the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln seek in what’s described as a “first-of-its-kind” study on whether a link exists between eating beef and brain health.

Previous research by the center’s director, Aron Barbey, involving 100 older adults discovered that eating foods with certain fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins served to slow the aging process and resulted in higher scores on cognitive tests. So nutrition mattered, the study concluded. Other factors, such as demographics, fitness levels, and body shape and size didn’t account for the differences, the report, issued in May, concluded.

“Understanding which proteins and nutrients most affect brain health is a fundamental question in neuroscience, yet one that remains largely unexplored,” Barbey said. “As we work to improve public health, it’s crucial to explore how foods like beef might influence brain function.”

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U.S. SENATE CHANGES COURSE, APPROVES BILL ALLOWING CABINS TO REMAIN AT SW NEBRASKA RESERVOIRS

LINCOLN- A political barrier fell, and the U.S. Senate on Monday passed a bill that would allow more than 180 lakeside cabins to remain at two southwest Nebraska reservoirs. The proposal, introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., had been held up “as political leverage” last week, but the opposition stepped aside on Monday.

The bill was introduced on behalf of cabin owners along Swanson and Red Willow Reservoirs in southwest Nebraska who were threatened with removing their abodes to make way for campground improvements planned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the reservoirs. “Thankfully, today Congress has agreed to right this wrong by transferring control of this land back to local officials,” Fischer said Monday in a statement.

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NEBRASKA, PROPELLED BY INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, SURPASSES THE 2 MILLION POPULATION MARK

OMAHA — According to newly released Census estimates, Nebraska’s population has topped 2 million, and a key driver was a jump in international migrants.

As of July, the estimated number of people in the state was 2,005,465.

That’s a one-year addition of 17,601 Huskers. At an annual growth of 0.88%, Nebraska ranked as the 17th fastest-growing state in data released Thursday, according to Josie Schafer of the Center for Public Affairs Research, the state’s liaison to the Census Bureau.

“It’s strong growth, better than expected,” said Schafer. “We’ve been pretty slow growth from the million to 2 million mark.”

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NEBRASKA FARMS LOSE $164.7M PER YEAR TO NATURAL HAZARDS

LINCOLN- High grocery prices have been a defining economic story in recent years, driven by a combination of factors including pandemic-related supply chain breakdowns and labor shortages. However, an increasingly critical driver of food price inflation has been the impact of natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes, on the nation’s agricultural output. Prolonged droughts in critical agricultural regions like the Midwest and California have curtailed the supply of grains, contributing to higher prices.

Here is a summary of the data for Nebraska:

• Total expected annual loss: $164,713,853

• Expected annual loss per farm: $3,703

• Expected annual loss rate: 0.60%

• Total farms: 44,479

• Total agriculture value: $27,651,735,185

• Worst natural hazard for agriculture: Hail

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VACCINATION RATES CONTINUE TO DECLINE FOR NEBRASKA SCHOOL CHILDREN

LINCOLN- Vaccination rates for Nebraska’s school children continue to decline, with rates for two vaccines falling below the 95% national target rate for “healthy children.” An annual state report issued last week indicated that immunization rates for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella combined) and chickenpox were 94.5% and 93.5%, respectively.

These numbers are both below the 95% target goal set by the “Healthy People 2030” initiative of the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to prevent the spread of preventable diseases. That mirrors a national trend, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which said last month that 14 states reported overall vaccination rates below 90% for the 2023-2024 school year, compared to only three states in the 2019-2020 school year, before the pandemic.

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WARHORSE LINCOLN'S EXPANSION PAYS OFF WITH RECORD REVENUE IN NOVEMBER

LINCOLN - WarHorse Lincoln’s expansion is already paying off. The casino opened a new area on Nov. 4, adding new attractions like roulette and blackjack tables along with about 400 new slot machines, and it helped lead to a record month.

The casino reported gaming revenue of about $6.9 million in November, according to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission. That was the highest monthly total ever not just for WarHorse Lincoln, but for any of the state's racetrack casinos. The casino’s average monthly revenue before November was about $4.6 million.

The casino's jump in revenue after the November expansion also means that the state of Nebraska will receive more tax revenue from the casino. The Racing and Gaming Commission reported that nearly $1.4 million would be collected as tax revenue from the casino for November.

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NEBRASKA AUDITOR FINDS BOTH PROGRESS, MORE TROUBLE IN REIMBURSEMENTS FOR IN-HOME CARE PAYMENTS

LINCOLN — A pre-Christmas update to an audit of a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services program found that despite tightened recordkeeping, financial blessings flowed for months for questionable reimbursements for in-home care. Some providers could face consequences after Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley’s staff scrutinized the state’s payment systems. The latest problems were found despite DHHS having tightened its processes after a state audit in February found poor recordkeeping and financial controls.

One such provider, Omaha-based Murray’s Blessings, received more than $1 million in payments, including many the auditor flagged as possibly fraudulent. The provider was reimbursed for two employees’ services at the same time they were being detained or incarcerated for alleged crimes, Foley’s office said. According to its Better Business Bureau profile, Murray’s Blessings provides in-home care to residents including meal preparation, transportation, cleaning and health-related services.

“There’s tens of millions of dollars flowing through this thing, and the controls are so loose that you could literally be in jail and be paid,” Foley told the Examiner. “This program is defective and needs to be revised … in a serious way to protect the taxpayer and make sure the money goes where it needs to go.”

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'I'LL DO IT EIGHT YEARS': NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN EYEING PLANS TO SEEK REELECTION

LINCOLN- Halfway through his first term as Nebraska’s governor, Jim Pillen confirmed he is eyeing the possibility of seeking a second.

“If the people have me for more than four years, I’ll do it eight years,” Pillen told The World-Herald. Pillen was elected in 2022, replacing now-U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts. He said his appreciation for Nebraska has grown with each day of his term, and his vision for leadership has remained unchanged, with easing the burden of property taxes his top priority.

Pillen is not guaranteed to have an easy path to reelection in 2026, and may face his biggest challenge in the Republican primary election. He won a close primary race in 2022 against businessman Charles Herbster, who was endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump. Pillen’s win bled into a deep divide among Nebraska Republicans that persists. This year, the state Republican Party declined to endorse any of the state’s congressional incumbents before they won their primaries and the November election.

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NEBRASKA GOV. JIM PILLEN LOOKS TO TACKLE INCONSISTENT SCHOOL FUNDING, HIGH PROPERTY TAXES

LINCOLN- Wakefield Public Schools could be the poster child for Gov. Jim Pillen’s latest bid to ease property taxes. Property owners in the northeast Nebraska district got a break last year when a bump in state aid to schools and new state-imposed tax caps cut their property taxes.

This year’s property taxes rebounded to the previous level and then some; the one-year, 18.3% jump erased the 11.7% drop from the previous year. Wakefield Superintendent Matt Farup blamed a drop in state school aid this year for the yo-yo effect on local property taxes. Based on the state funding formula, school aid typically falls when assessed property values rise as they did in Wakefield and across Nebraska.

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NEBRASKA SCHOOLS RECEIVE $10 MILLION TO BOOST SAFETY, SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE

LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Education has distributed $10 million to half of the state’s public school districts and a few dozen private schools to improve school safety and security infrastructure.

The funds were divided among 122 public districts and 43 private schools for projects in the next year, such as strengthening doors and windows or installing cameras and lighting. State lawmakers approved the proposal as part of Legislative Bill 705, which passed 47-0 in 2023 as a large package of legislation from the Legislature’s Education Committee.

One measure, LB 516 from State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, included recommendations from the state’s School Safety Task Force that formed after the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed.

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AG SUES CHANGE HEALTHCARE, TWO OTHER COMPANIES AFTER DATA BREACH HITS AT LEAST 575,000 NEBRASKANS

LINCOLN- Nebraska on Monday became one of the first states to sue Tennessee-based Change Healthcare, a medical payments company targeted in a data breach that cost at least 575,000 Nebraskans their personal information and medical records.

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 100 million people, nearly a third of the U.S. population, had data stolen by hackers in that February breach because a low-level employee posted login credentials online. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said he is suing because of the company’s carelessness in handling data and in how slowly it has notified people affected. He called the hack one of the “one of the largest” data breaches in modern history.

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OFFICIAL VIDEO ARCHIVE OF NEBRASKA LEGISLATURE TO BEGIN WITH 2025 SESSION

LINCOLN- A new state-run video archive of Nebraska legislative floor debates and committee hearings will be up and running on Jan. 8, when lawmakers reconvene for the 2025 session. Lawmakers passed Legislative Bill 254 in 2023, sponsored by State Sen. Tom Brewer of north-central Nebraska, to create the digital archive.

Per LB 254, the archive had to be set up by the start of the 2025 session. At that time, a new “all-encompassing video portal” will be accessible through the Legislature’s home page at nebraskalegislature.gov, according to Brandon Metzler, the clerk of the Legislature, whose office will maintain the digital archive.

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IMPROVING OVERSIGHT EYED AS A 'HALLMARK ISSUE' OF 2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

KEARNEY- Legislative leaders are embracing potential changes to state law meant to reinforce their oversight role after Nebraska’s top prosecutor last year questioned the constitutional scope of two legislatively empowered investigators.

The in-progress proposal, sitting at about 126 pages, would create a formal legislative division of oversight over the state’s other branches of government. It would cement the Legislature’s watchdogs for child welfare and corrections, the “inspectors general” of the two areas, underneath sections of law governing general legislative authority. The changes were outlined Friday at a retreat for the full Legislature in Kearney before lawmakers reconvene Jan. 8 for a 90-day session.

The watchdogs investigate incidents or complaints about cases largely handled by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, such as allegations of child sexual abuse or deaths of inmates in state care.

“This is like the beginning,” State Sen. John Arch of La Vista, speaker of the Legislature, said Friday. “We’re trying to lay out some foundational blocks and reorganize for the future.”

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NEBRASKA PLANS TO DEMOLISH STATE PEN HOUSING UNIT THAT FLOODED IN 2022, RECORD SHOW

LINCOLN- Though Nebraska prison officials remain mum about what they plan to do with the aging State Penitentiary following the construction of a $350 million replacement facility north of Lincoln, the state plans to demolish at least one housing unit on the 155-year-old prison's campus, according to internal emails and other public records obtained by the Journal Star.

Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services plans to raze the State Penitentiary's Housing Unit 1, which hasn't been in use for more than two years after a pipe burst in November 2022 and flooded the unit’s mechanical room, where door controls, heating and cooling systems, IT systems and a camera security system had operated.

Prison officials predicted at the time that the damage would force the unit — which housed 134 inmates prior to the flood — out of commission for at least two years..

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