Nebraska's LB 924 changes how learning communities (groups of school districts collaborating on shared programs) can use property tax levies. It reduces the maximum allowable levy from 95 cents to just half a cent per $100 of taxable property valuation for specific purposes. The new levy funds elementary learning center facility leases, remodeling, and up to 50% of approved capital projects for focus schools or programs. This directly affects learning communities and their member school districts by restricting and redirecting their funding authority. The bill repeals the previous 95-cent levy provision and aligns with updated funding mechanisms under Section 79-2111.
Nebraska's LB 1086 changes eligibility requirements for community college gap assistance, directly affecting students seeking financial support to cover costs not covered by other funding. The bill replaces existing rules with a new standard requiring applicants to demonstrate capacity to: complete an eligible program, earn a credential, secure full-time employment, and maintain that employment. It also explicitly excludes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training benefits from eligibility calculations. This policy change aims to ensure gap assistance fills true financial gaps after other public or private funding sources are exhausted.
LB 653 updates Nebraska's education funding rules for special education programs, support services, and the enrollment option program (which allows students to attend schools outside their district). It requires school districts to deny no more than 16% of enrollment applications from students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) due to capacity limits, while ensuring non-discriminatory criteria for acceptance. The bill also revises reimbursement processes for certain students in the enrollment program and modifies how the Education Future Fund can be used. These changes aim to standardize district capacity rules and clarify funding mechanisms for educational programs.
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 605 requires Nebraska school boards to create policies governing transgender student participation in school-sponsored extracurricular activities and athletic associations. The bill mandates that transgender students (defined as having a gender identity differing from their sex assigned at birth) submit written requests with parental involvement, provide medical documentation (including hormone therapy records for female-identifying students), and undergo school board review to confirm eligibility. Key provisions require documentation proving consistent gender identity, medical verification of hormone therapy or surgery for athletic participation, and proof that transgender female students do not possess physical advantages over biological females. The bill was introduced in January 2025, referred to the Education Committee, and withdrawn on March 11, 2025, before moving further.
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.
