LB 417 establishes the Nebraska Promise Program, providing tuition waivers for eligible Nebraska residents attending University of Nebraska campuses or Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. It covers up to 15 credit hours per semester after federal grants and scholarships are applied, targeting students with family incomes under $65,000 annually and requiring a 2.5 GPA. The bill also extends similar tuition waivers to community colleges (up to 2 years) and state colleges (up to 4 years) for qualifying low-income students. Funding for these waivers comes from a new College Promise Fund, with reimbursements distributed monthly from the General Fund to institutions after annual certification. The program requires institutions to verify eligibility and maintain a standardized appeals process through the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education.
This bill (LB 538A) allocates $138,227 for fiscal year 2025-26 and $137,431 for 2026-27 from Nebraska’s General Fund to the State Department of Education’s Program 25. It provides funding specifically to support the implementation of Legislative Bill 538 (the parent bill), which is not described in this text. The bill sets limits on salary and per diem expenses ($66,197 for 2025-26 and $68,348 for 2026-27). As a funding measure, it does not create new policy but enables the execution of another bill’s provisions.
LB 538 requires all Nebraska school boards and postsecondary institutions (like colleges and universities) to adopt written policies prohibiting discrimination - including antisemitism - based on race, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics. The policies must include specific measures like ensuring equal access to programs, prohibiting biased admission criteria, and integrating the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism into student and employee conduct codes. Each school must also provide antisemitism awareness training and report incidents to a new State Department of Education Title VI coordinator, who will monitor compliance, investigate complaints, and submit annual reports to the legislature. The bill harmonizes existing requirements under federal Civil Rights law without altering First Amendment protections.
This legislative resolution from the Nebraska Legislature urges the U.S. Congress and President to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The bill directly affects children with disabilities in Nebraska and their families by calling for federal financial support that has historically been underfunded. It highlights that since 1975, the federal government has only provided 40% of the authorized funding for special education, leaving state and local schools to cover the remaining costs. The resolution requests that federal authorities enact legislation to meet the full funding mandate, thereby reducing the financial burden on Nebraska schools and taxpayers.
Nebraska's legislature passed Legislative Resolution 296 urging the U.S. President and Congress to permanently extend higher meal reimbursements for childcare centers under the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. Specifically, it requests making permanent the 2022 Keep Kids Fed Act provisions that provide family day care homes with Tier I reimbursement rates (instead of lower Tier II) and an additional 10 cents per meal. This would directly support Nebraska's 1,283 participating childcare programs serving 23,695 low-income children, ensuring continued access to nutritious meals after current federal funding expired in 2023. The resolution has no binding effect but formally requests federal action.
This bill allocates state funding to support the implementation of Legislative Bill 937, which was introduced in the 2026 legislative session. The appropriation provides $106,400 for the 2026-27 fiscal year and $109,592 for the 2027-28 fiscal year from the General Fund. These funds are designated for the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska to carry out specific provisions outlined in LB 937. The bill is a financial measure that enables the university to execute policies established by the earlier legislation without adding new requirements.
LB 261 is Nebraska's state budget bill for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27, allocating funds for government operations, education, capital projects, and federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. It reappropriates unspent balances from previous years and specifies how federal recovery funds must be used, including restrictions on salary spending. The bill requires agencies to submit detailed budget reports and limits total salary/wage expenditures unless federal funds cover the excess. This directly affects all state agencies, universities, and programs receiving state or federal funds during the 2025-2027 budget period.
LB 645 adjusts retirement contributions for Nebraska's Class V school districts and the State Patrol Retirement System. Starting July 1, 2025, employees will contribute 8.75% to 9.75% of their salary based on the retirement system's funding level, and the state will add a 2% annual contribution of employee compensation to the retirement fund. The bill clarifies that the state's 2% contribution does not shift the district's responsibility for funding the retirement system. It also updates death benefits for State Patrol officers and aligns retirement provisions across systems.
LB 303 creates the School Financing Review Commission, a 18-member group including education officials, school district representatives, and community members. The commission will evaluate Nebraska's school funding formula under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act, review resource and student need factors, and recommend changes to help prevent property tax increases. It will also analyze how school funding impacts student outcomes like attendance, literacy, and graduation rates. The bill additionally modifies budget rules to allow school districts to exceed general fund budget limits under the act.
LB 306 modifies school residency rules to clarify admission for non-resident students, military families, and students in residential settings. It requires all Nebraska school districts to maintain a centralized financial database and mandates public and private colleges to report funding from "foreign adversarial sources" to the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. The bill also updates scholarship programs (Nebraska Career Scholarship Act and Door to College Scholarship Act) and adjusts governance for the Nebraska State Colleges Board. These changes aim to increase transparency in school funding and foreign financial influences on higher education.
