Legislative News

Nebraska lawmakers gave second-round approval Monday to a series of budget bills for the next two years, moving one stage away from closing a projected deficit of more than half-a-billion dollars.

It’s crunch time for state lawmakers to rightsize Nebraska’s budget, by no later than May 15. Senators since November are considering a nearly $850 million combined in new revenue streams, less state spending and loose funding in the state’s couch cushions.

Lawmakers gave wide final approval Wednesday to two measures designed to shrink the state’s looming budget deficit by $136 million.

Proposal would replace lost county revenue but would lose the state money as lawmakers push to balance budget.

Nebraska’s educational savings accounts designed to help pay for public or private college expenses could expand to cover private K-12 tuition, in line with federal law, beginning in 2029.

The Nebraska Examiner is launching a new resource to break down election margins by legislative and congressional districts for state, federal and ballot measure races in recent years.

"We need to come up with that money for those people that we passed over," says State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering.

Tax credits to offset property taxes owed to local K-12 school districts are now automatically applied, but Nebraskans still need to file for income tax credits for community colleges for additional relief each year.

Utah lawmakers recently passed legislation eliminating 150- and 120-credit-hour requirements for CPA licensure in state statutes. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign the bill, which will then become law on July 1, 2026, according to the Utah Association of CPAs.

Here are teh Nebraska state senators making laws during the 109th legislative session.

Nebraska lawmakers will continue to cap themselves at introducing 20 bills each session of the Legislature after a failed vote to repeal the limit just one year after it was adopted.

The Legislature rejected an attempt by an Omaha lawmaker on Friday to lift the cap on how many bills can be introduced each year before finalizing the rules for debate.

It’s important for our leaders to be truthful and not speak half-truths to burnish their image, particularly when it comes to the financial stability of the state, which affects every Nebraskan.

Legislative session will feature many new committee chairs and freshman lawmakers.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen discussed his serious injuries during that horse ride, his recovery at hospitals in Columbus and Omaha and getting back to work in a sit-down interview with the Nebraska Examiner on Friday. He laughed and teared up in a high-backed chair in the living room of the Governor’s Mansion, where he has stayed since being released from the Nebraska Medical Center a week earlier.

Walt Radcliffe, 77, died Dec. 26, 2024, while in hospice care for kidney failure and other health issues. A celebration of life will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Hillcrest Country Club, 9401 O St., in Lincoln.

Thirty-nine states will begin 2025 with notable tax changes, including nine states cutting individual income taxes (two of them implementing flat taxes), three states cutting corporate income taxes, and two states adopting new first-year expensing provisions. Generally, state tax changes take effect either at the start of the calendar year (January 1) or the fiscal year (July 1 for most states), with rate changes for major taxes typically implemented effective January 1—either prospectively, as in these cases, or retroactively, as may happen under legislation enacted in the new year.

A loophole in a new law allowed some taxpayers to get money back while many lost the chance.

Incoming state senators recently convened at the Capitol for several days of seminars and hands-on practice that gave them a peek at what they can expect when they begin work on Jan. 8.

Governor Jim Pillen is previewing some of his priorities for the 2025 legislative session. These initiatives, and others, align with his administration’s ongoing commitment to kids, taxes, agriculture and values.

Gov. Jim Pillen is officially calling on Nebraska lawmakers to address “inconsistencies” in the state’s main school aid formula in the 2025 legislative session.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue, Property Assessment Division, has posted the 2024 Legislative Changes.

Read Chris Chappelear's recent op-ed in the Omaha World-Herald.

Changes are provided for Income Tax, sales & Use Taxes, Tax Incentives, Miscellaneous, Lottery/Charitable Gaming, and LB 34 Special Session.

A change in how property owners receive credit for taxes paid to support the local school district may cause some Nebraskans to miss out on tax relief this year.

State Sen. Steve Erdman says the revisions are a ‘plain and simple retroactive property tax increase’; State Sen. Brad von Gillern says there will be ‘no net difference to the taxpayer.’

The Nebraska Department of Revenue (DOR) is providing information on property tax relief changes resulting from a new credit through the passage of LB 34 (2024).

Nebraskans who have claimed a state income tax credit for property taxes paid in support of their area community college should continue to do so in the coming year.

Over the span of the last four months, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen lobbied energetically for significant property tax relief, with a stated goal of attaining 40% total property tax relief by the end of his second year in office. But when the Legislature completed its special session on Aug. 20, the result was an expanded and revamped program providing only about 3% to 4% more property tax relief, with total relief roughly around 20%, according to Pillen.

Lawmakers embraced the ‘absolute minimum’ LB 34 and said farewell to the class of senators elected in 2016, who led the charge to continue working.