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 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.