The Nebraska Unicameral Legislature continues with introduction of potential new laws and changes to existing state law, and has now began scheduling committee hearings on these bills.
All introduced legislation is sorted into a committee where the bills will have their first hearings. Public comments, whether in person or submitted in writing, weigh especially heavy in the committee hearings where listening senators are deciding which measures should advance in the lawmaking process.
There is an easy online process to submit comments: Go to https://nebraskalegislature. gov/bills/ and search for the bill of interest by number in the top righthand corner of the webpage, which will bring up the specific bill’s informational page; click on the “Submit Comments Online” button positioned under the bill’s history.
Clay County News will be following certain legislation we feel has more potential to impact Clay County, providing updates as the bills move through the legislative process until the end of the session on April 18. In each section, there are plenty more introduced bills that may interest readers. Let us know if you’d like us to add a bill to this list of weekly updates.
NOTABLE ACTION FROM JAN. 15-19: GENERAL BILLS – New Bills LB1248, introduced by Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, would eliminate sales and use tax on candy and soft drinks. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1298, introduced by Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City, would provide military veteran vehicle license plates at no cost. This bill has been referred to the Transportation and Telecommunications (TT) Committee.
LB1324, introduced by Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, would adopt the Child Tax Credit Act to provide a refundable income tax credit of $1,000 per child ages 6 or younger. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1332, introduced by Sen. George Dungan III of Lincoln, would adopt the Prepaid Card Consumer Protection Act to remove expiration dates and fees from the use of store-specific gift cards and long-distance calling cards. This bill has been referred to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance (BCI) Committee, and a committee hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
LB1342, introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, would provide a sales and use tax exemption for residential electricity and natural gas. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LR281CA, introduced by Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, would require the Nebraska Legislature to meet for two sessions in odd-numbered years beginning in 2027. Currently the Legislature meets for a single session annually. This bill has been referred to the Executive Board.
ADDITIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULED LB1036, which would provide annual combination fishing/fur-harvesting/hunting per mits and habitat/aquatic habitat/migratory waterfowl stamps at no cost to Nebraska veterans and active military members, has its hearing on Jan. 25 in the Natural Resources Committee.
LB1116, which would adopt the Grocer Reinvestment Option Act to provide funding to rural grocery stores, has its hearing on Jan. 30 in the Agriculture Committee.
KILLED: LB1140, written to eliminate the Nebraska Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide Act to prohibit the transportation of carbon dioxide through a gas line and underground storage in any way, was withdrawn by its sponsor: Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard. The motion to kill the bill was approved at a vote of 34-0-15 by the full Legislature.
PROPERTYTAXES & SCHOOL FUNDING – New Bills LB1231, introduced by Wayne, would adopt the Nebraska Education Formula to replace the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act in providing state aid to public schools. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1316, introduced by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, would eliminate a public school district’s ability to raise its base growth percentage in order to increase its property tax request authority.
This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1337, introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, would adopt the School Construction Financing Act to offer state aid to local public school districts. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1367, introduced by Sen. John Cavanaugh Jr. of Omaha, would adopt the Property Tax Circuit Breaker Act to provide an income tax credit depending on property tax amount. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1386, introduced by Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, would establish an educational savings account for each student enrolled in an accredited private school for educational expenses. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1397, introduced by Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would change the classification of agricultural land if used for a solar or wind farm. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1398, also introduced by Murman, would reimburse public schools that provide special education services to an option-enroll student. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1414, introduced by Linehan, at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen would adopt the Property Tax Growth Limitation Act to prohibit the property tax request of counties, cities or villages, natural resource districts, and educational service units from exceeding their property tax request authority. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1415, introduced by Sen. Robert Dover of Norfolk, at the request of Pillen, would adopt the Property Tax Relief Act to provide state aid to public schools, counties, and cities or villages in exchange for direct property tax relief. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
EDUCATION – New Bills LB1273, introduced by Murman, would allow homeschool and private school students to participate in extracurricular activities at public schools outside of their home district without part-time enrollment if the student’s home district does not provide that activity. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1322, introduced by Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, would require school counselors to spend 80 percent of their work hours counseling students during school hours. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1330, introduced by Murman, would prohibit the University system, state colleges, and community colleges from spending money on a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program or requiring employees from participating in a DEI program except as required by federal law. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee. Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner removed her name from the list of supporters for this bill.
LB1347, introduced by Walz, would adopt the Community Schools Act to offer before-and after-school, weekend, and summer programs to students of families receiving community social services. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1338, also introduced by Walz, would adopt the Good Life Promise Act to offer college scholarships to seventh- and eighthgrade, income-qualifying students who agree to graduate high school and not use illegal substances. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1339, introduced by Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, would allow authorized public or private school personnel to carry a firearm on school grounds, in a school-owned vehicle, or at a school-sponsored activity if approved by a school board. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1371, introduced by Vargas, would adopt the Media Literacy Act to require media literacy education prior to high school graduation from public schools. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1388, introduced by Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, would adopt the Excellence in Education Scholarship Act to provide college scholarships to high school graduates who attained a perfect score on their college admission exam as well as to adopt the Community College Promise Act to provide college scholarships to income- qualifying high school graduates. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1399, introduced by Murman, would increase transparency of public schools regarding instructional materials, library content, school presentations, and surveys and decrease the requirements for parents to opt their child out of educational activities. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED: LB1052, which would reimburse teachers at public and accredited private schools for school supplies, has its hearing on Jan. 22 in the Education Committee.
These bills each have hearings in the Education Committee on Jan. 23:
• LB1063, would require voter approval for public schools to use their special building funds;
• LB1091, sponsored by Murman, would require that a public school allow all professional employees’ organizations (such as teacher unions) access to its employees instead of excluding all but one.
HEALTH, SAFETY & MEDICAL – New Bills LB1261, introduced by Walz, would adopt the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Respite Services Act to provide funding to family caregivers of someone with Lou Gehrig’s Disease for respite care.
This bill has been referred to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee.
LB1274, introduced by J. Cavanaugh, would require insurance coverage of prosthetics and orthotics. This bill has been referred to the BCI Committee.
LB1309, introduced by Linehan, would offer an income tax deduction for the costs of medical care not covered by insurance.
This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1391, introduced by Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln, would require public and private high schools to have automated external defibrillators on hand in case of a heart attack at an athletic event. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1408, introduced by Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, would require hotels to post human trafficking informational posters and train staff on interventions. This bill has been referred to the Business and Labor (BL) Committee.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED LB937, which would adopt the Caregiver Tax Credit Act to provide an income tax credit to a family caregiver of a person requiring assistance in daily living, has its hearing on Jan. 25 in the Revenue Committee.
These bills each have hearings in the BCI Committee on Jan. 22:
• LB829 would require insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening;
• LB885 would require insurance coverage of lung cancer screening.
JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCMENT – New Bills LB1340, introduced by Kauth, would allow enforcement of phone-related traffic violations not involving other offenses. This bill has been referred to the TT Committee.
HEARING SCHEDULED LB1033, which also proposes to enforcement of phone-related traffic violations not involving other offenses, has its hearing on Jan. 23 in the TT Committee.
LOCAL & COUNTY GOVERNMENT – New Bills LB1362, introduced by Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, would limit residential property valuation increases by no more than five percent annually. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1366, introduced by J. Cavanaugh, would prohibit taking of property by the government through eminent domain without county or city/village voter approval as well as by private business for pipelines unless approved by the government or approved by voter approval. This bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – New Bills LB1213, introduced by Walz, would require employers to provide 20 hours of paid leave annually for school-related activities.
This bill has been referred to the BL Committee.
LB1238, also introduced by Walz, would adopt the Special Educators of Tomorrow Act to offer $2,500 scholarships to college students pursuing a teaching career in special education. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1259, introduced by Sen. Fred Meyer of St. Paul, would provide classroom improvement bonuses to public school teachers.
This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1263, introduced by Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, would provide $2,500 scholarships to students enrolled in a trade skills program. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1280, introduced by McDonnell, would provide child care assistance to workers and apprentices in microchip fabrication and microelectronics manufacturing. This bill has been referred to the HHS Committee.
LB1285, introduced by Walz, would provide training to teachers wanting to teach computer science. This bill has been referred to the Education Committee.
LB1333, introduced by Vargas, would offer up to $150,000 or $300,000 in matching grants to new businesses depending on phase of development. This bill has been referred to the Appropriations Committee.
LB1394, introduced by Brewer, at the request of Pillen, would exempt Nebraska National Guard members from state income taxes. This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1400, introduced by Ballard, also at the request of Pillen, would adopt the Relocation Incentive Act to provide income tax incentives to people who relocate to Nebraska for employment.
This bill has been referred to the Revenue Committee.
LB1416, introduced by Bostar, also at the request of Pillen, would adopt the Child Care Capacity Building and Workforce Act to offer grants to child care programs to increase child capacity, hire more staff, or exist in a county otherwise unserved by a licensed child care program. This bill has been referred to the BCI Committee, and a committee hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6.
ADDITIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULED LB856, which would automatically qualify licensed child care workers for child care assistance, has a hearing on Jan. 26 in the HHS Committee.
