Rep. Rick Holdcroft

Maddy summaryNebraska's LB 216 eliminates elected clerks of the district court, transferring their duties to clerk magistrates starting January 1, 2026. County employees currently handling district court functions become state employees under the Supreme Court by January 7, 2027, with no loss of income, benefits, or accrued leave. The bill requires judicial districts to develop consolidation plans for office space, duties, and personnel, approved by the Supreme Court. It also protects retirement benefits by ensuring no loss of accrued benefits and sharing additional transition costs between counties and the state.

Maddy summaryLB 117 exempts residential users from Nebraska's sales and use tax on electricity, natural gas, propane, and sewer utilities. It directly affects homeowners and renters in apartments or commercial properties primarily used as residences, where utilities are billed separately from rent. The bill amends tax code section 77-2704.13 to exclude these utility services from taxation when used for qualifying residential purposes. The exemption takes effect January 1, 2026, and repeals the previous tax treatment for these utilities. This is a direct tax policy change for residential utility consumers, not a procedural measure.

Maddy summaryLB 327 shifts responsibility for funding probation services from Nebraska counties to the state. Beginning between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2027, the state will pay all costs for probation staff salaries, travel, office maintenance, and technology (including hardware, software, and internet). This replaces a prior system where counties initially covered these expenses and sought reimbursement from other counties. The bill directly affects county probation offices, which will no longer bear these costs, and the state budget, which must appropriate funds through the Supreme Court.

Maddy summaryLB 328 changes how Nebraska's documentary stamp tax revenue is distributed to four specific funds: the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Fund, Behavioral Health Services Fund, and Site and Building Development Fund. It requires the Department of Economic Development to report detailed project data (like locations, funding amounts, and housing units created) for the Affordable Housing Fund annually. The bill also expands the Behavioral Health Services Fund to include housing assistance for very low-income adults with serious mental illness, with excess funds potentially distributed to regional authorities for housing. These changes harmonize existing funding rules and add transparency requirements for how tax money supports housing and health services.

Maddy summaryLB 540 creates the Nebraska Apiary Advisory Board to address beekeeping concerns and establishes a University of Nebraska educator position. The board, composed of beekeepers (including hobbyists, sideliners, and commercial beekeepers), will identify research gaps, recommend policies for bee health, and advise the legislature on protecting bee populations. It requires the University of Nebraska to create a full-time apiculture educator role focused on supporting all beekeeping types. The bill also updates definitions in the Apiary Act and repeals outdated sections to harmonize existing laws.

Maddy summaryNebraska bill LB 81 amends the Property Tax Incentive Act to clarify definitions and adjust tax credit calculations for school district and community college taxes. It defines "community college taxes" and "school district taxes" to exclude bonded indebtedness, voter-approved overrides, and five-year delinquent taxes. The bill changes how the refundable tax credit percentage is set, requiring the Department of Revenue to cap total credits at specific dollar amounts for 2022-2023 and link 2024 credits to the state's assessed property value growth rate. This directly affects taxpayers (individuals and businesses) who pay eligible school district or community college taxes, allowing them to claim credits against state income or franchise tax. The changes repeal prior sections and take effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryNebraska's LB 550 requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing students to miss one class period weekly for religious instruction courses, provided parents/guardians give written consent. The policy mandates sponsoring religious organizations to track attendance, handle transportation, assume liability during instruction, and use secular evaluation criteria (like class hours or syllabus review) if academic credit is offered. School districts cannot use public funds for these courses beyond minimal administrative costs, and students remain counted as attending for funding purposes during excused time. Violations allow affected parties to sue school districts for damages, attorney fees, or other relief.

Maddy summaryNebraska's LB 541 eliminates online voter registration and restricts voter registration by mail, requiring additional verification for mail-in applications. The bill mandates hand counts of ballots (without electronic devices), requires watermarks on official ballots, and sets specific requirements for secure ballot drop boxes. It also requires voters to provide specific grounds for early voting and repeals outdated provisions like online registration rules. These changes directly affect all Nebraska voters, election officials, and county clerks administering elections under the state's Election Act.

Maddy summaryNebraska's LB 214 amends the Newborn Safe Haven Act to establish standardized safety devices for anonymous infant surrender. It requires hospitals and fire stations to install padded, temperature-controlled devices with dual alarms (calling 911 when opened or detecting movement) and multilingual signage, with daily inspections and weekly testing. The bill provides criminal immunity for surrendering infants under 90 days old at approved locations (hospitals, fire stations, or law enforcement) and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to create procedures for anonymous medical history sharing, reconsidering surrenders, and paternity testing. The legislation also allocates $15,000 for installation grants and $65,000 for public awareness campaigns about the program.

Maddy summaryNebraska's Legislative Resolution 21 (LR 21) is a procedural application to Congress requesting a constitutional convention to propose a federal amendment limiting House and Senate members to a set number of terms. It directly seeks to initiate a process that would affect all future U.S. congressional elections by potentially restricting how many times a person can be re-elected to either chamber. The resolution specifies that Nebraska's application will be counted toward the 34-state threshold required under Article V of the Constitution, aggregating with similar applications from other states. This resolution does not create new law but is part of a state-level effort to advance term limits for federal lawmakers through the constitutional amendment process.