This bill transfers $500 million from the Perkins County Canal Project Fund to the Water Sustainability Fund by June 30, 2025. It updates the legal description of the Perkins County Canal Project's purpose to emphasize water rights protection under the South Platte River Compact but does not alter the project's development plans. The transfer is intended to redirect funds toward broader water sustainability efforts, with the original fund provisions being repealed. The bill has no direct impact on the canal's construction timeline or route planning.
LB 86 appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2025-26 to the Department of Natural Resources specifically for Program 334. This funding enables grants to natural resources districts that manage over 250 watershed structures, covering projects costing more than $30,000 per structure for operation, maintenance, or repair. The bill is classified as an emergency measure, taking effect upon approval.
LB 674 amends Nebraska law to redirect funds from the Perkins County Canal Project Fund. It requires transferring $250 million to the General Fund and $250 million to the Water Sustainability Fund by June 30, 2025, for state use. The bill also directs the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a study on the canal project's costs, timeline, alternatives, and impacts on Lincoln and Omaha's water supplies, with findings due to the Legislature by December 31, 2022. This legislation restates the state's intent regarding the South Platte River Compact but does not fund actual canal construction. The bill takes immediate effect due to an emergency declaration.
This Nebraska constitutional amendment (LR 25CA) would change how state legislators are paid and covered. Starting January 6, 2027, legislators would receive the state minimum wage instead of the current $1,000 monthly salary. It also requires the state to provide health insurance with benefits matching Medicaid coverage for all legislators. The amendment must be approved by voters in the November 2026 election to take effect.
LB 34 would establish year-round daylight saving time in Nebraska, eliminating the current seasonal time change. It amends statutes to set Nebraska's standard time permanently to daylight saving time (UTC-5 in the central zone, UTC-6 in the mountain zone), affecting all residents and businesses. Key provisions update election hours (e.g., polls closing at 8 p.m. statewide instead of 7 p.m. in mountain time zones) and adjust state employee schedules (e.g., sick leave and vacation balances calculated using daylight saving time references). The bill repeals existing seasonal time change language in sections 49-1301 and 49-1302.
LB 680 amends Nebraska's laws defining the role of educational service units (ESUs), which provide support to public school districts. The bill requires ESUs to prioritize core services like staff development (including support for students in poverty), technology/distance learning, and instructional materials for all member school districts. It establishes accountability standards for ESUs, including accreditation requirements to ensure equitable service delivery and cost-effectiveness. The changes affect all 14 Nebraska ESUs and the public school districts they serve, clarifying their mission to support school improvement efforts and state education goals.
LB 671 amends multiple Nebraska education statutes to update reporting requirements for school districts and the State Department of Education. It changes how schools report enrollment option program rejections, alternative programs for expelled students, educator evaluations, dyslexia information, teacher apprenticeship programs, retention grants, and the College Pathway Program. The bill eliminates outdated provisions and removes references to the obsolete Junior Mathematics Prognosis Examination. These changes streamline administrative processes for school districts and the State Department of Education without creating new student benefits or funding.
Nebraska's LB 302 would eliminate the state's observance of daylight saving time (DST), switching to permanent Central Standard Time (CST). It amends election timing laws to set fixed poll hours (7 a.m.-7 p.m. in mountain time zones, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in central time zones) and updates state employee leave policies to reference CST instead of DST. The bill requires neighboring states (Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming) to also adopt permanent standard time before Nebraska's change takes effect. This directly affects all Nebraskans by ending biannual clock changes, impacting election schedules, work hours for state employees, and daily routines.
This bill amends Nebraska's legal definition of "graduate degree programs" to clarify which degrees qualify under state law. It specifies three categories: first professional degrees (e.g., law, medicine, dentistry), master's degrees (with separate lists for professional fields like nursing or engineering versus academic fields like business or sciences), and doctoral degrees (including PhDs and similar). The change replaces the existing definition to provide explicit examples, ensuring consistent administrative classification for state reporting and program oversight. It does not create new programs or alter funding but affects how Nebraska's education agencies categorize graduate offerings.
LB 620 requires residential property owners (both rental and owner-occupied) to maintain their properties to local community standards. If an owner receives three separate code violations in one year without fixing issues, neighbors can sue for damages equal to the decrease in their property value. The law mandates two independent appraisals to determine value loss, with defenses available for natural disasters, serious illness, or legal barriers. This directly affects residential property owners and adjacent neighbors in communities where maintenance standards are not met.
This bill establishes a $1,000 annual limit on individual contributions to candidate campaign committees in Nebraska during an election year. Campaign committees must refund any contributions exceeding this amount within 10 days and report the details, including the donor's name and address. The limit applies to all donations received during the calendar year of an election but does not cover funds a candidate personally contributes to their own committee. This amendment modifies Nebraska's campaign finance rules to standardize contribution restrictions under the Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.
Nebraska's LB 615 prohibits distributing AI-generated deepfakes (videos, audio, or images falsely depicting candidates) within 90 days before an election if they misrepresent a candidate's actions or speech with intent to harm their reputation or deceive voters. It requires clear, visible disclosures (e.g., "This video has been AI-generated") when using synthetic media, with specific size and duration rules for visual content and audio announcements. Exceptions include news broadcasts clearly stating authenticity questions, satirical content, and media outlets publishing with explicit disclaimers. The law directly affects political campaigns, social media users, and media distributors during election periods but exempts bona fide news coverage. Candidates can seek court orders to block violations of the ban.
