Nebraska Bills

Nebraska's LB 575 amends property tax rules to require counties and local governments (like cities, school districts, and community colleges) seeking to raise taxes beyond growth limits to hold joint public hearings instead of individual meetings. The bill mandates that these hearings - held between September 14-24 - include standardized presentations detailing tax increase amounts, comparisons to prior years, and budget impacts, with notices sent via postcard, website, and newspaper. Local governments must share specific data (like assessed value changes and proposed tax rates) with taxpayers seven days before hearings, and costs for notices are shared proportionally among participating entities. This applies to all local governments exceeding tax growth limits, directly affecting how communities seek tax increases.

Nebraska's LB 655 protects health care providers and payors (like insurers) from discrimination when refusing specific services based on sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. It requires providers to give written notice to supervisors and document objections in patient records when declining a service they object to. The bill prohibits retaliation or adverse actions against providers who exercise this right, but explicitly forbids refusal of care based on a patient's race, religion, sex, or national origin. Providers can file complaints with the Attorney General if their rights are violated, and the law clarifies that refusing one service doesn't exempt them from providing other covered care.

This bill requires Nebraska to create and maintain a new state database that maps exact addresses to local sales tax rates, replacing the previous zip-code-based system. It mandates 120 days' advance notice to the state tax office for boundary changes and 60 days' notice to retailers before tax rate changes take effect. The database will help online retailers accurately apply tax rates based on customer locations, reducing errors in remote sales transactions. The Nebraska Department of Revenue must verify address data and tax rates in the system to ensure compliance.

LB 433 exempts state agency deputy directors and attorneys from Nebraska's State Personnel System, meaning these roles would no longer have standard civil service protections. The bill specifies that new deputy directors and attorneys hired after the effective date would serve "at will" (without job security), with salaries set by agency heads and approved by the Governor. Existing employees in these roles could choose to transition to at-will status but would remain under the Personnel System until making that election. This change directly affects over 100 state agency positions across departments like Health, Corrections, and Legal Services, altering their employment terms and retirement system membership.

Nebraska's LB 233 requires the Nebraska State Insurance Program to cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) for state employees starting July 1, 2025. The bill mandates that IVF treatment be included as a special coverage option, available uniformly to all eligible state employees who choose to enroll. Key limitations include capping coverage at four completed egg retrievals per individual, requiring employees to attempt less expensive infertility treatments first (with physician exceptions), and restricting care to facilities meeting specific medical standards. This policy change directly affects state employees enrolled in the Nebraska State Insurance Program, adding IVF as a covered benefit under existing special coverage rules.

LB 328 changes how Nebraska's documentary stamp tax revenue is distributed to four specific funds: the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Fund, Behavioral Health Services Fund, and Site and Building Development Fund. It requires the Department of Economic Development to report detailed project data (like locations, funding amounts, and housing units created) for the Affordable Housing Fund annually. The bill also expands the Behavioral Health Services Fund to include housing assistance for very low-income adults with serious mental illness, with excess funds potentially distributed to regional authorities for housing. These changes harmonize existing funding rules and add transparency requirements for how tax money supports housing and health services.

LB 654 allocates $300,000 from the General Fund for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The funds are specifically designated for the Nebraska AgrAbility program to purchase assistive technology and equipment for farmers and ranchers who do not qualify for U.S. Department of Agriculture funding. This bill directly affects Nebraska farmers and ranchers by providing state-funded support for accessibility tools. The appropriation is procedural and does not create new eligibility or policy changes, solely funding an existing program's equipment needs.

LB 583 adjusts how Nebraska's documentary stamp tax revenue funds seven existing programs, including the Child Care Grant Fund, Military Installation Development Fund, and Affordable Housing Trust Fund. It harmonizes rules across these funds, such as setting a $15,000 maximum for child care grants (no more than once every three years) and requiring matching funds for military installation projects. The bill specifies that tax revenue must be distributed to designated programs, like $100,000 annually for veterans' mental health services under the Military Fund. These changes streamline administration and clarify funding allocations without creating new programs or altering eligibility criteria.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to change Nebraska's deadline for filing initiative petitions. It would require that petitions for new laws or constitutional amendments filed on or after July 7, 2028, be submitted to the Secretary of State by the second Wednesday in July before the general election (instead of four months prior). This directly affects citizens and groups seeking to propose new laws or constitutional changes through the initiative process. The current deadline (four months before election) would remain in effect for petitions filed before July 7, 2028.

LB 292 allocates $500,000 from Nebraska's Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Fund to the Department of Economic Development for a study on factory-built housing (including manufactured homes). The study must examine zoning rules, regulations, infrastructure, utilities, capital needs, current availability, target populations, and incentives across Nebraska communities, with results due by April 1, 2026. It directly affects the Department of Economic Development, which will award the grant to qualified research organizations meeting specific expertise and deliverable requirements.

LB 579 prohibits Nebraska state agencies from charging fees for public records requests submitted by members of the Nebraska Legislature. The bill specifically amends public records law to state that "no fee shall be charged" for such requests, directly affecting legislators seeking official documents. It also requires agencies to provide a cost estimate and respond within four business days of receiving a written request. This change modifies existing fee structures under Nebraska law to ensure legislative members can access public records without financial barriers. The bill does not affect fee policies for general public requests.

LB 573 adopts the Meat and Poultry Workers and Contractors Protection Act to enhance safety for workers in Nebraska's meat and poultry processing facilities. It requires large facilities (with over 250 employees) to create and submit disaster mitigation plans to the Labor Commissioner, covering risks like pandemics, extreme weather, or supply chain disruptions. During disasters, these facilities must provide full workers' compensation for job-related injuries, offer 12 weeks of severance pay (at average weekly earnings) to terminated workers within 60 days, and cover contractors and contract growers. The bill directly affects workers, contractors, and contract growers at covered facilities, aiming to address high injury rates, pandemic risks, and inadequate safety enforcement.