Nebraska Bills

Nebraska's LB 214 amends the Newborn Safe Haven Act to establish standardized safety devices for anonymous infant surrender. It requires hospitals and fire stations to install padded, temperature-controlled devices with dual alarms (calling 911 when opened or detecting movement) and multilingual signage, with daily inspections and weekly testing. The bill provides criminal immunity for surrendering infants under 90 days old at approved locations (hospitals, fire stations, or law enforcement) and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create procedures for anonymous medical history sharing, reconsidering surrenders, and paternity testing. The legislation also allocates $15,000 for installation grants and $65,000 for public awareness campaigns about the program.

Nebraska's LB 53 establishes legal immunity for people experiencing pregnancy outcomes that don't result in live births. The bill prohibits criminal charges, arrests, or prosecutions for outcomes like miscarriage, stillbirth, or intentional termination of pregnancy. It also grants civil immunity, blocking lawsuits based on these same pregnancy outcomes. This directly affects individuals who experience non-live-birth pregnancy outcomes by preventing both criminal and civil legal action against them. The law explicitly states it does not apply to outcomes resulting in live births.

LB 220 requires Nebraska legislators to create "developmental and intellectual disability impact notes" for proposed bills that may affect people with these disabilities. These notes, developed by the Legislative Research Office using data and research, would estimate how a bill might change existing disparities in economic, employment, health, education, and public safety outcomes for this group. The notes must include a clear statement on whether the bill is likely to increase or decrease these disparities. Requests for such notes can be made by introducing legislators or committee chairs, and the Legislative Council's Executive Board will approve or deny these requests.

Nebraska's LB 210 establishes fees for healthcare providers and organizations to access the state's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and health information exchange. It requires pharmacies to report all prescription drug data daily (except for emergency or immunization-related prescriptions) and mandates that doctors, pharmacies, and health information exchanges pay access fees to view this data. The bill also clarifies that patient data remains confidential, with limited exceptions for authorized providers and health exchanges. These fee structures aim to fund the system while maintaining data privacy standards under federal law.

LB 564 adjusts Nebraska's School District Property Tax Relief Act by increasing annual funding for property tax credits. It mandates escalating transfers from the General Fund to the School District Property Tax Relief Credit Fund, starting at $750 million for fiscal year 2024-25 and increasing by $150 million each subsequent year through 2030-31 (e.g., $780 million in 2025-26, $808 million in 2026-27). These credits directly reduce property tax bills for homeowners in Nebraska school districts, calculated based on prior-year school district taxes and applied to tax statements. Unused credits are returned to the fund, and counties distribute funds to school districts via a defined formula. The bill repeals prior funding provisions and takes effect immediately upon enactment.

LB 349 updates Nebraska's regulatory process for electric suppliers building or acquiring battery storage systems and other grid-scale energy storage resources. It streamlines application requirements, notices, and filing procedures while clarifying exemptions for these projects. The bill directly affects electric suppliers (like utility companies) by changing how they must seek approval for storage infrastructure, aiming to simplify the process without altering the definition of storage resources. This is a procedural change focused on regulatory efficiency, not new energy policies.

Nebraska's LB 411 amends the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act to change how teachers qualify for retention grants. It establishes tiered annual grants: $2,500 for first through sixth years of teaching, $3,000 for seventh through fifteenth years, and $4,000 for 16+ years. Teachers with endorsements in special education, math, science, technology, or dual-credit may also qualify for a one-time $5,000 high-need retention grant if they sign a future teaching contract in those subjects. The bill eliminates school-based prioritization for grants, requiring automatic distribution to school districts that then pass funds directly to eligible teachers. These changes take effect July 1, 2025, with specific transition rules for existing applications.

LB 406 updates Nebraska's State Racing and Gaming Commission structure by removing redundant language from existing law and adding a specific requirement for two at-large commission members. The bill mandates that one at-large member must have gaming industry experience and the other must have horseracing industry experience, while maintaining the commission's existing 7-member composition (one from each congressional district as defined in 2010, plus four at-large). It preserves all other provisions, including member term limits, political party restrictions, and the prohibition against members having financial interests in licensed racetracks or gaming operations. This change directly affects how the Governor appoints commission members and ensures industry expertise in the at-large roles.

This bill amends Nebraska's Workers' Compensation Act by removing three specific defenses employers could previously use to avoid paying claims. It abolishes defenses based on (1) employee negligence (unless willful or due to intoxication), (2) negligence by a fellow employee, or (3) an employee assumed risks related to unsafe workplace conditions. The change directly affects workers filing compensation claims and employers defending against those claims. As written, the bill ensures these defenses are no longer legally valid in workers' compensation cases under Nebraska law.

LB 639 requires dental insurance companies in Nebraska to spend at least 85% of premium revenue on patient care and administrative costs (not profits). Starting in 2026, these companies must meet this "dental loss ratio" and report their annual ratio to the state insurance department starting in 2027. If they fail to meet the 85% threshold, they must refund the excess premiums directly to policyholders. The bill does not apply to dental coverage provided through Medicaid.

LB 715 requires most health insurance plans in Nebraska to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication - used to prevent HIV infection - when prescribed by a doctor. This applies to individual/group health insurance policies, hospital/surgical plans, and self-funded employee benefit plans (unless federal law blocks it), but excludes limited-benefit policies like those covering only one disease. The bill does not eliminate patient cost-sharing like deductibles or copays, meaning insured individuals may still pay out-of-pocket for PrEP. It directly affects people who need HIV prevention medication but face coverage barriers under current insurance rules.

This bill amends Nebraska's Fair Employment Practice Act to prohibit employers from discriminating against workers who report work injuries, file claims, or seek remedies under the state's Workers' Compensation Act. It adds a right to a jury trial in all civil cases brought under the Fair Employment Practice Act, including cases against state and local government employers. The bill also updates legal references to clarify that the Fair Employment Practice Act's protections are supplemental to, not replacing, workers' compensation rights. These changes harmonize the two laws and remove outdated sections from the statute.