ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST BACKERS BEMOAN 'RAID' ON FUNDS FINANCING RECYCLING, CONSERVATION

LINCOLN — As part of Gov. Jim Pillen’s proposed budget, millions of dollars now devoted to restoring wildlife habitat and local recycling efforts would be diverted for new purposes: aiding campgrounds, marinas, and cabins at state parks. Pillen also would increase money transfers to a water resources fund that finances the management of water use by farmers.

All told, three pending legislative bills — two of which were introduced on behalf of the governor — would earmark nearly all of the state lottery funds now distributed via competitive grants by the Nebraska Environmental Trust. This year, the Trust had about $26 million to distribute in matching grants. Pillen’s two budget bills would earmark $20.5 million of that money for other uses, while another bill seeking funds to combat nitrate contamination of groundwater would take another $5 million.

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DESTINATION NEBRASKA ACT: NEW PATH PROPOSED FOR ROD YATES' MEGA PROJECT IN GRETNA AREA

LINCOLN — Faced with instant skepticism from some state lawmakers, businessman Rod Yates Wednesday unveiled a new plan he hopes will get his much-discussed sports-themed tourist magnet up and running between Lincoln and Omaha. Having scrapped his earlier application to develop the Gretna area project as a “good life district” under Nebraska law, Yates’ latest and more compact version would take shape under a proposal by State Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln

Ballard, joined by the Yates team, outlined Legislative Bill 637 during a public hearing before the Legislature’s Revenue Committee on Wednesday. He said the Destination Nebraska Act allows for the establishment of two “destination sites” in the state that in time could create jobs and draw big tourism dollars. While Yates is not specifically named, the bill is tailored for a 1,000-acre project site that expands his existing 40-acre Nebraska Crossing shopping center campus near Interstate 80 and Highway 31.

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CHAMBER'S PRIORITIES INCLUDE SAVING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM GOV. JIM PILLEN WOULD END

LINCOLN — Nearly two years ago, Gov. Jim Pillen announced a $20 million internship program aimed at strengthening Nebraska’s workforce and keeping the next generation in high-paying jobs on their home turf. The governor told a room full of conference-goers at the time that the state contract partnering with the Aksarben Foundation would connect students with jobs and help jumpstart careers in the “good life.” He said Nebraska’s workforce shortage strategy “begins with recruiting in our own backyard.”

But with the state facing a budget shortfall, Pillen now wants to redirect what’s left in the internship fund, roughly $11 million in state funds, to help fill a projected $432 million gap over the next two years. A related Legislative Bill 423 would essentially eliminate the internship grant program in its current form. Hoping to sway state lawmakers otherwise is the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which lobbies for businesses statewide. Keeping alive a state-funded internship program is among the chamber’s priorities for the 2025 legislation session.

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LABOR FILIBUSTER FALLS A SECOND TIME TO RIDESHARING BILL

LINCOLN — The company-fed push to cement drivers for ridesharing and food delivery apps as independent contractors in Nebraska survived a second round of labor-centered resistance. Battle lines had been drawn during the previous debate in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, with nearly all Democrats siding with drivers and nearly all Republicans siding with companies that include Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. The core argument remained whether people who pick people up or bring food should be prohibited from receiving the rights of being employed, including the ability to join a union.

Freshman State Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse has said he introduced Legislative Bill 229 at the request of the companies, which are fighting other states’ efforts to treat drivers as employees. He and other defenders of the proposal have argued the bill clarifies that the status quo is the way those businesses are meant to be run, with drivers working when they want. It advanced 33-16, with a single Republican departure, Dave Wordekemper of Fremont, a paramedic with the local fire department.

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE COMPETING BILLS TO END TWICE-YEARLY CLOCK CHANGING

LINCOLN — The full Nebraska Legislature again signaled majority support Thursday for ending the twice-a-year practice of changing the clocks. However, nearly 30 state senators chose to advance both bills before the Legislature this year would do so differently, delaying a final decision on whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time should be the path forward for the Cornhusker State. Most lawmakers said they could be swayed in either direction.

Legislative Bill 34, from State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, advanced 29-13 to establish year-round daylight saving time. That’s the period between March and November when much of the country “springs forward” one hour and offers later sunsets in the summer. LB 302, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, advanced 28-9 for year-round standard time. That’s the current position of clocks after “falling back” one hour for earlier sunrises in the winter.

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GENETIC INFO WOULD BE SHIELDED FROM LIFE, DISABILITY, LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE UNDER BILL

LINCOLN — Legislative Bill 338 from State Sen. Dave “Woody” Wordekemper of Fremont, seeks to expand access to and knock down one barrier to some people getting genetic testing: whether the results can be used in determining premiums or eligibility for life, disability, or long-term care insurance. Modeled after a law in Florida that passed in 2020, LB338 would shield such information from being used to limit, deny, or set higher premium rates for such coverage. Nebraska would be the second state to pass such a law.

LB 338 would allow someone’s genetic information to be used by disability, life, or long-term care insurers if the person seeking insurance has a specific clinical diagnosis. The legislation would not prevent such insurers from asking about family history or reviewing someone’s medical record, which might include someone’s genetic test results.

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A RANGE OF OPPOSITION RISES TO GOV. JIM PILLEN'S BUDGET BILLS

LINCOLN — From child care to tourism to banking, housing, and wildlife, advocates of various Nebraska industries spoke in opposition Tuesday of Gov. Jim Pillen’s budget bills. Sixteen people voiced objections to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, while Pillen’s state budget administrator Neil Sullivan defended recommendations aimed in part at addressing a projected $432 million state shortfall over the next two years.

Mark McHargue of the Nebraska Farm Bureau spoke in a “neutral” capacity, saying he was not making a blanket endorsement but was in full support of the governor’s effort to put more state funds toward property tax relief. People who wrote in opposition to Legislative Bills 260 through 264, all introduced on Pillen’s behalf by Speaker John Arch of La Vista, totaled 135. Three wrote in support of the proposals that were the topic of a combined public hearing at the State Capitol.

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PRELIMINARY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE BUDGET UNVEILED, SHOWS +$700M SHORTFALL IN OUTYEARS

LINCOLN — The Legislature’s Appropriations Committee on Tuesday unveiled a preliminary committee budget, a key early step before Nebraska lawmakers pass a two-year budget by mid-May. Led by State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, one of the committee’s biggest tasks this year is closing a projected $432 million budget shortfall, which the preliminary budget takes steps toward closing. The committee has gone through all state agencies at least once, in addition to the budget recommendations that Gov. Jim Pillen outlined in his Jan. 15 address to the Legislature, advancing some in the preliminary budget.

Pillen’s recommendations would close the projected $432 million budget shortfall with more than $63 million in the positive direction. Meanwhile, the committee’s preliminary budget closes approximately $171 million of the projected shortfall, leaving another $262 million to find either through increased revenue or reduced spending. State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, a new face on the Appropriations Committee, said it is “not best practice” to make substantial policy changes through the budget.

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PROBE BY STATE OMBUDSMAN FINDS PAST MISMANAGEMENT AT NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

LINCOLN — An investigation by the State Ombudsman’s Office found “reasonable grounds” to support claims by three Nebraska State Historical Society employees of mismanagement by the agency’s interim managers. In a press release Thursday, State Ombudsman Julie Rogers said a formal investigation looked at claims of mismanagement from July through October of 2024, during which Cindy Drake — an appointee of Gov. Jim Pillen — served as interim director of the agency.

While the Ombudsman’s Office did not detail the complaints, one former Historical Society employee said Drake and two deputy directors had created a toxic work environment at the agency. The probe found mismanagement, but not “gross mismanagement,” Rogers said, adding that the investigation is now considered closed.

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NEBRASKA JOINS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP'S CHALLENGED FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BUYOUT PLAN

LINCOLN — Nebraska this week joined a group of 21 other Republican-led states in seeking to file a brief in support of President Donald Trump's executive order offering a buyout to federal employees. The move comes on the heels of Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers last week joining in friend-of-the-court briefs in defense of Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship in federal cases filed in Washington, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

A federal judge in Seattle, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, called it "blatantly unconstitutional" and entered a preliminary injunction. Two other federal judges since have followed suit, temporarily blocking it from going into effect. In the latest case over Trump's so-called "Fork Directive" to federal employees, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who led the group of states that include Nebraska, is asking a federal judge in Massachusetts to deny the American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO's motion for a temporary restraining order in the case against Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.

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CARBON PIPELINE DEVELOPERS SAYS IT HAS 100% OF ROUTE THROUGH NEBRASKA FINALIZED

LINCOLN — The developer of a carbon pipeline seeking to inject the greenhouse gas deep under eastern Wyoming said it’s on track to start operations in Nebraska later this year. Tallgrass Energy, the operator of the 392-mile Trailblazer Pipeline, said it has secured 100% of the right of way needed to connect 10 ethanol plants to the main stem pipeline, which formerly carried natural gas from eastern Colorado as far east as Beatrice.

Bold Alliance, which along with agriculture groups signed a “community benefits agreement” last year with Tallgrass Energy setting forth rigorous protections for landowners and financial contributions for public safety and community development, said the effort worked. Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance, said the voluntary easements sought for pipeline projects have frustrated landowner advocates who say they are often used as a precursor ahead of an eminent domain filing.

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PROPOSAL WOULD EXPAND DEFINITION OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS

LINCOLN — During the debate in the Nebraska Legislature on Thursday, lawmakers considered expanding the definition of who would be considered independent contractors as opposed to employees. It was the second round of consideration for Sen. Bob Hallstrom’s proposal (LB229) to classify people like Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors. That’s already the case, but it’s been challenged in other states, so Hallstrom wants to make it clear in state law. On Thursday, he proposed an amendment that would extend it to certain delivery drivers.

“This would apply both to Uber, Lyft, and companies like DoorDash that deliver parcels as opposed to people,” Hallstrom said. He distributed a letter from an Uber driver who said he values the flexibility being an independent contractor gives him to pursue his other jobs as a theater employee and a traveling musician. Hallstrom said many drivers feel the same way.

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LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL FOR EXPANDED SYPHILIS BLOOD TESTING FOR EXPECTANT NEBRASKA MOTHERS

LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL FOR EXPANDED SYPHILIS BLOOD TESTING FOR EXPECTANT NEBRASKA MOTHERS

LINCOLN — Lawmakers advanced a proposal Monday designed to expand syphilis blood testing for expectant mothers to stem a rising tide of maternal and congenital syphilis. Legislative Bill 41, from State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, would expand blood testing requirements for pregnant women to include two additional tests for syphilis. A test is already required at each woman’s first prenatal examination. Riepe’s bill would add a third-trimester examination and a test at birth.

Riepe said the state has seen a sharp increase in syphilis infections, particularly among women and newborns. Since 2017, overall syphilis cases have risen nearly 400%, but the increase is sharper for women and congenital syphilis for infants at birth, at a 1,100% increase each. “These numbers represent real families impacted by their very first preventable disease,” Riepe said.

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NEBRASKA LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL TO SHIELD COMPANIES FROM LIABILITY FOR DATA BREACHES

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers gave first-round approval Wednesday to a bill that would broadly shield private companies from class-action lawsuits stemming from data breaches that occur on their watch. One Democrat joined nearly every Republican in the state's formally nonpartisan Legislature to advance the proposed law, which opponents argued will "make it harder for companies to be held accountable in the event that they actually are negligent with your personal information."

Sponsored by Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse, the bill (LB241) would prevent companies from being held liable in class-action lawsuits over data breaches unless the breach was caused by their own "willful, wanton, or gross negligence." Hallstrom and his Republican allies in the Legislature cast the proposal as one meant to protect small businesses, which Hallstrom said were at risk of paying "significant settlements" and attorneys fees in the face of class-action lawsuits accusing them of acting with mere negligence — rather than gross negligence — when handling sensitive customer data.

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NU STUDY BOASTS $6.4 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT TO STATE

LINCOLN — Battered by potential financial cuts on both the state and federal levels, the University of Nebraska on Tuesday released a new study touting its value: a reported $6.4 billion economic impact last fiscal year. National consultant Paul Umbach said his analysis showed a $2.4 billion impact in direct spending by the NU system and another $4 billion generated through re-spending by vendors, staff, students, and visitors.

Commissioned by the university, the report says that for every $1 of investment, $10 is returned to the state. It says one of every seven working Nebraskans was educated by the state’s only public research university — a system of campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, Kearney as well as the Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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NSEA PRESIDENT, SCHOOL CHOICE LAWS AUTHOR DEBATE FUTURE OF NEBRASKA EDUCATION

LINCOLN — Months after a tense election cycle to repeal the state’s two latest school choice laws, the former state senator who wrote those bills and the current president of the state teacher’s union spent Saturday debating the future of education policy, with a focus on Nebraska students in need.

Lou Ann Linehan, the former state senator for the Elkhorn area, and Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, sat side by side for the 50th annual Nebraska Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day at Christ United Methodist Church in Lincoln. They debated school choice and more for about an hour, offering competing visions for what the next steps should be to change the “status quo.”

The pair have crossed paths in and out of the Legislature, often clashing in recent years in Linehan’s two committees: Revenue and Education. Royers was past president of the Millard Education Association, and Linehan chaired the Revenue Committee for six years.

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REFEREES CALL FOR TOUGHER PENALTIES FOR PARENTS, SPECTATORS WHO ASSAULT THEM

LINCOLN – Sports referees called on Nebraska lawmakers Wednesday to increase penalties for spectators, parents, and coaches who assault them in the heat of an athletic contest. During a legislative hearing at the Capitol, they described growing incidents of verbal and physical abuse and assaults of officials and a need to impose tougher penalties – in this case, a felony with the chance of imprisonment – to quell the threats and head off a shortage of referees.

“Fans are getting out of hand, and it’s starting at the third-grade level,” said Montsho Wilson, who schedules referees for the Metro Conference and youth sports in Omaha. Wilson said that since October, officiating crews had ejected 26 people from buildings due to threatening or abusive behavior. Three of the incidents involved physical violence, he told the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

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NEBRASKA AG, CONSERVATION GROUPS SLAM PILLEN'S PLAN TO MERGE TWO STATE DEPARTMENTS

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen's plan to merge two state agencies to form the Department of Water, Energy and Environment ran into opposition from key agricultural and conservation groups at a public hearing Thursday. Through a proposed law sponsored by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth at Pillen's request, the governor is asking lawmakers to merge the Department of Environment and Energy with the Department of Natural Resources in a move that Pillen said would create efficiencies and help the state safeguard its water quality and quantity for generations to come.

at a Thursday public hearing on LB317, representatives from Nebraska agricultural and conservation groups argued the bill won't do either of those things — and could distract from the state's focus on shoring up its water supply. Critics also lodged concerns over the uncertainties left by the bill and the governor, who suggested it would save taxpayer dollars but declined to detail where the state might find efficiencies upon merging the two agencies.

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TESTIFIERS QUESTION NEED FOR PROPOSED NEBRASKA REQUIREMENTS FOR ABORTION PILLS

LINCOLN — Advocates for a Nebraska legislative bill that would add new steps women must take to access abortion pills said they want to make using the pills safer for pregnant women. Opponents testifying during the public hearing Thursday for Legislative Bill 512 said the goal of the measure by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue is to reduce the use of the drugs.

LB 512 does not outright ban or directly restrict mifepristone or misoprostol, the typical two-drug regimen for a medical abortion. But it adds several required steps. It would require women to see a doctor three to 14 days after being given the pill, in addition to before, which state law already required. It would require testing for an ectopic pregnancy.

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HEARING ON PUBLIC BENEFIT FOR YOUNG IMMIGRANTS SPARKS LAWMAKER REBUKE OF DHHS CEO

LINCOLN — A proposal before Nebraska lawmakers would extend public support to young people aging out of the foster care system, regardless of immigration status, until they reach age 21. Legislative Bill 181, introduced by State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, essentially would allow immigrants lacking permanent residency but who have been in foster care to be part of the state’s existing Bridge to Independence Program.

That effort, available to willing participants from ages 19 until 21, aims to improve the transition of Nebraska foster care youth into independent and productive adulthood. It includes supports such as Medicaid health care coverage, a $1,000 monthly stipend, and case management to guide housing, college or technical training, and employment.

A fiscal note estimated the cost at about $375,000 in the first year. Testimony Wednesday at a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee estimated that 15 young immigrants at any one time would be eligible for services under LB 181.

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