WOODSONIA REVEALS NEW MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR RETAIL, SPORTS VENUE OPTION FOR GRETNA GOOD LIFE DISTRICT

GRETNA — An alternative multimillion-dollar retail and entertainment project surfaced Tuesday night as a potential lifeline for the embattled Gretna good life district once led by businessman Rod Yates.

Drew Snyder of Woodsonia Real Estate revealed his vision to the Gretna City Council, showcasing signature features such as a 15,000-seat outdoor concert amphitheater and a multisport facility. His hope, which the City Council mirrored, is to keep alive the 2,000-acre good life district designation and related state financial incentives previously approved by state officials for the creation of a unique destination.

The future of the Gretna district — the largest and most high-profile of five allowed under the state’s Good Life Transformational Projects law — has been up in the air since Yates asked to terminate his state-approved application that established the project site.

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DHHS ISSUES ‘GUARDRAILS’ FOR SERVING NERBASKA KIDS WITH AUTISM AS MEDICAID COSTS SURGE, AUDITS LOOM

LINCOLN — Spurred in part by the rising costs of services to young Nebraskans with autism, the state on Friday announced new “guardrails” they hope to ward off potential misuses of public funds.

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services signaled a couple of months ago they’d be issuing cost controls and guidelines related to applied behavior analysis (ABA) — a Medicaid service area for youths that has seen state expenses over a three-year period skyrocket by more than 1,000%.

While the state has presented no evidence of fraud or abuse by families or providers of Medicaid-covered ABA services, DHHS officials point out that Nebraska pays among the highest provider reimbursement rates in the nation. They say that with ABA usage rising, they wanted to set clearer parameters, and expectations and to rein in potential over-authorizations of services.

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TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS EMBOLDEN PILLEN, KAUTH PUSH TO DEFINE MALE, FEMALE IN NEBRASKA

LINCOLN — President Donald Trump’s executive orders to define “male” and “female” and mandate that student-athletes participate on sports teams according to their sex are bolstering legislative efforts to do the same in Nebraska.

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, whose Legislative Bill 89 would accomplish similar goals as Trump, said she “absolutely” would continue pursuing her state-level legislation this year — the Stand With Women Act — regardless of congressional or federal action.

Kauth’s proposal would define “male” and “female” throughout state government, similar to the aims of a 2023 executive order by Gov. Jim Pillen. LB 89 has a public hearing before the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee on Friday.

Opponents of Kauth’s legislation and other policies like it have argued it singles out young students already at higher risk of bullying or suicide and who, they argue, just want to play sports. Nebraska has had fewer than 10 transgender student-athletes participate in K-12 sports under an existing policy since 2017.

Kauth has said her legislation is “common sense.”

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AUDITOR MIKE FOLEY ALLEGES FRAUD AFFECTING PUBLICLY-FUNDED HOUSING IN CUMING COUNTY VILLAGE

LINCOLN — A Nebraska auditor’s probe has uncovered alleged misuse of public money — including at the local WinnaVegas casino — by the manager of a publicly funded eight-apartment complex in Cuming County.

During her year as the sole employee of Barber’s Sunrise Villa Apartments in Bancroft, Neb., a town of fewer than 500 residents, the manager is alleged to have paid herself more than double her authorized salary, gaining an extra $11,000 over 14 months, according to findings released Thursday.

The 11-page auditor’s report identified the manager as Kayla Logeman. It said she also used the company debit card to make $820 in withdrawals at the casino resort in Sloan, Iowa, and made a $27.51 fuel purchase at the nearby Pony Express gas station.

The auditing team’s report said it confirmed that Logeman’s “gambling activity” coincided with the withdrawals in question, and pointed to state theft laws that might have been violated. The auditors forwarded the findings to the Nebraska State Patrol, Attorney General, and Cuming County Attorney for further review.

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STATE COMPUTER SYSTEM NETWORK BACK UP AFTER OUTAGE, CAUSE UNKNOWN

LINCOLN- A network outage crippled computer systems across state agencies and offices on Thursday morning, leading the Legislature to adjourn its work early.

According to the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), the outage began at about 10 a.m. and affected all state network connectivity — including the Nebraska State Office Building, the Department of Correctional Services and the State Patrol. Perhaps the most visible evidence of the outage to those in the State Capitol, however, was the darkened board that displays the votes taken by state senators.

The cause of the outage was still under investigation Thursday afternoon, but a spokesman for the OCIO said the effects were widespread. “If a task required connectivity to the state’s network, it was affected,” said Ezra Effrein, a public information officer in the OCIO.

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YEAR-ROUND STANDARD TIME, DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BILLS BOTH ADVANCE FROM COMMITTEE

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers are another step closer to ending the twice-a-year switching of clocks back and forth one hour, but whether that is by shifting year-round to standard time or daylight saving time hasn’t been decided.

The Legislature’s eight-member Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee voted unanimously Thursday to advance Legislative Bill 34 for year-round daylight saving time, from State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, and LB 302 for year-round standard time, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil.

Standard time refers to how most clocks in the U.S. are set in the winter, while daylight saving time is the period between the second Sunday in March (to “spring ahead” one hour) and the first Sunday in November (to “fall back” one hour to standard time). Daylight saving leads to the sun setting at a later time in the summer, which organizations supporting youth sports and golf urged the committee last week to embrace.

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SCHOOL RETIREMENT CHANGES TO PLAY ROLE IN NEBRASKA SCHOOL FUNDING, BUDGET TALKS

LINCOLN — Public school teachers statewide say they are alarmed at a legislative proposal led by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen to change how much the state annually puts into its school retirement plan.

Legislative Bill 645, introduced by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln at Pillen’s request, would create stepped-down contribution levels from the state to the school retirement plan, depending on the actuarial funding level of the pension plan. The state currently gives 2% of the payroll for school employees statewide each year — about $50 million.

Ballard’s bill would maintain that funding level if the plan drops below 92% funded. It is currently 99.9% funded and growing, funded at about $16.3 billion as of July of last year. The goal is to divert the contribution amount to other education-related investments, including school finance reform.

If the pension plan is fully funded, the state would not contribute to the plan unless it drops below 100%, which would adjust depending on the level of funding.

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SOME LAWMAKERS SEEK EXEMPTION IN VOTER-LED PAID SICK LEAVE LAW, AS OTHERS PROTEST

LINCOLN — After Nebraskans voted to require paid sick leave for eligible employees in November, two dozen state lawmakers are seeking to carve out exceptions, including for more of the state’s small businesses.

Legislative Bill 698, introduced by State Sen. Paul Strommen of Sidney and co-sponsored by 24 others, seeks to exempt seasonal agricultural workers and youths under 16 from the mandate and the smallest employers, those with 10 or fewer workers. During a public hearing Monday before the Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee, Strommen said his proposal should not be viewed as an effort to thwart the will of the people.

About 75% of Nebraska voters supported Initiative 436, which is to take effect in October and requires employers with fewer than 20 employees to provide up to five days of sick leave annually, and larger employers, with 20 or more workers to provide up to seven days. Strommen described the measure as an attempt to “clean up” initiative language and shield workers from “unintended consequences” that would result when small businesses that cannot absorb additional costs downsize or shutter.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL HILGERS JOINS FRAY OVER BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, DRAWS CRITICISM FROM SOME

LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers’ entry into the growing conflict over President Donald Trump’s directive to end birthright citizenship has sparked criticism from statewide civil rights and immigrant advocate groups.

Hilgers and Republican counterparts in 17 other states signed onto a so-called friend of the court brief filed Monday to support Trump’s executive order.

Marty Ramirez, co-chair of Las Voces Nebraska, an advocacy group representing Latinos and immigrants, said Hilgers is “riding a tidal wave” of politicians following nonsensical acts to avoid upsetting Trump.

“He has to join or Nebraska pays a consequence,” Ramirez said. “It’s a dangerous movement.”

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BACKERS OF 'SCHOOL CHOICE' RESURRECTION BILL SAY VOTERS WHO REPEALED IT WERE MISLED

Students, parents, and teachers filled a hearing room Thursday to share their opinions on a resurrected bill seeking to encourage donations to private school scholarship funds, months after voters repealed a similar law.

Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Omaha area introduced LB509, which would appropriate $25 million per year to establish a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $100,000 for individuals or entities who donate to organizations that issue scholarships for K-12 students looking to enroll in private schools.

The bill was presented in a public hearing before the Nebraska Legislature's Revenue Committee on Thursday. Though testimony was fairly even, opponents ultimately outnumbered supporters 20 to 16, while written comments favored the opposition even more, with 548 opposing submissions compared to 235 supporting submissions.

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LAWMAKERS SIGNAL SUPPORT FOR YOUTH SOCIAL MEDIA BAN

A committee of Nebraska lawmakers signaled support Thursday for a proposed law that would bar children younger than 18 from joining social media apps without parental consent — the most aggressive of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen's policy proposals meant to shield youth from the harmful effects that social media can have.

At a public hearing Thursday afternoon, key members of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee were openly skeptical of and, at times, outright combative with tech company lobbyists who urged lawmakers to oppose the legislation.

Introduced at Pillen's request by Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman, the bill (LB383) would require social media companies doing business in Nebraska to use "reasonable age verification" methods to ensure anyone signing up for an account on the platform is at least 18 years old or has the express consent of a parent, whose age companies would also have to verify under the proposed law.

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FORMER ENVIRONMENT DIRECTOR TAPPED TO LEAD REGIONAL EPA OFFICE

Nebraska's former environmental director has been appointed by President Donald Trump to head the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 7 office covering Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, the agency announced Thursday.

Jim Macy retired in April after leading the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for nine years. He had been appointed by then-Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts to lead the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in 2015.

In 2018, he also became interim director of the Nebraska Department of Energy and led the merger of the two state agencies to form the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy in 2019.

In announcing his appointment, EPA officials said Macy will lead the implementation of the president’s environmental agenda in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations.

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BILLS TO CATALOG SCHOOL 'MASS SURVEILLANCE' TOOLS, LIBRARY BOOKS ADVANCE FROM EDUCATION COMMITTEE

LINCOLN — A Nebraska legislative committee Thursday advanced multiple legislative bills seeking public catalogs of student surveillance tools, surveys, and library books in K-12 schools. Education Committee members voted 7-0, with one member absent, to advance Legislative Bill 31 on student surveillance tools, from State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln. The committee also voted 6-1 to advance LB 390 on libraries, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the committee chair. State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha opposed the libraries bill.

The committee also voted 6-0 to advance a related bill from Murman, LB 428, which requires that parents be able to review non-anonymous surveys before they are given to students and be able to exempt their child from participating. No survey requesting sexual information of a student could be administered in kindergarten through grade six. The bill was amended to require that parents receive notification at least 15 days before any such survey is administered, rather than at least 30 days. On that bill, Hunt was “present, not voting.”

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LATEST EFFORT TO CUT INHERITANCE TAX GENERATES NEW OPPONENTS

LINCOLN — State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood has pushed during his eight years in office to eliminate the state’s inheritance tax, maintaining that it’s an unfair and outdated tax after death that only five states still impose.

But his latest proposal, while tending to mollify one longtime opponent, inspired a new group of business and government entities to object during a 2 1/2-hour public hearing on Wednesday at the Capitol. Representatives of data centers, renewable energy projects, Nebraska’s two largest counties, and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce opposed Clements’ Legislative Bill 468.

Representatives of Douglas and Lancaster Counties said both would be forced to raise local property taxes to cover funding lost under the bill. “We do not like inheritance tax, but we dislike property tax more,” said Lori Pirsch, budget and finance director for Douglas County.

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SCHOOL CELLPHONE BAN ADVANCES TO FULL LEGISLATURE, FIRST OF PILLEN'S 2025 PRIORITIES

LINCOLN — The first of Gov. Jim Pillen’s 2025 legislative priorities advanced Thursday to the full Nebraska Legislature: banning most student cellphones in public K-12 schools. The Legislature’s Education Committee voted 7-0, with one member absent, to advance Legislative Bill 140 from State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, which was introduced at Pillen’s request.

As amended by the committee, the bill would ban student use of electronic communication devices, such as cellphones, on school grounds or while they are attending a “school instructional function,” such as field trips. However, it would leave school districts wide latitude of when and where they could authorize student cellphone use.

Should the bill pass, all of Nebraska’s 245 school districts would need to adopt device-related policies to conform to the law by the start of school this fall. The bill doesn’t apply to private schools. Enforcement and possible disciplinary action for violating the policies, if any, would be up to individual school districts.

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FORTENBERRY CASE OVER: JUDGE LETS CHARGES DROP WITH PREJUDICE

LINCOLN- A federal judge this week agreed with Trump administration prosecutors that the campaign finance-related felony charges filed against former Nebraska Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry should be dropped with prejudice. That means the same charges cannot be filed again.

Federal District Judge Trevor McFadden signed the order proposed by the Justice Department late Wednesday, which had reversed course under the new management of President Donald Trump. Trump, a Republican, has publicly complained about Fortenberry’s prosecution, saying he was mistreated.

The Justice Department investigation of Fortenberry’s 2016 fundraiser in southern California began under Trump. Prosecutors under former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department had obtained a conviction of Fortenberry for lying to federal agents and trying to conceal his knowledge of foreign campaign funds raised illegally in 2016 for his congressional campaign.

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NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH PART OF HANDGUN RESTRICTIONS LAWSUIT AGAINST LINCOLN

LINCOLN- The Nebraska Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on whether a group of gun owners needs to run afoul of Lincoln weapons ordinances and an executive order by Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird before suing the city for enacting them. The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, with help from the now-Texas-based Liberty Justice Center, sued the Cities of Lincoln and Omaha in December 2023, claiming in separate lawsuits that the cities had overstepped their legal authority to regulate guns under state law.

Both lawsuits make similar but slightly different arguments based on the passage of Legislative Bill 77 from 2023, then-State Sen. Tom Brewer’s law legalizing concealed carry of handguns without a permit or state-mandated training. A section of that law curbed the authority of cities governed by home-rule charters to restrict guns more stringently than the state. Both Omaha and Lincoln had used that bit of local control in the past to regulate guns and gang violence.

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NEBRASKA PRENATAL PLUS PROGRAM, NEW MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENTS TAKE EFFECT

LINCOLN- Medicaid-eligible pregnant mothers in Nebraska officially have access to new reimbursements for various prenatal services to help prevent low birth weights, preterm births, and adverse birth outcomes. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday the full implementation of the Nebraska Prenatal Plus Program. The law, passed 45-0 in Legislative Bill 857 of 2024, was led by State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln.

Prenatal Plus mirrors similar successful programs in Colorado and Florida and is designed for at-risk mothers, as identified by their prenatal health care provider. Dungan said the program has been a long time coming and will benefit many people. He encouraged his colleagues to continue supporting the program, including its annual report on the number of mothers served, services offered and birth outcomes for each mother served.

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DISASTER RESPONDERS SAY ENDING FEMA WOULD MOVE TASKS AND COSTS TO STATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

LINCOLN- President Donald Trump’s call to possibly eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency has Nebraska officials waiting and worrying, with two former disaster response officials saying that doing away with FEMA would leave a void that would prove difficult to fill. “If they do away with FEMA, Nebraska would be in a world of hurt,” said Al Berndt, a former assistant director who managed the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency on a day-to-day basis for 14 years until 2014. “We just didn’t have the people to do what FEMA does.”

That sentiment was echoed by Dave Maurstad, a former Nebraska lieutenant governor who went on to serve 15 years as a top FEMA administrator, visiting dozens of disaster sites, from Hurricane Katrina to the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri. Maurstad, who retired in July, said it’s certainly appropriate to review FEMA and see if federal disaster response might be streamlined. But, he said, with the increase in severity and frequency of natural catastrophes such as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, someone has to coordinate the response of the 27 federal agencies that provide help.

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL ALLOWING LODGING TAXES TO SUPPORT LINCOLN CONVENTION CENTER

LINCOLN- State lawmakers advanced a measure Wednesday that would give the Lancaster County Board authority to use lodging tax dollars for improvements on a future convention center in downtown Lincoln. The bill (LB116) from Lincoln Sen. Beau Ballard also would enact limits for where turnback taxes — sales tax revenue collected from businesses near a convention center used to pay down debt — could be collected in the state.

Ballard, who co-sponsored the bill with Lincoln Sens. Carolyn Bosn and Eliot Bostar, said the legislation was brought on behalf of Lancaster County, which wanted clarity on how it could use funds under its discretion. A member of Assemble Lincoln, the committee charged with selecting a site for the new convention center, Ballard said lodging tax dollars could be used to purchase new technology or other equipment to "future-proof" the facility.

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