Nebraska's LB 9 updates tobacco tax and regulation laws to address new nicotine products. It defines "nicotine analogues" (substances chemically similar to nicotine or with similar effects) and creates a new category for "alternative nicotine products" (noncombustible items like vapes or gums containing nicotine, excluding e-cigarettes and FDA-regulated drugs). The bill adds taxes on these products, allows seizure of illegal items as contraband, and imposes penalties for violations. It directly affects retailers selling these products, requiring compliance with new tax rules and labeling. The law excludes e-cigarettes and FDA-approved nicotine products from its provisions.
This bill eliminates numerous state advisory groups, boards, and commissions - including the Climate Assessment Response Committee, Women's Health Initiative Advisory Council, and Palliative Care Act - and removes their funding. It also modifies department responsibilities, such as adjusting the Board of Mental Health Practice and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill specifically terminates the Whiteclay Public Health Emergency Task Force and streamlines overlapping government structures by repealing obsolete provisions. These changes aim to simplify state agency operations by removing redundant entities and consolidating functions.
This bill sets funding levels for Nebraska state agencies during fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25. It allocates specific sums for state government operations, handles unspent balances from prior years, and establishes a cap on state employee salaries and per diem payments. The bill requires agencies to operate within these budget constraints, including limits on total compensation for permanent and temporary staff. It directly affects all state agencies receiving operating funds and governs how they manage their budgets.
LB 262 appropriates $632,982 from the General Fund for each fiscal year (2025-26 and 2026-27) to pay salaries for Nebraska Legislature members, as required by law. The bill includes a spending cap of $588,000 annually for salaries and per diems, ensuring total expenditures do not exceed this amount. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and was approved by the governor on May 21, 2025. This procedural bill directly affects legislators by funding their compensation.
Nebraska Legislative Bill LB 263 appropriates funds for the salaries and benefits of constitutional state officers for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. It directly affects Supreme Court judges, Court of Appeals judges, district/juvenile and county court judges, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Auditor of Public Accounts. The bill specifies exact funding amounts for each position while establishing "salary limits" that restrict total expenditures for salaries and per diems. It includes provisions for reappropriating unspent funds and transferring budgets among judicial programs to support court operations. This is a standard funding measure, not a policy change, ensuring constitutional officers receive authorized compensation for the specified fiscal periods.
LB 296A is a funding bill that allocates $0 from the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to support Legislative Bill 296. It specifies that total expenditures for salaries and per diems from these funds cannot exceed $160,197 for 2025-26 or $165,403 for 2026-27. The bill directly affects the State Department of Education by providing a procedural funding mechanism for another legislative act. This is a technical appropriations measure with no actual monetary allocation, solely establishing budgetary parameters for a related bill.
This bill (LR 11CA) proposed a constitutional amendment to ban all taxes in Nebraska except retail sales taxes and excise taxes, effective January 1, 2028. It would have prohibited state and local governments from imposing income taxes, property taxes, or other tax types. The amendment required voter approval in the November 2026 election and included specific ballot language. However, the bill was withdrawn on February 13, 2025, and is no longer active.
