The Nebraska Unicameral Legislature has begun holding committee hearings on legislation introduced earlier this month.
Some measures propose new laws while others are changes to existing state law. All introduced legislation is sorted into a committee where the bills have their first hearings. Public comments, whether in person or submitted in writing, weigh heavily 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-right hand 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 JAN. 22-26: GENERAL BILLS: Hearing Held- LB1036, which would provide annual combination fishing/ nual combination fishing/fur-harvesting/hunting permits and habitat/aquatic habitat/migratory waterfowl stamps at no cost to Nebraska veterans and active military members, had its hearing on Jan. 25 in the Natural Resources Committee.
There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
HEARINGS HELD AFTER PRESS TIME:
The committee hearing for this bill was scheduled after this week’s edition of Clay County News went to print; a summary will be included in next week’s newspaper: LB1116, which would adopt the Grocer Reinvestment Option Act to provide funding to rural grocery stores, was scheduled for a hearing in the Agriculture Committee on Jan. 30.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED
LB845—which would prohibit tenant eviction of a child, his or her guardian, and/or a school employee during the school year—has its hearing on Jan. 31 in the Judiciary Committee.
LB971, which would give military veterans a free hunting permit for use on Veterans Day only, has its hearing on Jan. 31 in the Natural Resources Committee.
LB1248, which would eliminate sales and use tax on candy and soft drinks, has its hearing on Feb. 1 in the Revenue Committee.
LB1298, which would provide military veteran vehicle license plates at no cost, has its hearing on Feb. 6 in the Transportation and Telecommunications (TT) Committee.
LB1332, which 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, has its hearing on Feb. 5 in the Banking, Commerce and Insurance (BCI) Committee.
PROPERTY TAXES & SCHOOL FUNDING: HEARING HELD AFTER PRESS TIME
LB1386, which would establish an educational savings account for each student enrolled in an accredited private school for educational expenses, was scheduled for a hearing in the Education Committee on Jan. 30. A summary will be included in next week’s edition of Clay County News.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED
These bills each have hearings in the Revenue Committee on Jan. 31:
• LB1316 would eliminate a public school district’s ability to raise its base growth percentage in order to increase its property tax request authority;
• LB1397, sponsored by Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would change the classification of agricultural land if used for a solar or wind farm.
Additionally, both of these bills—introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen—have hearings in the Revenue Committee on Feb. 2:
• LB1414 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;
• LB1415 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.
EDUCATION: HEARINGS HELD
LB1052, which would reimburse teachers at public and accredited private schools for school supplies, had its hearing on Jan. 22 in the Education Committee. The committee took no immediate action. This bill’s sponsor, Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, cited the Institute of Education Sciences when estimating that the average teacher spends $478 in personal finances on classroom school supplies. Her bill would fund up to $300 worth of school supplies for K-12 teachers beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Proponents, including the Nebraska State Education Association, as well as the Arc of Nebraska of Elmwood, testified that this bill shows appreciation for teachers.
Opponents, which included a private citizen from Papillion, shared concerns about increasing property taxes to cover this bill.
LB1063, which would require voter approval for public schools to use their special building funds, had its hearing on Jan. 23 in the Education Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
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. This bill had its hearing on Jan. 23 in the Education Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
HEARING HELD AFTER PRESS TIME
LB1081, which would require certain student-teacher ratios for public school classrooms with both special education students and unaccommodated students, was scheduled for a hearing in the Education Committee on Jan. 30. A summary will be included in next week’s edition of Clay County News.
HEALTH, SAFETY & MEDICAL – HEARINGS HELD
LB829, which would require insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening, had its hearing on Jan. 22 in the BCI Committee. The committee took no immediate action. This bill’s sponsor, Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, wants to see health insurance coverage of polyp removal and biopsy during a colonoscopy that currently is deemed diagnostic—versus part of the screening—even though these actions happen during the screening procedure. If a polyp is found during the screening colonoscopy, its removal and testing unexpectedly adds hundreds of dollars to the patient’s bill, Blood explained, that is only currently resolved if the patient waits to have polyps removed in a second procedure—a time lapse that can delay lifesaving treatment for patients most at risk of colorectal cancer. Proponents, including the Nebraska Medical Association (NMA), as well as AARP Nebraska, testified that this bill removes cost and the time required for scheduling a second colonoscopy as barriers to both prevention of colorectal cancer by removing pre-cancerous polyps and timely treatment of polyps that do test positive for malignancy. According to the NMA, fewer than 65 percent of Nebraskans ages 45-75 undergo colorectal cancer screening even as Nebraskans have a higher rate of this cancer than the national average; AARP Nebraska claimed the reason is due to a lack of insurance coverage of the screening procedure. There was no opposition to this bill.
LB885, which would require insurance coverage of lung cancer screening, had its hearing on Jan. 22 in the BCI Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
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, had its hearing on Jan.
25 in the Revenue Committee. The committee took no immediate action. This bill’s sponsor, Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, claimed that Nebraska has 179,000 family caregivers, each of whom is spending at least $7,200 per year to provide more than 168 million hours of unpaid care worth roughly $2.8 billion annually. He feels that supporting family caregivers helps to address the booming population of older adults in the state, in addition to supporting families with a member suffering from a chronic condition. Bostar’s bill proposes a nonrefundable income tax credit, beginning with the 2025 tax year, equal to 50 percent of eligible expenses—such as medical equipment purchases, hiring of a home health aide, or certain home improvements to assist caregiving—incurred by an income-qualifying taxpayer to provide care to a family member. The maximum credit for a single tax year would be $3,000 if the cared-for family member has dementia and $2,000 if a veteran. The Nebraska Department of Revenue estimates the cost of this bill—if passed into law—to be $37.1 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2025-26, $43.1 million in FY 2026-27, and $48.3 million in GY 2027-28. Proponents, including AARP Nebraska, testified that this bill will not only allow older adults to remain in their homes longer but also save taxpayer money if not as many older adults need to move into expensive, tax-funded assisted living and long-term care facilities. A private citizen from Omaha also testified in support of the bill, sharing her experience of covering the cost of caring for her sister after a brain injury. There was no opposition to this bill.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED
LB1082, which would require insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization for state employees, has its hearing on Feb. 2 in the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs (GMVA) Committee.
LB1139, which would adopt the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act to provide paid family and medical leave for up to 10 consecutive weeks per year or 60 days per year if on an intermittent basis, has its hearing on Feb. 5 in the Business and Labor (BL) Committee.
LB1274, which would require insurance coverage of prosthetics and orthotics, has its hearing on Feb. 13 in the BCI Committee.
JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCMENT – HEARING HELD
LB1033, which would allow enforcement of phone-related traffic violations not involving other offenses, had its hearing on Jan. 23 in the TT Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
HEARING SCHEDULED
LB1340, which also proposes to allow enforcement of phone-related traffic violations not involving other offenses, has its hearing on Feb. 27 in the TT Committee.
LOCAL & COUNTY GOVERNMENT – HEARINGS SCHEDULED LB1190, which would adopt the Professional Service Contract Reporting Act to require city and county governments to publicly reveal recipients of its professional service contracts, has its hearing on Feb. 13 in the GMVA Committee.
LB1366, which 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, has its hearing on Feb. 2 in the Judiciary Committee.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – HEARINGS HELD
LB856, which would automatically qualify licensed childcare workers for childcare assistance, had its hearing on Jan.
26 in the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee. The committee took no immediate action. This bill’s sponsor, Sen.
John Frederickson of Omaha, modeled this proposal after a Kentucky initiative. He foresees this bill having the potential both to expand childcare opportunity and to boost Nebraska’s economy through additional workforce. Frederickson estimates his bill would offer childcare assistance to families of at least 16,000 children not currently receiving assistance. Qualifying children would have one parent employed at least 20 hours a week in an at-home or licensed childcare facility. The Nebraska Department of HHS estimates the cost of this bill— if passed into law—to be $21 million. Proponents, including Voices for Children in Nebraska of Ralston, testified that this bill helps parents who need childcare assistance to remain in employment, as well as encourage more development of childcare options in the 91 percent of Nebraska counties that can’t meet current childcare demand. Lincoln Littles, of Lincoln, testified that their study—conducted in partnership with the Nebraska Public Policy Center—found that some of the nearly 60 percent of Lincoln-area facilities experiencing staff shortages have tried offering discounted rates for employees’ children but have not been able to manage the revenue loss long-term.
Platte Institute of Omaha testified that this bill would help childcare facilities to recover from staff shortages stemming from the 2020 COVID pandemic when Nebraska’s childcare sector lost 33 percent of its workers. There was no opposition to this bill.
LB1015, which would establish a loan repayment program for new dentists who agree to practice in rural Nebraska for at least five years, had its hearing on Jan. 24 in the HHS Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
LB1062, which would establish a loan repayment program for veterinarians who agree to practice at least half-time with livestock in rural Nebraska, had its hearing on Jan. 24 in the HHS Committee. There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
LB1101, which would waive tuition at state colleges and provide early admission to the University of Nebraska Medical Center public health program for students from rural Nebraska, had its hearing on Jan. 23 in the Education Committee.
There was limited discussion. The committee took no immediate action.
HEARINGS HELD AFTER PRESS TIME
Hearing summaries for these bills, both scheduled for a hearing in the Education Committee on Jan. 30, will be included in next week’s edition of Clay County News:
• LB1259 would provide classroom improvement bonuses to public school teachers;
• LB1263 would provide $2,500 scholarships to students enrolled in a trade skills program.
HEARINGS SCHEDULED
LB1018—which would require that positions of public employment no longer require a college degree, except as required by law—has its hearing on Feb. 2 in the GMVA Committee.
LB1213, which would require employers to provide 20 hours of paid leave annually for school-related activities, has its hearing on Feb. 5 in the BL Committee.
LB1333, which would offer up to $150,000 or $300,000 in matching grants to new businesses depending on phase of development, has its hearing on Feb. 14 in the Appropriations Committee.
Both of these bills, introduced at the request of Pillen, have hearings in the Revenue Committee on Feb. 2:
• LB1394 would exempt Nebraska National Guard members from state income taxes;
• LB1400 would adopt the Relocation Incentive Act to provide income tax incentives to people who relocate to Nebraska for employment.
LB1416—which 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—has its hearing on Feb. 6 in the BCI Committee. This bill was also introduced at the request of Pillen.
AGRICULTURE – HEARING SCHEDULED
LB1368, which would adopt the Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act to offer incentive payments to farmers who reduce the use of commercial fertilizer, has its hearing on Feb. 13 in the Agriculture Committee.
ADDITIONAL NOTABLE ACTION
LB825 was introduced by Blood to adopt the Nebraska Farmers of Color Opportunity Act to provide tax credits to black agricultural producers. She has filed an amendment—currently pending—to expand the scope of this bill to any non-white Nebraska resident whose primary source of income is crop or livestock production within state lines. This bill currently sits in the Revenue Committee with no hearing date set.
