Labor & Employment

LB 921 adopts Nebraska's version of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. It requires employers with 25+ employees to provide 60 days' written notice before a business closing or mass layoff affecting 25+ workers, directly impacting Nebraska businesses and their employees. The bill mandates that notices include details like the affected site, expected dates of job losses, and job titles, while keeping employee names confidential with the Department of Labor. Employers must notify both affected workers/their representatives and the Department of Labor before implementing such changes. This replaces Nebraska's previous, less specific requirements with a standardized notice process.

LB 1165 amends Nebraska's Key Employer and Jobs Retention Act to adjust the wage retention credit to 5% of wages paid to retained employees earning at least the state average wage, with annual and total spending caps. It creates a new Department of Labor grant program to help employers retain or attract workers after a change in ownership and control, particularly for businesses meeting key employer criteria. The bill also modifies credit percentages under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act and adds capital improvement grants for eligible employers under the Site and Building Development Act. These changes apply to key employers with at least 1,000 equivalent employees in Nebraska during a base year, including those facing ownership transitions.

LB 397 repeals Nebraska's requirements for employers to establish workplace safety committees and implement safety programs (sections 48-443 to 48-445). It also terminates a related fund and removes related eligibility criteria from workers' compensation rules. Employers previously required to maintain safety committees or comply with safety program standards will no longer face these mandates. The bill eliminates these specific provisions without creating new requirements or changing other workers' compensation rules.

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 229 amends Nebraska's Employment Security Law to exclude "marketplace network contractors" (such as delivery drivers or ride-share workers for platforms like Uber) from the law's definition of "employment." This means these workers would no longer qualify for unemployment benefits under Nebraska's system. The bill achieves this by adding a specific exclusion to the law's definition of "employment," clarifying that services performed for marketplace network platforms are not covered. The change directly affects independent contractors working through digital platforms, not the platforms themselves or traditional employees.