Rep. Dan Lonowski

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Nebraska county clerks' fees for marriage-related services. It reduces the fee for issuing a marriage license from $50 to $25 and lowers the fee for certified copies of marriage records from $16 to $9. Both fees will continue to be deposited into the county general fund. The bill directly affects individuals obtaining marriage licenses or certified marriage records, as well as county clerks who collect these fees. The changes amend Section 33-110 of Nebraska's statutes and repeal the original fee structure.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Nebraska's penalty for violating open burning bans and adds a fee for violators. It amends Section 81-520.02 to classify violations as a Class III misdemeanor (previously described as "Class III IV misdemeanor" in the text) and authorizes municipalities or fire districts to charge violators fees covering their costs for responding to and extinguishing fires caused by the violation. The fee must reflect the approximate cost of the fire response. The original penalty section is repealed, and the new fee mechanism applies to violations of sections 81-520.01 or 81-520.03-81-520.05.

Maddy summaryNebraska's LB 899 amends the Engineers and Architects Regulation Act to update seal requirements for licensed professionals and eliminate an exception allowing certain nonresidents to practice architecture without Nebraska licensure. The bill requires all architects and engineers to use official seals on technical documents (including signatures and dates), specifies seal design details, and removes the previous nonresident exception. It also revises application procedures for engineers and harmonizes related provisions across the law. The bill maintains existing exemptions for small residential projects (under 5,000 sq. ft.), farm buildings, and low-cost public works ($100,000 threshold), but modifies how these exemptions are applied. This directly affects licensed architects, engineers, and nonresident practitioners seeking to work in Nebraska.

Maddy summaryLB 900 amends Nebraska law governing how county sheriffs are paid when collecting taxes through distress warrants. It changes the fee structure for issuing warrants ($22 per warrant), levy fees ($1), and mileage reimbursement for sheriffs' travel (based on existing rates in Section 33-117). The bill also updates commission rates for taxes collected: 10 cents per dollar on amounts up to $500, and 8 cents per dollar on amounts over $500. These changes directly affect county sheriffs who enforce tax collections and taxpayers who pay these fees as part of their tax burden. The bill repeals the original section 77-1720 to implement these updated provisions.

Maddy summaryNebraska bill LB 804 creates confidential peer support counseling for law enforcement officers, emergency services personnel (including firefighters and EMTs), and Nebraska National Guard members. It protects communications during these sessions from being disclosed in court, to the public, or used in legal proceedings, while defining "peer support specialists" as trained colleagues who lead sessions after traumatic incidents. The confidentiality does not apply to threats of suicide, criminal acts, or required abuse reports. This bill makes existing peer support programs legally protected without creating new funding or services.

Maddy summaryLB 987, the Vision Benefit Plan Act, establishes rules for vision benefit plans in Nebraska. It defines key terms like "covered services" (eye care provided under a plan), "covered materials" (items like glasses or contacts), and "fee schedule" (how much eye care providers are reimbursed). The bill requires insurers to follow specific reimbursement standards and prohibits "nominal" payments that don't cover providers' actual costs. It directly affects vision insurers, eye care providers (optometrists and ophthalmologists), and people enrolled in vision benefit plans. The law creates a regulatory framework to ensure fair reimbursement for vision care services.

Maddy summaryLB 805 requires most health insurance plans in Nebraska to cover cranial helmets for infants under one year old with specific conditions, including deformational plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) or craniosynostosis (premature skull fusion). The bill applies to individual/group health policies, hospital/surgical plans, and self-funded employer plans (unless federal law preempts it), excluding short-term major medical plans and limited-benefit policies. Insurance companies must cover these helmets as prescribed by a doctor, ensuring families don't face out-of-pocket costs for this treatment. This directly affects infants with these conditions and their health insurers across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill (LB 1159) requires the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission to name one specific person to the Hall of Fame by January 1, 2027. The individual must meet four criteria: be a former U.S. House member, former University of Nebraska-Lincoln football coach, former UNL athletic director, and a Hastings High School graduate. The bill amends existing law to create this one-time exception to the standard naming rules, which otherwise limit the Hall of Fame to one inductee every five years. It does not change the general Hall of Fame process or create new policy.

Maddy summaryLB 1164, the Prior Learning Act, requires Nebraska's public colleges and universities to allow students to earn college credit for prior learning - such as military training, work experience, or professional certifications - by passing approved exams. The state education commission must approve a list of these exams and set minimum passing scores (cut scores) by September 2026. Institutions must develop and publish policies for awarding credit, prioritizing it for general education or major requirements over electives, and report annually on student usage and credit awarded. This directly affects students seeking to accelerate degree completion and public institutions administering credit.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Nebraska's Open Meetings Act to modify when local government bodies can hold meetings virtually. It requires applicants for electric generation facilities over 10 megawatts to hold at least one public meeting with advanced notice, where at least 50% of the governing body must attend (either in person or via videoconference, with at least one member physically present), and real property owners must have a chance to comment. The bill exempts privately developed renewable energy facilities from these meeting requirements if they comply with separate provisions (Section 70-1014.02) by notifying the board 30 days before construction begins. These changes apply specifically to electric utility projects and do not affect other types of public meetings.