LINCOLN — State lawmakers largely stuck with Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday, approving only one override of his budget vetoes — an additional $1.2 million for the State Auditor’s Office. State Auditor Mike Foley had asked for additional funding, arguing that he was losing auditors to other state agencies because they could offer $20,000 to […]
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LINCOLN — A pair of Nebraska lawmakers are joining a national push to make Washington, D.C. the nation’s 51st state. Legislative Resolution 146, introduced by Lincoln State Sens. Danielle Conrad and George Dungan, would urge Nebraska’s congressional delegation to support statehood for the nation’s capital if passed by the full Legislature. This would be a […]
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LINCOLN — Conservatives ruled at the State Capitol like never before in 2023, passing several right-wing measures, including proposals on gun rights and school choice that had been perennial losers in the Legislature, as well as new restrictions on abortion and transgender rights. And, it appears that an 11th-hour push will be successful to achieve […]
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LINCOLN — Under the shadow of tightening state revenues, the Nebraska Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a $6.4 billion tax relief package. State lawmakers approved income tax cuts, hikes in state property tax credits, a tax credit for child care and a boost to school funding to offset property taxes. State Sen. Lou Ann […]
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LINCOLN — The months-long fight over the best flavor of voter ID for Nebraska spilled over onto the floor of the Legislature Monday, with State Sen. Julie Slama staging a one-woman filibuster against the proposal forwarded by the Government and Military Affairs Committee. But Slama failed to persuade the body to back her competing plan. […]
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LINCOLN — After a rare do-over Thursday, members of the Legislature’s Government and Military Affairs Committee again endorsed an approach to voter ID in Nebraska that supporters called “focused” and an opponent called an “abomination.” State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar, who sponsored a competing proposal, pressed to have the committee vote again Thursday, challenging […]
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LINCOLN — Last month, State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston was the reason the Nebraska Legislature fell a single vote short of outlawing abortions after an ultrasound detects embryonic cardiac activity, typically at about six weeks’ gestation. But Riepe’s new deal with his conservative colleagues, which contains a stricter ban than he proposed, could spur […]
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LINCOLN — A move to reduce the size of the state’s “rainy day” fund brought concerns Wednesday in the Legislature that Nebraska was already tapping reserve funds to cover deep cuts in taxes proposed this year. Under an amendment debated and approved, the state’s cash reserve fund — the money used to sustain state programs […]
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LINCOLN — A blockbuster pairing of two controversial bills in the waning days of the 2023 state legislative session has state senators and advocates buzzing. But could a state constitutional requirement that bills contain only a “single subject” later trip up the merging of a 12-week ban on abortions into a proposal to ban minors […]
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LINCOLN — The trauma of living in north Omaha was compared to a “war zone” Wednesday during debate over the state budget, with inner-city children witnessing acts of violence and hearing sirens or gunfire through the night. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha said he realized there was a comparison after a discussion with fellow […]
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LINCOLN – As a deadline approached for March 21 debate on a controversial bill to ban gender-affirming procedures for minors, a trio of members of the Nebraska Board of Health scrambled to draft a board statement to support passage of the bill. According to emails and text messages reviewed by the Nebraska Examiner, the process […]
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LINCOLN — Lawmakers gave first-round approval Monday to a proposal that would create a video archive of Nebraska legislative proceedings, an effort that has spanned multiple years. Legislative Bill 254, proposed by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, would create this archive, bringing Nebraska to the same level of access to legislative proceedings as nearly every […]
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Meet the state senators deciding policy and leading Nebraska’s legislative branch through 2024. Nebraska’s current 49 state senators are among the most diverse in the state’s history with 18 women, six senators of color and two openly LGBTQ senators. The median age of the Legislature, at the start of the session, was 61 — the youngest […]
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LINCOLN — Advocates for a $3 billion package of state income tax cuts pushed back Wednesday against criticism that the proposal only helps the wealthiest Nebraskans. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the main architect of the proposal, said 32% of state’s top income earners pay 80% of state income taxes, so it only […]
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LINCOLN — A Nebraska legislative committee advanced a package Wednesday designed to improve school safety, coming just days after another school shooting, this time in Nashville, Tennessee. The Education Committee voted 7-0 to send Legislative Bill 516, proposed by State Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, to the full Legislature. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha was […]
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LINCOLN — A state senator is seeking more legislative control over how legal settlement funds collected by the State of Nebraska are spent. State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln testified Thursday that a state settlement “cash fund” has grown to $28.1 million and said the State Legislature, which appropriates state funds, should decide how to […]
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LINCOLN — State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, in her previous role leading the Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, often sought public records to bolster the legal arguments of people alleging that state or local governments had crossed a line. During her first stint in the Legislature, from 2007-11, she advocated the […]
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LINCOLN — If Nebraska wants to help address its workforce shortage, it needs to provide more help to families dealing with inflation and expensive child care bills, a legislative committee was told Wednesday. Over and over, members of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee were told stories of parents being forced to quit their jobs and remain […]
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LINCOLN — After years of trying, the Nebraska Legislature appears poised to pass a first step toward ending the twice-a-year tyranny of changing the clock. State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion again proposed keeping Nebraska on daylight saving time, if Congress and a third neighboring state join Nebraska in passing such a law. Legislative Bill […]
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LINCOLN — Proponents and opponents were given three hours each Wednesday to argue over State Sen. Joni Albrecht’s bill aimed at outlawing abortions in Nebraska after an ultrasound detects fetal cardiac activity. Hundreds in an overflow crowd waited hours to testify for two or three minutes to the seven members of the Legislature’s Health and […]
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After the introduction of two bills to address LGBTQ and transgender Nebraskans, State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln abruptly called for the Legislature to adjourn “Sine Die” on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The motion means to adjourn without a future date for reconvening and, if successful, would have ended the 90-day session abruptly on its ninth […]
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In the third week of the Nebraska Legislature’s 2023 session, state senators approved the session’s permanent rules and considered a motion that could have ended the Legislature at a fraction of its 90-day session. Senators introduced 348 bills and five resolutions or constitutional amendments during the third week. Gov. Jim Pillen also unveiled his tax […]
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LINCOLN — A few months after Nebraska voters approved a minimum wage increase schedule, two state lawmakers have introduced bills to try to change that course. A third state senator promptly objected with a legislative motion she calls a “red flag” of concern, signaling that the Legislature could be in for “lengthy and arduous” debate. […]
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LINCOLN — So much for trying to avoid hard feelings. Two days after state lawmakers put off a potentially crippling debate over legislative rules, a group of Democratic state senators erupted in fury Friday over proposed appointments to committees that they considered politically motivated and in defiance of tradition. Among the complaints: Some incumbent members […]
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LINCOLN — Nebraska voters in November elected a record number of women to the Legislature, sending new faces to join the 14 women already serving and setting a new high of 18. Women in 2023 will hold more than a third of Nebraska’s 49 seats for the first time — at 37% — with nine […]
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