Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Back in the day, I used to shake my head while watching state lawmakers work late into the night – sometimes till midnight – to get legislation passed at the end of a session. "You couldn't pay me enough to do that kind of work for 12- to 15 hours," I'd think to myself. Actually, the pay for state senators is $12,000-a-year, plus some per-diems for expenses and (as they say around Lincoln) "all you can eat and drink." The salary hasn't changed since 1988. It takes some patience and end...
Cryptocurrency kiosks – also known as crypto ATMs – are proliferating nationwide. You see them in convenience stores, gas stations, shopping centers, and other high-traffic locations. At last check, there were nearly 200 crypto ATMs in Nebraska alone. While these machines offer a legitimate and convenient way to buy cryptocurrency, they are also a favored tool of scammers. Consumer losses tied to scams using crypto ATMs increased nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023, and topped $65 million in jus...
The Legislature has officially entered an interim period between the first and second regular sessions of the 109th Legislature. The interim provides time for senators and their staff to begin preparing for the next regular session, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Yet, Senators also remain busy with interim studies to research topics of interest in hopes of bringing stakeholders to the table. This year, I introduced three interim studies: LR178, LR179, and LR180. LR178...
This week, I would like to outline my legislative accomplishments for this year. Bills passed this session include 13 of the 15 bills that I introduced in January. My legislation that made it across to the governor’s desk includes: LB7, which updates legislation I passed last year, LB1301, the Foreign-owned Real Estate National Security Act. LB7 clarifies that (1) Native American tribes are not foreign governments and are not barred from purchasing and owning real property in the state, (2) upda...
The 109th Legislature’s first session has adjourned sine die. As of the day of adjournment, the Legislature had passed 175 bills, excluding “A” bills, and one proposed constitutional amendment. Without going into my legislative accomplishments (that I will address in next week’s newsletter), I’d like to deviate from my normal newsletters and just provide my own personal assessment of how the Legislature did this session. In my mind, there were three major successes and one disappoin...
As entrepreneurs face uncertainty because of the defunding of state grant programs and worries over global tariffs, Nebraska state leaders and organizations continue to voice strong support for small businesses. Earlier this month, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued a proclamation for Nebraska Small Business Week 2025 in conjunction with National Small Business Week. The May 20 event at the Capitol was an opportunity to highlight small businesses' contributions to their communities and the work of...
Colonel Bryan Waugh took the oath of office Monday as the 19th superintendent in the history of the Nebraska State Patrol. "I am honored, committed, and prepared for this opportunity," said Waugh. "The Nebraska State Patrol is a storied organization with professional men and women who are first class, dedicated, committed, and driven to provide the highest level of public safety and professional services for the entire state of Nebraska." Waugh comes to NSP from the Kearney Police Department,...
This past week marked the final full week of the 109th Legislature’s first session. Since the beginning of April, senators have been spending four days a week in session and also having debate go into the evening three days a week. Late-night debate can take its toll on senators who spend many hours trying to pass legislation or stop bills from reaching the governor’s desk. One such example occurred during Select File debate on LB306, a bill which would create the School Financing Review Commiss...
Let's get this straight – 71% of Nebraskans voted in November to legalize the use of marijuana as medicine. But when the State Legislature got around to adopting regulations to dole it out, lawmakers decided "whoa," let's not get too hasty about this. It's a crazy world, right? But how crazy is it when the state's voters, by not just a slim margin but a landslide, approve new laws and the State Legislature decides 'nope.' Medical marijuana is now legal in 47 states. Nebraska, Kansas and Idaho t...
The Antelope County Commissioners met Tuesday, June 3, with all commissioners present. The dates for property valuation protest hearings were set. Thursday, July 3, will be the first day for hearings scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If needed, July 7, a Monday, is slated to finish the hearings, again beginning at 9 a.m. Brian McDonald, with JEO Consulting, presented bids and start dates for the Bridge Match Program, with two separate bridge construction projects in northern Antelope County. The bids for the projects, known as Brunswick...
“Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a World War II hero, used that phrase in his farewell address to the U.S. Congress more than 70 years ago. But the comment doesn’t come within a country mile of describing one, old Nebraska soldier. Tom Brewer, a native of Gordon and a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, served six tours of duty in Afghanistan during his 36 years in the Army, earning a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He served two terms in the Nebrask...
This past week, the Legislature considered a measure to increase property tax relief. LB170 by Senator Brandt would raise revenue through (1) the removal of sales tax exemptions on eighteen luxury goods and services like limousine rentals, (2) increasing the excise tax on cigarettes, and (3) creating new taxes on cigars and vapes. The purpose of this bill was to raise revenue which would then be allocated to help offset school district property taxes paid. During debate, however, it soon became...
The Legislature passed the budget bills this past week containing its recommendations for the fiscal year 2025-2026 & fiscal year 2026-2027 biennial budget. Now, it will be up to the governor whether he signs the legislation as is or uses his line-item veto authority. When the Legislature convened in January, senators initially faced an estimated $432 million shortfall for the next two years, a number that soon grew. A large part of the increased deficit, but not all, came because the state’s ec...
The Legislature gave first-round approval this past week to a $10.8 billion biennial budget for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. It consisted of five bills advanced to the floor by the Appropriations Committee. Going into debate, senators faced a nearly $262 million projected budget deficit over the next two years due to federal rate changes for Medicaid and a late report by the Economic Forecasting Advisory Board. In developing the budget proposal, the Appropriations Committee had used Feb...
The question of whether Delta-8 and similar hemp-derived products are to remain legal in Nebraska was the topic of debate this past week. The federal 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production with 0.3% or less Delta-9 THC, but other compounds like Delta-8 THC and Delta-10 THC were not limited. The result has been the rapid rise of vape and smoke shops offering for sale Delta-8, Delta-10, and similar hemp-derived products across the state. While some establishments comply with the federal law, oth...
Jack Benny used to say that "kids say the darndest things." But every time there's an election, we can honestly say that "political ads say the darndest things." A seemingly innocuous vote or comment by a campaign becomes a negative TV ad or campaign mailer. Forget about the issues and whether a controversial vote was cast for a good reason. It's all about whether a candidate is a scoundrel or not. You might remember a few years ago when a group of state senators were targeted for re-election...
This past week, the Legislature made some progress in breaking through the logjam of bills currently sitting on the agenda. Senators are trying to find ways to move their bills since time for debate on non-budget bills is growing short. The budget is scheduled to be advanced to the full Legislature on April 29, and Speaker Arch announced that debate on budget bills will begin on May 6. One measure advanced to Final Reading this past week was Sen. Hallstrom’s LB80. This bill builds upon legislati...
As a kid, our grade school class was one of many that got to visit John Brown's Cave in Nebraska City. There was a cool log cabin, the Mayhew Cabin, hewn from local cottonwoods before Nebraska became a state. There was this kinda spooky, underground "cave" -- a hand-made tunnel to a nearby ravine that was billed as a hiding spot for slaves escaping bondage in nearby slave states (but was really an effort to increase tourism and the tunnel was never used by escaping slaves). Back then, John Brown...
Now that the Legislature is over two thirds of the way through this year’s 90-day regular long session, progress on the floor is beginning to slow down. More bills are being filibustered, delaying debate on other bills further down on the agenda. One measure considered was LB632 by Sen. Hansen. LB632 would require health-care facilities to dispose of fetal tissue following an elective abortion via cremation, interment by burial, or as directed by the Board of Health. Approximately 15 states c...
When it comes to the whys and hows of state tax policy, it's hard to beat public hearings of the Revenue Committee at the Nebraska Legislature. There's a fascinating mix of folks testifying, from dark-suited corporate lawyers and accountants asking for tax cuts, to blue jean-wearing farmers wondering why property taxes are so high. But you always heard a common refrain from the state's business community: Our income and property tax rates are so high, we've got to remain competitive with...
The Legislature is now two-thirds of the way through this year’s 90-day legislative session. One prominent topic of discussion this week was winner-take-all. Earlier this year, Sen. Lippincott introduced LB3 to reinstate the winner-take-all system for electing a presidential candidate. This system would award all of Nebraska’s votes to the candidate who received the highest number of votes throughout the state. Today, only two states, Maine and Nebraska, allocate votes for a presidential can...
This past week, my bill LB246 was debated on General File. Under LB246, the commercial sale and distribution of cultured protein products would be banned in Nebraska. Such products, also known as lab-grown meat or synthetic meat, are made by combining animal stem cells and other ingredients in bioreactors. However, LB246 would not impact the sale and distribution of plant-based protein alternative products. My intent with this bill is to address public safety concerns and help preserve Nebraska...
In November, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative allowing workers to earn sick leave for personal or family needs. They also voted to legalize marijuana used for medical purposes. Passage of the two measures are the latest example of how politically popular issues – such as raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid to provide health care for the working poor – can easily pass when put to a vote of the people, after they didn't have a prayer of passage in the Sta...
March 28th marked the 52nd day of this 90-day legislative session and the final day of daily committee hearings. Full day debate will begin March 31. Senators are now focused on the budget as well as bills that have been designated as a priority either by a senator, a committee or the Speaker of the Legislature. One of the final bills heard by the Judiciary Committee this year was my bill LB395. LB395 was brought on behalf of the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Courts a...
Visitors to state park areas in northeastern Nebraska will find enhanced day-use and camping amenities. Projects in the works or completed will appeal to an array of park users. The following is a roundup of those improvements and projects: Ponca State Park – Electrical pedestals were installed at Ponca State Park's Eric Wiebe Shooting Complex for use by vendors during the annual Missouri River Outdoor Expo. This $20,000 project was paid for with Land and Water Conservation Funds. Niobrara SP ...
