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 — With thousands of Nebraskans watching, including hundreds in person, state lawmakers shoehorned a stricter abortion ban into an already divisive bill to limit gender-affirming care for minors. The proposal is now one step from passage. Tuesday’s action was the culmination of months of public outcry and legislative fights over the two measures, both […]
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LINCOLN — An omnibus tax credit bill — an unprecedented amalgamation of nearly 30 proposals — breezed to initial approval Tuesday with only a few questions about whether it provided unwarranted “corporate welfare.” Legislative Bill 727, as amended, would provide generous tax breaks for an expansion of the Nebraska Crossing shopping mall, help enhance convention […]
The post Multifaceted tax credit package, a combination of nearly 30 bills, advances with little objection appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers rejected a proposal Thursday to reduce the cost of a multi-million-dollar canal that supporters say would protect the state’s water rights from Colorado. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha had questioned why Nebraska was planning to build a larger Perkins County Canal than permitted under a 1923 compact with Colorado over […]
The post Lawmakers reject attempt to narrow costs of proposed $574 million canal appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
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 […]
The post Who’s who in the Nebraska Legislature: 2023-24 state senators appeared first on News Nebraska.
LINCOLN — Nebraska state senators are setting aside the most controversial parts of two legislative proposals to implement voter ID and writing something new and “narrower.” Key senators say the Legislature’s next proposal to verify the IDs of Nebraska voters will not require a notary to sign ballots by mail, nor will it propose limiting […]
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LINCOLN — The property tax portion of the Nebraska Legislature’s push for a tax relief package took a major step Monday toward passage. Senators passed Legislative Bill 243 on the first round of debate, 41-1. LB 243, as introduced by State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion and amended by the Revenue Committee, would make a […]
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In addition to notary publics signing off on mail-in or drop box ballots of Nebraska voters, why not also require a couple letters of recommendation? Maybe make early voters cough up a recent bank statement? How about a lie detector test? That should keep fraud at a minimum. Ridiculous? No kidding. But no more inane […]
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LINCOLN — State lawmakers opened debate Friday on a package of bills that proposes to deliver millions of dollars in additional tax credits to blunt the sting of Nebraska’s traditionally high property taxes. The Nebraska Legislature adjourned for the weekend without advancing Legislative Bill 243 but appear poised to do that on Monday. The much-amended […]
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LINCOLN — Decades of legislative frustration with Nebraska’s results after spending billions of dollars in fees and funds since the late 1990s to boost broadband access boiled over into a floor debate Thursday about possible fixes for a state agency’s funding decisions and follow-through. Senators are weighing who at the state level should direct up […]
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LINCOLN — Frayed nerves over how much power the Nebraska Legislature gives to minority voices to delay or derail the majority’s will erupted into a floor fight Tuesday over Unicameral rules. The result: A frustrated majority set new limits on motions that slow the passage of bills. The senators causing the slowdown promised to continue […]
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LINCOLN — Legislative proposals to carry out Nebraska’s new constitutional requirement that voters show photo ID would make voting tougher on the 20% of voters who return ballots by mail or county election drop boxes. One of the voter ID bills with the best chance to pass this year would require early ballots returned by […]
The post Dueling GOP bills to implement voter ID could hit rural areas hardest appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
LINCOLN — A hearing Thursday on a proposal to end Nebraska’s one-house legislative system drew all but one opponent, disputing claims it could benefit representation. Legislative Resolution 2CA, proposed by State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, would return Nebraska to a bicameral Legislature, with 63 representatives elected by the people and 31 senators, each representing […]
The post Nebraskans voice concerns, skepticism of reverting to a bicameral Legislature appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
Voting by mail has been a common practice dating back to at least 1775 in New Hampshire. During the Civil War there were nearly a million soldiers away from home that needed the ability to cast their votes, and President Abraham Lincoln lobbied for and advocated for mail-in ballots. An overwhelming number of soldiers supported […]
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LINCOLN — Nebraskans on Wednesday packed a public hearing room and overflowed into another, waiting for a shot to weigh in on three proposals that will help shape the state’s final Voter ID law. The trio of bills that aired before the Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee represented different ends of the spectrum. […]
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LINCOLN — The controversial Omaha streetcar project could get a $100 million jolt from the State of Nebraska under a plan before the Legislature — that is, if the route were extended into North Omaha and to the airport. A measure presented Friday by State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha to the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee […]
The post Nebraska lawmaker seeks state funding for Omaha streetcar — if it extended north toward airport appeared first on Nebraska Examiner.
OMAHA — The Nebraska Republican Party stepped into the fight Saturday over picking the next chair of the Republican National Committee. State GOP chair Eric Underwood let the State Central Committee decide whom he should support. The party’s steering committee voted 62-41 to support California lawyer Harmeet Dhillon over current RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who […]
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LINCOLN — Every Wednesday morning during Nebraska legislative sessions, a group of about a dozen state senators gather over breakfast for a Bible study led by a former pastor who used to be a county Republican Party chairman. Later in the day, over a provided lunch, Arin Hess, the chaplain and president of Capitol Studies, […]
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LINCOLN — Concerns were raised Tuesday about a major voter ID bill introduced by State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar. Among changes called for under Legislative Bill 535 is a requirement that those requesting early mail-in ballots must send election officials proof of valid state-issued photo ID or “a photocopy of any other valid photographic […]
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Nebraska media opposes proposal to block reporters from covering executive sessions of State Legislature as reducing transparency
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LINCOLN — After more than eight hours of sometimes rancorous debate over two days, state legislators on Monday approved the committee assignments for the 2023 session. The 40-7 vote came after several Democratic senators in the Nebraska Legislature criticized the process of picking committee members as defying tradition and past practices. They also said the […]
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LINCOLN — Backers of a dramatic change in state taxation announced changes to their proposal on Thursday as they launched a petition drive to place a “consumption” tax plan before Nebraska voters in 2024. Speakers at a press conference said that a tax on consumption would fix the state’s “broken” tax system, reduce cost by […]
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LINCOLN — State senators put off until later a fight over legislative rules, then spent the first day of the 2023 session on Wednesday electing a new speaker and leaders of legislative committees. The day opened with the possibility of a session-paralyzing debate over whether a tradition of electing chairs of legislative committees by secret […]
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