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 455 would require injury reports filed under Nebraska's Workers' Compensation Act to be kept confidential by default, meaning they cannot be publicly accessed. Employees can choose to waive this confidentiality to allow public access to their specific reports, and this waiver remains in effect even if they change jobs. The bill specifies who may access these reports without waiver, including the affected employee, their attorney, the employer or insurer involved, certain attorneys handling related claims, or government agencies compiling statistics (with employee identities redacted). It does not change the types of injuries requiring reporting but clarifies who can view the reports under specific circumstances. The bill is currently postponed indefinitely in the Nebraska legislature.

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.

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.