Some researchers question long-term cost savings for state programs.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/schatlani/">SHALINA CHATLANI</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

Over her three-decade career, weight management physician Dr. Sarah Ro has seen hundreds of patients. Many of them are on Medicaid and have become yo-yo dieters who, despite their best efforts at changing their eating habits and lifestyles, cannot seem to shed the pounds hurting their health.

“They have a tremendous amount of disease burden,” said Ro, medical director of the University of North Carolina Physicians Network weight management program, which serves patients from marginalized communities at clinics across the state. “All the complications that you could think of.”

But the increasingly popular drug therapy known as GLP-1s could help, she said.

GLP-1 drugs mimic a hormone in the intestinal tract to balance the body’s blood sugar levels. And while GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound have been around for years to help patients with diabetes, they are growing in popularity to treat patients in need of significant weight loss. That’s because the drugs also send the brain a signal that reduces hunger.

Due to their high list price in the United States — ranging from about $940 to $1,350 a month before insurance, rebates or discounts — many patients can’t afford them.

But now that these drugs are in greater demand from both patients and doctors, state Medicaid programs are grappling with whether to cover them for weight loss, both for reasons of equity and to save on future health expenditures. Some researchers, however, question whether the drugs can help lower costs in the long run.

Last August, North Carolina became the latest state to begin covering some federal Food and Drug Administration-approved GLP-1s for obesity treatment among some populations, joining a dozen other states.

“For me, it wasn’t ever an option not to cover it,” said Kody Kinsley, who just ended his term as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services under former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

“The first big reason was just a sense of doing what is right for folks,” Kinsley told Stateline. He also thinks coverage is the right investment economically, estimating that the North Carolina Medicaid program spends about a billion dollars a year on obesity-related expenses.

He told Stateline that funding drugs that can cut those costs down by even a small percentage is worth it over the long run. He also noted that Medicaid covers other expensive drugs. The department expects the cost of covering GLP-1s to be about $16 million a year under the new policy. By comparison, coverage for Dupixent, a drug commonly used to treat eczema, runs the state about $28 million a year.

“It is my experience that the only time we seem to really get up in arms as a society about the cost of a drug — to the point where we are willing to not cover it — is when it is for some sort of stigmatized disease,” Kinsley told Stateline.

Obesity, he noted, is a recognized medical condition.

Medicaid programs cover some GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity in a dozen other states: California, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin.

An annual survey from the health policy research organization KFF recently found that half of the remaining state Medicaid programs are considering covering the drugs, but that the high costs are still prohibitive for most despite federal matches and rebate programs with drug manufacturers.

State officials say health equity — the idea that all groups regardless of background deserve equal access to health care — is one of the main reasons they are considering the coverage, but that they worry higher costs will put pressure on their Medicaid budgets, said KFF senior policy analyst Liz Williams, who co-authored the survey of state Medicaid program directors.

Medicaid spending on GLP-1s for all conditions increased from $597.3 million for about 755,000 prescriptions in 2019, to $3.9 billion for 3.8 million prescriptions in 2023, according to KFF. It’s hard to tell, however,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-coverage-of-and-spending-on-glp-1s/#:~:text=From%20Medicaid%20data%20publicly%20available%2C%20there%20is%20no%20way%20yet%20to%20disentangle%20how%20much%20of%20the%20growing%20use%20of%20GLP%2D1s%20is%20related%20to%20treatment%20for%20diabetes%20versus%20obesity%2C%20or%20a%20combination%20of%20both." target="_blank">how much</a>&nbsp;of the increase is solely for obesity vs. diabetes, or a combination of both, the study noted.

Some states in KFF’s survey said they are considering whether coverage expansion in the future may reduce long-term Medicaid spending on chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

But one researcher, John Cawley, a professor of economics and public policy at Cornell University, and his colleagues found that while obesity “basically doubles a person’s annual health care costs,” the savings associated with public insurance plans covering GLP-1s for just obesity treatment are dependent on the patient’s starting body mass index, or BMI.

A healthy weight is a BMI of up to 25. People who are obese, based on their height and weight, have an amount of fat on their bodies representing a BMI of 30 or higher.

“You shouldn’t expect to see almost any cost savings for somebody whose BMI is around 30 or 31,” Cawley told Stateline. He noted that most significant savings would happen at a starting BMI of around 40, but added that “those savings still may not be great enough to pay for the current list price of these drugs.”

Cawley said there are numerous other reasons to cover the drug, though, such as improving someone’s quality of life.

Ro, the weight management doctor, told Stateline that across North Carolina, people in vulnerable communities can be predisposed to developing obesity because they often live within what’s known as an “obesogenic environment” — a combination of physical, economic and social factors that promotes obesity.

Residents struggle with losing weight not only due to a diet of unhealthy foods, but also because of generational genetics, a dearth of grocery stores with healthy foods, and busy schedules with multiple jobs and a lack of child care. Many cities in the state aren’t that “walkable,” leaving many residents with few options for basic exercise.

And some of the state’s most popular foods are high-fat, high-sugar dishes such as pork shoulder slathered in sugary and smoky barbecue sauce, peach cobbler, fried shrimp and fried green tomatoes. North Carolina is the “buckle of the barbecue belt,” Kinsley said.

There, 70% of residents are either overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to several comorbidities, such as diabetes and heart failure. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 34% of North Carolina adults — compared with 40% nationally — are obese.

That rate rises across demographic groups. While white North Carolinians experience an obesity rate of 32%, Hispanic populations sit at 34%, Indigenous North Carolinians are at 38%, and Black North Carolinians have a rate of 48%.

Most Medicaid enrollees in the state are people of color.

In late November, the Biden administration proposed a new rule to require Medicaid and Medicare programs to cover GLP-1s for weight loss. The incoming Trump administration will have to decide whether to approve those changes.

The Biden administration estimates that the change would cost the federal government about $11 billion over the course of 10 years for Medicaid. States would have to pay an estimated $3.8 billion.

While states assess their capacities and the federal government considers its plans, Ro said her patients are getting a better shot at getting healthier by having access to the coverage.

“GLP-1s are not the answer for everybody,” Ro told Stateline. “But If I have a high-risk patient with heart disease, with sleep apnea and advanced liver disease, this could be a lifesaving medication.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736176419950.png" alt="Ozempic was originally approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes, but demand has surged because of the drug’s weight-loss benefits.&nbsp;Thirteen states cover GLP-1 drugs through their Medicaid programs, and others are considering following suit.- courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>Ozempic was originally approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes, but demand has surged because of the drug’s weight-loss benefits.&nbsp;Thirteen states cover GLP-1 drugs through their Medicaid programs, and others are considering following suit.- courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Some researchers question long-term cost savings for state programs.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/schatlani/">SHALINA CHATLANI</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a> Over her three-decade career, weight management physician Dr. Sarah Ro has seen hundreds of patients. Many of them are on Medicaid and have become yo-yo dieters who, despite their best efforts at changing their eating habits and lifestyles, cannot seem to shed the pounds hurting their health.“They have a tremendous amount of disease burden,” said Ro, medical director of the University of North Carolina Physicians Network weight management program, which serves patients from marginalized communities at clinics across the state. “All the complications that you could think of.”But the increasingly popular drug therapy known as GLP-1s could help, she said.GLP-1 drugs mimic a hormone in the intestinal tract to balance the body’s blood sugar levels. And while GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound have been around for years to help patients with diabetes, they are growing in popularity to treat patients in need of significant weight loss. That’s because the drugs also send the brain a signal that reduces hunger.Due to their high list price in the United States — ranging from about $940 to $1,350 a month before insurance, rebates or discounts — many patients can’t afford them.But now that these drugs are in greater demand from both patients and doctors, state Medicaid programs are grappling with whether to cover them for weight loss, both for reasons of equity and to save on future health expenditures. Some researchers, however, question whether the drugs can help lower costs in the long run.Last August, North Carolina became the latest state to begin covering some federal Food and Drug Administration-approved GLP-1s for obesity treatment among some populations, joining a dozen other states.“For me, it wasn’t ever an option not to cover it,” said Kody Kinsley, who just ended his term as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services under former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.“The first big reason was just a sense of doing what is right for folks,” Kinsley told Stateline. He also thinks coverage is the right investment economically, estimating that the North Carolina Medicaid program spends about a billion dollars a year on obesity-related expenses.He told Stateline that funding drugs that can cut those costs down by even a small percentage is worth it over the long run. He also noted that Medicaid covers other expensive drugs. The department expects the cost of covering GLP-1s to be about $16 million a year under the new policy. By comparison, coverage for Dupixent, a drug commonly used to treat eczema, runs the state about $28 million a year.“It is my experience that the only time we seem to really get up in arms as a society about the cost of a drug — to the point where we are willing to not cover it — is when it is for some sort of stigmatized disease,” Kinsley told Stateline.Obesity, he noted, is a recognized medical condition.<h2>Medicaid spending</h2>Medicaid programs cover some GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity in a dozen other states: California, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin.An annual survey from the health policy research organization KFF recently found that half of the remaining state Medicaid programs are considering covering the drugs, but that the high costs are still prohibitive for most despite federal matches and rebate programs with drug manufacturers.State officials say health equity — the idea that all groups regardless of background deserve equal access to health care — is one of the main reasons they are considering the coverage, but that they worry higher costs will put pressure on their Medicaid budgets, said KFF senior policy analyst Liz Williams, who co-authored the survey of state Medicaid program directors.Medicaid spending on GLP-1s for all conditions increased from $597.3 million for about 755,000 prescriptions in 2019, to $3.9 billion for 3.8 million prescriptions in 2023, according to KFF. It’s hard to tell, however,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-coverage-of-and-spending-on-glp-1s/#:~:text=From%20Medicaid%20data%20publicly%20available%2C%20there%20is%20no%20way%20yet%20to%20disentangle%20how%20much%20of%20the%20growing%20use%20of%20GLP%2D1s%20is%20related%20to%20treatment%20for%20diabetes%20versus%20obesity%2C%20or%20a%20combination%20of%20both." target="_blank">how much</a>&nbsp;of the increase is solely for obesity vs. diabetes, or a combination of both, the study noted.Some states in KFF’s survey said they are considering whether coverage expansion in the future may reduce long-term Medicaid spending on chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.But one researcher, John Cawley, a professor of economics and public policy at Cornell University, and his colleagues found that while obesity “basically doubles a person’s annual health care costs,” the savings associated with public insurance plans covering GLP-1s for just obesity treatment are dependent on the patient’s starting body mass index, or BMI.A healthy weight is a BMI of up to 25. People who are obese, based on their height and weight, have an amount of fat on their bodies representing a BMI of 30 or higher.“You shouldn’t expect to see almost any cost savings for somebody whose BMI is around 30 or 31,” Cawley told Stateline. He noted that most significant savings would happen at a starting BMI of around 40, but added that “those savings still may not be great enough to pay for the current list price of these drugs.”Cawley said there are numerous other reasons to cover the drug, though, such as improving someone’s quality of life.<h2>An ‘obesogenic environment’</h2>Ro, the weight management doctor, told Stateline that across North Carolina, people in vulnerable communities can be predisposed to developing obesity because they often live within what’s known as an “obesogenic environment” — a combination of physical, economic and social factors that promotes obesity.Residents struggle with losing weight not only due to a diet of unhealthy foods, but also because of generational genetics, a dearth of grocery stores with healthy foods, and busy schedules with multiple jobs and a lack of child care. Many cities in the state aren’t that “walkable,” leaving many residents with few options for basic exercise.And some of the state’s most popular foods are high-fat, high-sugar dishes such as pork shoulder slathered in sugary and smoky barbecue sauce, peach cobbler, fried shrimp and fried green tomatoes. North Carolina is the “buckle of the barbecue belt,” Kinsley said.There, 70% of residents are either overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to several comorbidities, such as diabetes and heart failure. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 34% of North Carolina adults — compared with 40% nationally — are obese.That rate rises across demographic groups. While white North Carolinians experience an obesity rate of 32%, Hispanic populations sit at 34%, Indigenous North Carolinians are at 38%, and Black North Carolinians have a rate of 48%.Most Medicaid enrollees in the state are people of color.In late November, the Biden administration proposed a new rule to require Medicaid and Medicare programs to cover GLP-1s for weight loss. The incoming Trump administration will have to decide whether to approve those changes.The Biden administration estimates that the change would cost the federal government about $11 billion over the course of 10 years for Medicaid. States would have to pay an estimated $3.8 billion.While states assess their capacities and the federal government considers its plans, Ro said her patients are getting a better shot at getting healthier by having access to the coverage.“GLP-1s are not the answer for everybody,” Ro told Stateline. “But If I have a high-risk patient with heart disease, with sleep apnea and advanced liver disease, this could be a lifesaving medication.”

As demand for weight-loss drugs rises, states grapple with Medicaid coverage

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Lawmakers have formally introduced a “fix” to Nebraska’s summer special session changes to a key property tax relief program, which closed off some tax relief for Nebraskans.

State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58807" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 81</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/17/lawmakers-propose-2025-legislation-to-fix-missing-year-of-property-tax-relief/">promise</a>&nbsp;he and five other lawmakers made in October. The legislation would allow all Nebraskans to claim a credit on any property taxes paid in 2024 when they file their tax returns this spring, in the middle of the 90-day legislative session. The aim is to make whole the people who missed out on claiming an income tax credit for property taxes assessed in December 2023.

LB 81 would offer a one-time extension for the income tax credit program established in 2020 and designed to offset K-12 school taxes, which make up the majority of local property taxes.&nbsp;

The credits will now be immediately applied against school taxes on property tax statements, beginning in December 2024.

For some Nebraskans who didn’t know about the program previously or weren’t able to request the relief, it will be the first time they benefit from the program. About 50% of such eligible credits were left unclaimed.

“[The] challenge is that, in so doing, we did not realize that, inadvertently, we caused a problem as we set about the solution,” Hardin said at an afternoon news conference in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda.

“It’s lovely to get that shot in the arm right now because most of us got lowered rates for this year,” Hardin added. “We’re looking at that saying, ‘Hey, that’s good.’ The problem is when you look across those years, 2023 is missing.”

Hardin and State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth, who cosponsored LB 81, were among 40 lawmakers to vote to pass legislation during the special session to “front-load” the existing relief program so more people received it. But the change closed the door for relief on 2024 tax returns for anyone who decided to pay property taxes assessed in December 2023 in arrears, or throughout 2024.

“We didn’t realize it at the time but what ended up effectively happening is we ended up making life more miserable,” Hardin said, saying about 85% of Nebraskans didn’t pay their 2023 assessed taxes by December 31, 2023.&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/lost-in-switcheroo-loophole-in-new-law-allowed-a-few-nebraskans-to-get-money-back-many-lost-the-chance/" target="_blank">One person who did pay early</a>: Gov. Jim Pillen.

The legislation, as written, would not be limited to taxes assessed in December 2023 taxes. It would include anyone who paid their 2024 property taxes assessed just last month, if they paid by Dec. 31, 2024.

Implementing LB 81 would cost up to $750 million, plus the allowable growth rate of all real Nebraska property, as determined by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The actual cost of the fix would likely be less because not all Nebraskans would request the additional year’s credit.

Meanwhile, the state is facing a more than $432 million projected budget shortfall by summer 2027 that lawmakers must tackle.

Hardin said lawmakers might draft an amendment to limit the additional relief to the desired fix: to target only the taxpayers who lost out on the credit for property taxes paid in 2023 if they didn’t pay those taxes by Dec. 31, 2023.

“There was no sleight of hand going on by the Revenue Committee or anyone involved in that process,” Hardin said. “We truly didn’t realize that what we made was an expensive error, but we’re saying: Here’s an opportunity for us to talk about it and fix it.”

Former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, as chair of the Revenue Committee, led LB 34 through the special session for the tax credit changes she championed four years prior. Linehan, a former six-year chair of the Revenue Committee, and her successor as committee chair, State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha, have said the cash flow to taxpayers is improved by the special session’s changes.&nbsp;

“Nobody had a crystal ball that that was going to happen, that LB 34 was going to happen the way that it happened,” von Gillern told reporters. “To say that anybody prepaid their taxes knowing that they were going to get a ‘double dip’ on this is not reasonable.”

Linehan and von Gillern have noted that if the relief program is funded twice in the same year, the double $750 million credit has a total $1.5 billion price tag.

Hardin envisions paying for the one-time extension of tax credits using billions of dollars sitting in Nebraska agency cash funds, “sweeping the accounts” and recouping money that he said departments were “hoarding.”

The effort to plug the “missing year” of relief that led to LB 81 was in part drafted by another former lawmaker before he was term-limited this week: Steve Erdman of Bayard.

Erdman was among the first to identify what he saw as a “retroactive property tax increase,” to the tune of 20-22% for some Nebraskans he said, shortly after the special session ended in August, as first reported by the Nebraska Examiner.

He and two other term-limited senators were the sole opponents of LB 34, largely for wanting more relief, not, as Erdman described the changes, “a decrease in the increase” of property taxes.

“You can go on forever and never make up that loss,” Erdman said in October of the “skipped” relief. “The question I have is, ‘Whose money is it?’ It’s the people’s money.”

Erdman drafted the legislation for his western Nebraska partner, Hardin, who also is taking the mantle from Erdman on seeking to more broadly rewrite Nebraska’s tax code by eliminating property, income and corporate taxes (the “EPIC Option”) and creating a wholesale consumption tax, but not on groceries.

“EPIC is alive and well,” Erdman told the Examiner last week. “The next effort that we put forward will be a far more involved and specific plan on how to get this on the ballot.”

Erdman says it takes time to make “big, bold changes,” but supporters aren’t deterred because of decades of inadequate policies and have learned how to improve their efforts. They are “more focused today than they were before.”

“Going forward, we will have a whole new look,” he continued. “I think it’ll be an opportunity for the Nebraska people that are being taxed out of their homes and farms and businesses to understand that there’s only one option, and that’s to change the whole system.”&nbsp;

Brandt said property tax relief is top of mind for his constituents.

“They want to know what happened,” Brandt said, adding that the 85% of Nebraskans who didn’t pay their 2023 taxes by the end of that calendar year are in rural districts.

“I would like to tell the people of the state: We’re here,” he continued. “We’re trying to make a difference.”

State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward said farmers in her district also preplan how they’ll pay their taxes and are good about claiming the income tax credit when available. The Nebraska Farm Bureau has been pushing for an LB 81-style fix.

“They didn’t know the rules were changing,” Hughes said, adding the quick fix left taxpayers in the hole without time to choose their next steps, who might have paid early if they had known.

The special session was the longest and most expensive in state history, costing $173,134 over 17 days, based on a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/leg-council-2025-deficit.pdf">deficit budget request</a>&nbsp;made&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58115" target="_blank">after the special session</a>. That’s a daily cost of $10,184.35, the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/05/30/property-tax-special-session-could-be-among-costliest-in-nebraska-history/">highest of any special session</a>&nbsp;in Nebraska.

LB 81 would require an early hearing and would need to be passed, and signed into law, by the time Nebraskans start turning in their tax returns this spring.

Hardin would also need at least 33 lawmakers, regardless if the bill is filibustered, for his bill to take effect for this tax season. And he would need Pillen’s blessing.

Conrad said that in a state budget of&nbsp;<a href="https://statespending.nebraska.gov/CurrentFiscalYearBudget" target="_blank">more than $12 billion</a>, lawmakers can find the money while also closing the projected budget shortfall.

“It is easily ascertainable to find resources to make it right for Nebraska taxpayers,” Conrad said. “If indeed there is a political will, if indeed there is consensus, we have to come together to make things right for Nebraskans who were negatively impacted by the special session.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736537855853.jpeg" alt=" State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, center, hosts a news conference on his legislation for a one-time extension to an income-tax based property tax relief program. Behind him are, from left: State Sens. Margo Juarez of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth, Jana Hughes of Seward and Glen Meyer of Pender. Jan. 9, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering, center, hosts a news conference on his legislation for a one-time extension to an income-tax based property tax relief program. Behind him are, from left: State Sens. Margo Juarez of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Tom Brandt of Plymouth, Jana Hughes of Seward and Glen Meyer of Pender. Jan. 9, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="http://V">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Lawmakers have formally introduced a “fix” to Nebraska’s summer special session changes to a key property tax relief program, which closed off some tax relief for Nebraskans.State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58807" target="_blank">Legislative Bill 81</a>&nbsp;on Thursday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/17/lawmakers-propose-2025-legislation-to-fix-missing-year-of-property-tax-relief/">promise</a>&nbsp;he and five other lawmakers made in October. The legislation would allow all Nebraskans to claim a credit on any property taxes paid in 2024 when they file their tax returns this spring, in the middle of the 90-day legislative session. The aim is to make whole the people who missed out on claiming an income tax credit for property taxes assessed in December 2023.LB 81 would offer a one-time extension for the income tax credit program established in 2020 and designed to offset K-12 school taxes, which make up the majority of local property taxes.&nbsp;The credits will now be immediately applied against school taxes on property tax statements, beginning in December 2024.For some Nebraskans who didn’t know about the program previously or weren’t able to request the relief, it will be the first time they benefit from the program. About 50% of such eligible credits were left unclaimed.“[The] challenge is that, in so doing, we did not realize that, inadvertently, we caused a problem as we set about the solution,” Hardin said at an afternoon news conference in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda.“It’s lovely to get that shot in the arm right now because most of us got lowered rates for this year,” Hardin added. “We’re looking at that saying, ‘Hey, that’s good.’ The problem is when you look across those years, 2023 is missing.”<h2>Tax credit timing changes</h2>Before, in LB 1107 (2020)<ul>
 <li>December 2019 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2020. Income tax credits in 2021.</li><li>December 2020 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2021. Income tax credits in 2022.</li><li>December 2021 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2022. Income tax credits in 2023.</li><li>December 2022 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2023. Income tax credits in 2024.</li><li>December 2023 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2024. Income tax credits in 2025.</li>
 </ul>After, in LB 34 (2024)<ul>
 <li>December 2023 assessed taxes. No tax credits available (unless paid by Dec. 31, 2023).</li><li>December 2024 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2025.</li><li>December 2025 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2026.</li>
 </ul>Proposed, in LB 81 (2025)<ul>
 <li>December 2023 assessed taxes. Most paid in 2024. Income tax credits in 2025.</li><li>December 2024 assessed taxes. Discount automatically applied upon payment, typically in 2025.</li>
 </ul><h2>‘Making life more miserable’</h2>Hardin and State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth, who cosponsored LB 81, were among 40 lawmakers to vote to pass legislation during the special session to “front-load” the existing relief program so more people received it. But the change closed the door for relief on 2024 tax returns for anyone who decided to pay property taxes assessed in December 2023 in arrears, or throughout 2024.“We didn’t realize it at the time but what ended up effectively happening is we ended up making life more miserable,” Hardin said, saying about 85% of Nebraskans didn’t pay their 2023 assessed taxes by December 31, 2023.&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/lost-in-switcheroo-loophole-in-new-law-allowed-a-few-nebraskans-to-get-money-back-many-lost-the-chance/" target="_blank">One person who did pay early</a>: Gov. Jim Pillen.The legislation, as written, would not be limited to taxes assessed in December 2023 taxes. It would include anyone who paid their 2024 property taxes assessed just last month, if they paid by Dec. 31, 2024.Implementing LB 81 would cost up to $750 million, plus the allowable growth rate of all real Nebraska property, as determined by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The actual cost of the fix would likely be less because not all Nebraskans would request the additional year’s credit.Meanwhile, the state is facing a more than $432 million projected budget shortfall by summer 2027 that lawmakers must tackle.Hardin said lawmakers might draft an amendment to limit the additional relief to the desired fix: to target only the taxpayers who lost out on the credit for property taxes paid in 2023 if they didn’t pay those taxes by Dec. 31, 2023.“There was no sleight of hand going on by the Revenue Committee or anyone involved in that process,” Hardin said. “We truly didn’t realize that what we made was an expensive error, but we’re saying: Here’s an opportunity for us to talk about it and fix it.”<h2>‘Nobody had a crystal ball’</h2>Former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, as chair of the Revenue Committee, led LB 34 through the special session for the tax credit changes she championed four years prior. Linehan, a former six-year chair of the Revenue Committee, and her successor as committee chair, State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha, have said the cash flow to taxpayers is improved by the special session’s changes.&nbsp;“Nobody had a crystal ball that that was going to happen, that LB 34 was going to happen the way that it happened,” von Gillern told reporters. “To say that anybody prepaid their taxes knowing that they were going to get a ‘double dip’ on this is not reasonable.”Linehan and von Gillern have noted that if the relief program is funded twice in the same year, the double $750 million credit has a total $1.5 billion price tag.Hardin envisions paying for the one-time extension of tax credits using billions of dollars sitting in Nebraska agency cash funds, “sweeping the accounts” and recouping money that he said departments were “hoarding.”<h2>‘The people’s money’</h2>The effort to plug the “missing year” of relief that led to LB 81 was in part drafted by another former lawmaker before he was term-limited this week: Steve Erdman of Bayard.Erdman was among the first to identify what he saw as a “retroactive property tax increase,” to the tune of 20-22% for some Nebraskans he said, shortly after the special session ended in August, as first reported by the Nebraska Examiner.He and two other term-limited senators were the sole opponents of LB 34, largely for wanting more relief, not, as Erdman described the changes, “a decrease in the increase” of property taxes.“You can go on forever and never make up that loss,” Erdman said in October of the “skipped” relief. “The question I have is, ‘Whose money is it?’ It’s the people’s money.”<h2>The EPIC Option</h2>Erdman drafted the legislation for his western Nebraska partner, Hardin, who also is taking the mantle from Erdman on seeking to more broadly rewrite Nebraska’s tax code by eliminating property, income and corporate taxes (the “EPIC Option”) and creating a wholesale consumption tax, but not on groceries.“EPIC is alive and well,” Erdman told the Examiner last week. “The next effort that we put forward will be a far more involved and specific plan on how to get this on the ballot.”Erdman says it takes time to make “big, bold changes,” but supporters aren’t deterred because of decades of inadequate policies and have learned how to improve their efforts. They are “more focused today than they were before.”“Going forward, we will have a whole new look,” he continued. “I think it’ll be an opportunity for the Nebraska people that are being taxed out of their homes and farms and businesses to understand that there’s only one option, and that’s to change the whole system.”&nbsp;<h2>Tax relief priority in rural Nebraska</h2>Brandt said property tax relief is top of mind for his constituents.“They want to know what happened,” Brandt said, adding that the 85% of Nebraskans who didn’t pay their 2023 taxes by the end of that calendar year are in rural districts.“I would like to tell the people of the state: We’re here,” he continued. “We’re trying to make a difference.”State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward said farmers in her district also preplan how they’ll pay their taxes and are good about claiming the income tax credit when available. The Nebraska Farm Bureau has been pushing for an LB 81-style fix.“They didn’t know the rules were changing,” Hughes said, adding the quick fix left taxpayers in the hole without time to choose their next steps, who might have paid early if they had known.<h2>Finding the money</h2>The special session was the longest and most expensive in state history, costing $173,134 over 17 days, based on a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/leg-council-2025-deficit.pdf">deficit budget request</a>&nbsp;made&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58115" target="_blank">after the special session</a>. That’s a daily cost of $10,184.35, the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/05/30/property-tax-special-session-could-be-among-costliest-in-nebraska-history/">highest of any special session</a>&nbsp;in Nebraska.LB 81 would require an early hearing and would need to be passed, and signed into law, by the time Nebraskans start turning in their tax returns this spring.Hardin would also need at least 33 lawmakers, regardless if the bill is filibustered, for his bill to take effect for this tax season. And he would need Pillen’s blessing.Conrad said that in a state budget of&nbsp;<a href="https://statespending.nebraska.gov/CurrentFiscalYearBudget" target="_blank">more than $12 billion</a>, lawmakers can find the money while also closing the projected budget shortfall.“It is easily ascertainable to find resources to make it right for Nebraska taxpayers,” Conrad said. “If indeed there is a political will, if indeed there is consensus, we have to come together to make things right for Nebraskans who were negatively impacted by the special session.”

Bill introduced to plug ‘missing year’ of Nebraska property tax relief

LINCOLN, NEB. – “Nebraska Farm Bureau strongly supports the goal of a legislative bill introduced today aimed at correcting the unintentional elimination of more than $550 million of refundable income tax credits for 2023 property taxes, which were paid in 2024. This oversight has resulted in many Nebraska property owners missing out on expected tax relief because the rules were changed in the middle of the game last August during the special legislative session called to lower property taxes.”

“We applaud the swift actions taken by senators to amend this issue and strongly encourage the Legislature to prioritize the passage of this corrective legislation. It is vital that all property owners who paid their 2023 taxes in good faith receive the relief they were promised, as this is not only fair but also crucial for sustaining confidence in our state’s tax system.”

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Nebraska Farm BureauLINCOLN, NEB. – “Nebraska Farm Bureau strongly supports the goal of a legislative bill introduced today aimed at correcting the unintentional elimination of more than $550 million of refundable income tax credits for 2023 property taxes, which were paid in 2024. This oversight has resulted in many Nebraska property owners missing out on expected tax relief because the rules were changed in the middle of the game last August during the special legislative session called to lower property taxes.”“We applaud the swift actions taken by senators to amend this issue and strongly encourage the Legislature to prioritize the passage of this corrective legislation. It is vital that all property owners who paid their 2023 taxes in good faith receive the relief they were promised, as this is not only fair but also crucial for sustaining confidence in our state’s tax system.”The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 55,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nefb.org/" target="_blank">www.nefb.org</a>.

Statement by Mark McHargue, President, Regarding Proposal to Address Missing Year of Property Tax Credits

LINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;At the request of Governor Jim Pillen, Senator Loren Lippincott today introduced LB3 to restore Nebraska to a winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes in presidential elections. 

Nebraska is only of two states that divides its impact in the Electoral College by allocating votes by congressional district. Forty-eight (48) states follow the winner-take-all method, which apportions all electoral college votes to the winner of the state’s popular vote.&nbsp;Governor Pillen issued the following statement on the introduction of LB3:

“I am grateful to Senator Lippincott for his leadership in restoring winner-take-all. Our experiment with the current system of electoral vote allocation has divided Nebraska and diminished our voice in the most important national exercise in democracy that we undertake -- electing a Commander-in-Chief. The time is now to fix this, well in advance of the next presidential election cycle. Restoring winner-take-all has my full support and I look forward to signing it into law.”

The text of the bill can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnebraskalegislature.gov%2Fbills%2Fview_bill.php%3FDocumentID%3D58830&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjim.buehler%40nebraska.gov%7C390adab5afa84162e74508dd30d1aa76%7C043207dfe6894bf6902001038f11f0b1%7C0%7C0%7C638720399237845723%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=cZdBvDmS21SD4wDtfb43HHdw68LIFWTzUkUtrFvpKvQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Office of Governor PillenLINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;At the request of Governor Jim Pillen, Senator Loren Lippincott today introduced LB3 to restore Nebraska to a winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes in presidential elections. Nebraska is only of two states that divides its impact in the Electoral College by allocating votes by congressional district. Forty-eight (48) states follow the winner-take-all method, which apportions all electoral college votes to the winner of the state’s popular vote.&nbsp;Governor Pillen issued the following statement on the introduction of LB3:“I am grateful to Senator Lippincott for his leadership in restoring winner-take-all. Our experiment with the current system of electoral vote allocation has divided Nebraska and diminished our voice in the most important national exercise in democracy that we undertake -- electing a Commander-in-Chief. The time is now to fix this, well in advance of the next presidential election cycle. Restoring winner-take-all has my full support and I look forward to signing it into law.”The text of the bill can be found&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnebraskalegislature.gov%2Fbills%2Fview_bill.php%3FDocumentID%3D58830&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjim.buehler%40nebraska.gov%7C390adab5afa84162e74508dd30d1aa76%7C043207dfe6894bf6902001038f11f0b1%7C0%7C0%7C638720399237845723%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=cZdBvDmS21SD4wDtfb43HHdw68LIFWTzUkUtrFvpKvQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Senator Lippincott Introduces Winner-Take-All at the Request of Governor Pillen

An update provided by the Nebraska State Patrol has state William Anderson has been located safe.

An Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for Eastern Nebraska. The Omaha Police Department is attempting to locate, William Anderson who is a 86 year old, white male approximately 6’ 03" tall, approximately 160 pounds, with grey hair, hazel eyes and wearing a blue ski jacket, brown/turquoise sweatshirt, tan pants, and red had with gold "T" on it.

 Andersen is missing from the vicinity of the 17000 block of Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska, and the his vehicle (Red Jaguar SUV bearing Nebraska plate YGR204) last seen at 3 am on Interstate 80 traveling westbound. Andersen has dementia. If you have any information, please call 911 immediately.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736521836527.jpeg" alt="William Anderson (Courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)" />
 <figcaption>William Anderson (Courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)</figcaption>
 </figure>Nebraska State PatrolAn update provided by the Nebraska State Patrol has state William Anderson has been located safe.------An Endangered Missing Advisory has been issued for Eastern Nebraska. The Omaha Police Department is attempting to locate, William Anderson who is a 86 year old, white male approximately 6’ 03" tall, approximately 160 pounds, with grey hair, hazel eyes and wearing a blue ski jacket, brown/turquoise sweatshirt, tan pants, and red had with gold "T" on it. Andersen is missing from the vicinity of the 17000 block of Douglas Street, Omaha, Nebraska, and the his vehicle (Red Jaguar SUV bearing Nebraska plate YGR204) last seen at 3 am on Interstate 80 traveling westbound. Andersen has dementia. If you have any information, please call 911 immediately.

CANCELLED: ENDANGERED MISSING ADVISORY: 86-year-old Eastern Nebraska man

Office of U.S. Senator Deb Fischer

WASHINGTON ­– U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) voted to advance the Laken Riley Act, a bill to secure the southern border and protect Americans. Senator Fischer is a cosponsor of the bill, and its companion version passed the House of Representatives earlier this week. The Laken Riley Act will now proceed to a final vote in the U.S. Senate.

The legislation, led by U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It will also give states standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law.

The bill is named in honor of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant and repeat criminal offender who had previously been detained and released.

“Laken Riley deserved to live. But because of the Democrats’ pitiful neglect of our border security, she was murdered by a man who should never have been in this country,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.&nbsp;“Our bill will honor Laken’s all-too-short life by securing our nation against criminal illegal immigrants like her killer.”

In addition to Senators Fischer and Britt, the Laken Riley Act is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 52 of their U.S. Senate colleagues. It was advanced today by a bipartisan vote of 84-9

Office of U.S. Senator Deb FischerWASHINGTON ­– U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) voted to advance the Laken Riley Act, a bill to secure the southern border and protect Americans. Senator Fischer is a cosponsor of the bill, and its companion version passed the House of Representatives earlier this week. The Laken Riley Act will now proceed to a final vote in the U.S. Senate.The legislation, led by U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting. It will also give states standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law.The bill is named in honor of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant and repeat criminal offender who had previously been detained and released.“Laken Riley deserved to live. But because of the Democrats’ pitiful neglect of our border security, she was murdered by a man who should never have been in this country,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.&nbsp;“Our bill will honor Laken’s all-too-short life by securing our nation against criminal illegal immigrants like her killer.”In addition to Senators Fischer and Britt, the Laken Riley Act is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 52 of their U.S. Senate colleagues. It was advanced today by a bipartisan vote of 84-9

Fischer Cosponsors, Votes to Advance Laken Riley Act to Detain Criminal Illegal Immigrants

NEW YORK —During an online Teams meeting, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his&nbsp;hush money case. The judge did not impose any prison time, probation, a fine or other conditions.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/public-affairs-event/recorded-audio-president-elect-trump-sentenced-in-hush-money-case/430047">Click here </a>to listen to the sentencing hearing

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736520956783.png" alt="File photo President-elect Trump during a meeting with Republic Governors on Thursday night -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo President-elect Trump during a meeting with Republic Governors on Thursday night -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK —During an online Teams meeting, President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his&nbsp;hush money case. The judge did not impose any prison time, probation, a fine or other conditions.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/public-affairs-event/recorded-audio-president-elect-trump-sentenced-in-hush-money-case/430047">Click here </a>to listen to the sentencing hearing

🎧Listen to Trump sentencing: No prison, probation or conditions

On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced additional security assistance support to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs as part of the surge of security assistance the President directed to put Ukraine in the best possible position, according to a media release from the department.

This includes the approval of a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package, which has an estimated value of $500 million, to provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: missiles for air defense; air-to-ground munitions; and equipment to support Ukraine's use of F-16s.

The capabilities in this announcement include:

This is the Biden Administration's seventy-fourth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. The United States continues to work together with some 50 Allies and partners that Secretary Austin will convene tomorrow as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to provide the support Ukraine needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718381433841.png" alt="File photo White House" />
 <figcaption>File photo White House</figcaption>
 </figure>On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced additional security assistance support to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs as part of the surge of security assistance the President directed to put Ukraine in the best possible position, according to a media release from the department.This includes the approval of a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package, which has an estimated value of $500 million, to provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: missiles for air defense; air-to-ground munitions; and equipment to support Ukraine's use of F-16s.The capabilities in this announcement include:<ul>
 <li>AIM-7, RIM-7, and AIM-9M missiles for air defense;</li><li>Air-to-ground munitions;</li><li>Support equipment for F-16s;</li><li>Armored bridging systems;</li><li>Secure communications equipment;</li><li>Small arms and ammunition; and</li><li>Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.</li>
 </ul>This is the Biden Administration's seventy-fourth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. The United States continues to work together with some 50 Allies and partners that Secretary Austin will convene tomorrow as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to provide the support Ukraine needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression.

U.S. gives another $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/09/partisan-fight-continues-over-committee-assignments-in-nebraska-legislature/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The fate of some conservative priorities, such as changing how Nebraska allocates its votes for president or adding a “women’s bill of rights” to state law, could depend on whether Republicans succeed this week in making Democrats a minority on every legislative committee but one.

The leading point of contention Wednesday revolved around the makeup of the eight-member Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. By the end of the first day of the session, Government was set to have five Democrats and three Republicans, including its chair.

The group deciding is the Legislature’s 13-member Committee on Committees, which includes a chair and four representatives each from three legislative “caucuses,” which roughly mirror the state’s three congressional districts to reflect statewide representation.

“Me personally, and I’m one vote, I’m not representing any caucus in this,” State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha, the Committee on Committees chair, said. “I think that the committee assignments should be representative of the makeup of the entire state.”

While the Legislature is officially nonpartisan, Armendariz, a first-time member of the committee, said all 13 members know what is going on: a fight over partisan balance, which impacts all Nebraskans.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Committee on Committees consists of eight Republicans, four Democrats and one nonpartisan independent. There are 33 Republicans in the Legislature, 15 Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive.

“They’ve chosen their party,” Armendariz said of Nebraska voters. “I don’t think it’s fair to exclude anybody in the state from representation on the committee.”

The Committee on Committees met after Republicans in the Legislature swept leadership positions for all but one committee. They left the Urban Affairs Committee in the hands of State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, a Democrat who chaired the committee the past two years.

Under a set of unofficial, tentative placements discussed Wednesday evening, Republicans would maintain membership leads on all but the Government Committee and Urban Affairs Committee, which would still become more conservative.

Conservatives would grow their numbers on the previously deadlocked Judiciary Committee as well as on the Business and Labor, Health and Human Services and Natural Resources Committees.

All other daily committees will be led by Republicans, as will the Rules Committee and Executive Board.

Wednesday’s Committee on Committees meeting began with representatives from the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts having already penciled in where the members of their caucuses should be placed on each of the daily committees. Those caucus representatives filled in names of where senators from the 2nd Congressional District might fall, which they defended as merely “placeholders.”&nbsp;

The 2nd District Caucus, which is led by three Democrats and one independent, immediately rejected that suggestion and said the other caucuses had overstepped.

State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, the progressive independent who has served on the Committee on Committees before, described the behavior as unprecedented.

“This was a fantasy for y’all, but that’s not the reality that we were ever going to be working in,” she said.

State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte responded: “We understand that. I think we just, truly, we’re just trying to figure out what we can live with, in terms of how we want to end up.”

Hunt told Republicans on the committee to ask themselves, “Have you won enough?” The question came after the 2nd District Caucus agreed to swap freshman Omaha State Sens. Dunixi Guereca, a Democrat, and Bob Andersen, a Republican, on the Government Committee.

If accepted, the committee then would be evenly split between progressives and conservatives, 4-4, which State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, the newly elected chair, said would be better. She did not return a call after the meeting requesting further comment.

Other conservatives drew lines in the sand seeking to shift the Government Committee to leaning Republican 5-3, as they had in the framework put forward by senators from the 1st and 3rd District Caucuses.

Bills stuck in a deadlocked committee can still be moved to the full Legislature with 25 votes. If the Government Committee stayed 5-3 for Democrats, and the majority killed a bill they didn’t like, the introducer could still advance the bill to the floor with 30 votes from the full Legislature.

Such bills would likely be filibustered, meaning they would need 33 votes to pass, anyway.

“I don’t see any losers on this sheet,” Hunt said of the initial committee assignments. “If you take the Government [Committee] deal — I know you want a majority, that’s what this is about, but we’re not going to get there. And I don’t think that’s a loss.”

Hunt and the 2nd District Caucus moved to advance the report with the 4-4 Government Committee. The motion failed 7-6.

Sanders voted with the 2nd District Caucus and Democratic State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln to accept the evenly balanced committee and advance the amended report.

‘An attack on the nonpartisan Unicameral’

Part of the contention comes two days after the 2nd District Caucus met in Omaha and progressives secured all four spots on the Committee on Committees, as well as two coveted spots on the Executive Board, which manages the day-to-day operations of the legislative branch. (The full 2nd District Caucus consists of eight Democrats, eight Republicans and one progressive independent.)

That meant kicking off Republican State Sens. Brad von Gillern of Omaha from the Committee on Committees and Merv Riepe of Ralston from the Executive Board.&nbsp;

Von Gillern called the move “the most intentionally partisan thing I’ve experienced since I was sworn in two years ago” and “an attack on the nonpartisan Unicameral Legislature by those who typically wave that flag harder than anyone else.”

He said the decision doesn’t set a “constructive tone” ahead of conversations like winner-take-all when progressives make “such a partisan act.”

“Votes on important issues often fall on party line, but this was not issue-driven and did nothing to improve their vote count on the overall Committee on Committees,” von Gillern said in a text. “There will still be a Republican majority there. There is no discernible strategy that I can see.”

State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, who got a spot on both the Executive Board and Committee on Committees, said: “That’s where the votes landed.”

At one point, Jacobson suggested that a path forward might include the 2nd District senators accepting the pre-slated committee assignments from the 1st and 3rd District Caucuses.

Asked by lawmakers whether doing so would be allowed, Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler advised that the committee could. He cautioned senators that if they crossed into the threshold of other caucuses, “you’re not coming back.”

“I think that’s dangerous for not only CD 2, but I think it’s dangerous for CD 3, from an urban-rural split,” Metzler told the committee. “The caucus system is inherently political. We have never had a choice made for a caucus that they were not, as a caucus, on board with. But that’s the determination of this committee to decide.”

State Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus said there are multiple factors to crafting committee assignments, such as:

Moser said there is another important consideration: partisan balance.

Hunt asked him: “Should all committees be 2:1, Republican to Democrat?”

“That’s what the average of —&nbsp;since there’s 66% Republicans and 33% Democrats — that’s about what it should reflect on all the committees,” Moser responded.

Lawmakers said if the Omaha-area lawmakers wouldn’t budge, they could find other solutions, which Jacobson and Moser said would require more deliberation.

“If the Second District is locked in where they’re at, then there may be some actions in response that other caucuses make,” Moser said. “Maybe they’re not going to be pleasant, but we’re going to think about that overnight, talk about it a little bit and come back tomorrow.”

Asked whether that meant some 1st or 3rd District Caucus members might lose committee positions they previously held, or not get their top preferences, Armendariz said that’s up to the districts.

“They get to make their own decisions,” Armendariz said. “I would never want to get in the middle of that, if that’s what they choose to do.”

Committee assignments will ultimately be kicked out to the full Legislature in a preliminary report. The Legislature would then vote to accept, or reject, the placements after the Committee on Committees advances a final report.

However, preliminary reports often become final committee placements.

The Committee on Committees reconvenes shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736448263368.jpeg" alt="Nebraska state senators elected or re-elected in November take their oath during the first day of the 2025 legislative session. With their hands up are State Sens. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha and Beau Ballard of Lincoln. Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha is in the forefront. Jan. 8, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska state senators elected or re-elected in November take their oath during the first day of the 2025 legislative session. With their hands up are State Sens. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha and Beau Ballard of Lincoln. Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha is in the forefront. Jan. 8, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/09/partisan-fight-continues-over-committee-assignments-in-nebraska-legislature/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The fate of some conservative priorities, such as changing how Nebraska allocates its votes for president or adding a “women’s bill of rights” to state law, could depend on whether Republicans succeed this week in making Democrats a minority on every legislative committee but one.The leading point of contention Wednesday revolved around the makeup of the eight-member Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. By the end of the first day of the session, Government was set to have five Democrats and three Republicans, including its chair.The group deciding is the Legislature’s 13-member Committee on Committees, which includes a chair and four representatives each from three legislative “caucuses,” which roughly mirror the state’s three congressional districts to reflect statewide representation.“Me personally, and I’m one vote, I’m not representing any caucus in this,” State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha, the Committee on Committees chair, said. “I think that the committee assignments should be representative of the makeup of the entire state.”<h2>‘They’ve chosen their party’</h2>While the Legislature is officially nonpartisan, Armendariz, a first-time member of the committee, said all 13 members know what is going on: a fight over partisan balance, which impacts all Nebraskans.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Committee on Committees consists of eight Republicans, four Democrats and one nonpartisan independent. There are 33 Republicans in the Legislature, 15 Democrats and one nonpartisan progressive.“They’ve chosen their party,” Armendariz said of Nebraska voters. “I don’t think it’s fair to exclude anybody in the state from representation on the committee.”The Committee on Committees met after Republicans in the Legislature swept leadership positions for all but one committee. They left the Urban Affairs Committee in the hands of State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, a Democrat who chaired the committee the past two years.Under a set of unofficial, tentative placements discussed Wednesday evening, Republicans would maintain membership leads on all but the Government Committee and Urban Affairs Committee, which would still become more conservative.Conservatives would grow their numbers on the previously deadlocked Judiciary Committee as well as on the Business and Labor, Health and Human Services and Natural Resources Committees.All other daily committees will be led by Republicans, as will the Rules Committee and Executive Board.<h2>‘This was a fantasy’</h2>Wednesday’s Committee on Committees meeting began with representatives from the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts having already penciled in where the members of their caucuses should be placed on each of the daily committees. Those caucus representatives filled in names of where senators from the 2nd Congressional District might fall, which they defended as merely “placeholders.”&nbsp;The 2nd District Caucus, which is led by three Democrats and one independent, immediately rejected that suggestion and said the other caucuses had overstepped.State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, the progressive independent who has served on the Committee on Committees before, described the behavior as unprecedented.“This was a fantasy for y’all, but that’s not the reality that we were ever going to be working in,” she said.State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte responded: “We understand that. I think we just, truly, we’re just trying to figure out what we can live with, in terms of how we want to end up.”Hunt told Republicans on the committee to ask themselves, “Have you won enough?” The question came after the 2nd District Caucus agreed to swap freshman Omaha State Sens. Dunixi Guereca, a Democrat, and Bob Andersen, a Republican, on the Government Committee.If accepted, the committee then would be evenly split between progressives and conservatives, 4-4, which State Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, the newly elected chair, said would be better. She did not return a call after the meeting requesting further comment.<h2>A line in the sand</h2>Other conservatives drew lines in the sand seeking to shift the Government Committee to leaning Republican 5-3, as they had in the framework put forward by senators from the 1st and 3rd District Caucuses.Bills stuck in a deadlocked committee can still be moved to the full Legislature with 25 votes. If the Government Committee stayed 5-3 for Democrats, and the majority killed a bill they didn’t like, the introducer could still advance the bill to the floor with 30 votes from the full Legislature.Such bills would likely be filibustered, meaning they would need 33 votes to pass, anyway.“I don’t see any losers on this sheet,” Hunt said of the initial committee assignments. “If you take the Government [Committee] deal — I know you want a majority, that’s what this is about, but we’re not going to get there. And I don’t think that’s a loss.”Hunt and the 2nd District Caucus moved to advance the report with the 4-4 Government Committee. The motion failed 7-6.Sanders voted with the 2nd District Caucus and Democratic State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln to accept the evenly balanced committee and advance the amended report.<h2>‘An attack on the nonpartisan Unicameral’</h2>Part of the contention comes two days after the 2nd District Caucus met in Omaha and progressives secured all four spots on the Committee on Committees, as well as two coveted spots on the Executive Board, which manages the day-to-day operations of the legislative branch. (The full 2nd District Caucus consists of eight Democrats, eight Republicans and one progressive independent.)That meant kicking off Republican State Sens. Brad von Gillern of Omaha from the Committee on Committees and Merv Riepe of Ralston from the Executive Board.&nbsp;Von Gillern called the move “the most intentionally partisan thing I’ve experienced since I was sworn in two years ago” and “an attack on the nonpartisan Unicameral Legislature by those who typically wave that flag harder than anyone else.”He said the decision doesn’t set a “constructive tone” ahead of conversations like winner-take-all when progressives make “such a partisan act.”“Votes on important issues often fall on party line, but this was not issue-driven and did nothing to improve their vote count on the overall Committee on Committees,” von Gillern said in a text. “There will still be a Republican majority there. There is no discernible strategy that I can see.”State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, who got a spot on both the Executive Board and Committee on Committees, said: “That’s where the votes landed.”<h2>A cautionary tale</h2>At one point, Jacobson suggested that a path forward might include the 2nd District senators accepting the pre-slated committee assignments from the 1st and 3rd District Caucuses.Asked by lawmakers whether doing so would be allowed, Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler advised that the committee could. He cautioned senators that if they crossed into the threshold of other caucuses, “you’re not coming back.”“I think that’s dangerous for not only CD 2, but I think it’s dangerous for CD 3, from an urban-rural split,” Metzler told the committee. “The caucus system is inherently political. We have never had a choice made for a caucus that they were not, as a caucus, on board with. But that’s the determination of this committee to decide.”<h2>Factors in committee assignments</h2>State Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus said there are multiple factors to crafting committee assignments, such as:<ul>
 <li>Incumbency —&nbsp;Not kicking senators off of committees they most recently served on.</li><li>Senator preference —&nbsp;Lawmakers typically provide first and second choice for assignments.</li><li>Caucus balance —&nbsp;The Committee on Committees usually weighs this by giving each caucus a set number of seats on a committee, based on who the chair is and proceeding through the caucuses in order after (such as 1-2-3).</li>
 </ul>Moser said there is another important consideration: partisan balance.Hunt asked him: “Should all committees be 2:1, Republican to Democrat?”“That’s what the average of —&nbsp;since there’s 66% Republicans and 33% Democrats — that’s about what it should reflect on all the committees,” Moser responded.<h2>A path forward?</h2>Lawmakers said if the Omaha-area lawmakers wouldn’t budge, they could find other solutions, which Jacobson and Moser said would require more deliberation.“If the Second District is locked in where they’re at, then there may be some actions in response that other caucuses make,” Moser said. “Maybe they’re not going to be pleasant, but we’re going to think about that overnight, talk about it a little bit and come back tomorrow.”Asked whether that meant some 1st or 3rd District Caucus members might lose committee positions they previously held, or not get their top preferences, Armendariz said that’s up to the districts.“They get to make their own decisions,” Armendariz said. “I would never want to get in the middle of that, if that’s what they choose to do.”Committee assignments will ultimately be kicked out to the full Legislature in a preliminary report. The Legislature would then vote to accept, or reject, the placements after the Committee on Committees advances a final report.However, preliminary reports often become final committee placements.The Committee on Committees reconvenes shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Partisan Fight Continues Over Committee Assignments in Nebraska Legislature

WASHINGTON—Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, was honored Thursday with a funeral at Washington National Cathedral.&nbsp; (Click the video below)

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/president-jimmy-carter-memorial-service-at-national-cathedral/653929">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a>a replay of the funeral service.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736431340941.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON—Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, was honored Thursday with a funeral at Washington National Cathedral.&nbsp; (Click the video below)<a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/president-jimmy-carter-memorial-service-at-national-cathedral/653929">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a>a replay of the funeral service.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden on endorsing Jimmy Carter&#39;s presidential candidacy in 1976: &quot;It was an endorsement based on a belief is Jimmy Carter&#39;s enduring attribute: character, character, character.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/S8HQdlowyN">pic.twitter.com/S8HQdlowyN</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1877401432120283468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736444823928.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jason Carter: &quot;Yes, they spent four years in the governor&#39;s mansion and four years at the White House but the other 92 years they spent at home in Plains, GA.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/y6kYBzo6Nq">pic.twitter.com/y6kYBzo6Nq</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1877401112220729845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President-elect Trump arrives at the funeral of President Jimmy Carter, followed by former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton. <a href="https://t.co/GTort2M4NT">pic.twitter.com/GTort2M4NT</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1877370637527724233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/garthbrooks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GarthBrooks</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/trishayearwood?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrishaYearwood</a> perform &quot;Imagine&quot; at President Jimmy Carter&#39;s State Funeral. <a href="https://t.co/XPhnzjqCJS">pic.twitter.com/XPhnzjqCJS</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1877407657658552583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Day of Mourning: A look inside State Funeral for President Jimmy Carter

YEMEN—U.S. forces conducted multiple precision strikes against two Iranian-backed Houthi underground Advanced Conventional Weapon&nbsp; storage facilities within Houthi-controlled territories of Yemen on Wednesday, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

 The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

There were no injuries or damage to U.S. personnel or equipment.

"The strikes are part of CENTCOM's effort to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736385717405.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>YEMEN—U.S. forces conducted multiple precision strikes against two Iranian-backed Houthi underground Advanced Conventional Weapon&nbsp; storage facilities within Houthi-controlled territories of Yemen on Wednesday, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.There were no injuries or damage to U.S. personnel or equipment."The strikes are part of CENTCOM's effort to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi attempts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region."

U.S. strikes Terrorist Weapons Storage Facilities in Yemen

WASHINGTON —United States Capitol Police officers prevented a man from bringing a machete and three knives past a screening checkpoint in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Just after 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, during security screening at the CVC’s north doors, USCP officers spotted a machete in a bag, which was going through the x-ray machine. Officers stopped the machine and searched the bag, which contained a machete and three knives.&nbsp;

“Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe.”

44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.&nbsp;

Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center, while the USCP investigated, but the checkpoint was reopened approximately an hour later. Public viewing for the lying in state was not stopped and will continue throughout the night, into Thursday morning.&nbsp;

Horne will be interviewed by USCP investigators to determine his motive. At this time there is no on-going threat towards the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, or the public.

WASHINGTON —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident Wednesday in Washington.

Just after 2:00 p.m., U.S. Capitol Police officers stopped and arrested a man who tried to get a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center, according to a media release.

Three knives were also found in the bag, along with the machete. Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center while police investigated.

The man is being held on multiple requested charges of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon. Check the Post for more information once it is available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730837573908.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —United States Capitol Police officers prevented a man from bringing a machete and three knives past a screening checkpoint in the Capitol Visitor Center.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736381404606.png" alt="Photo U.S. Capitol Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Capitol Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, during security screening at the CVC’s north doors, USCP officers spotted a machete in a bag, which was going through the x-ray machine. Officers stopped the machine and searched the bag, which contained a machete and three knives.&nbsp;“Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe.”44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.&nbsp;Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center, while the USCP investigated, but the checkpoint was reopened approximately an hour later. Public viewing for the lying in state was not stopped and will continue throughout the night, into Thursday morning.&nbsp;Horne will be interviewed by USCP investigators to determine his motive. At this time there is no on-going threat towards the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, or the public.-----------WASHINGTON —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident Wednesday in Washington.Just after 2:00 p.m., U.S. Capitol Police officers stopped and arrested a man who tried to get a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center, according to a media release.Three knives were also found in the bag, along with the machete. Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center while police investigated.The man is being held on multiple requested charges of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon. Check the Post for more information once it is available.

Police: Man with Machete Attempted to Enter U.S. Capitol 

&nbsp; WASHINGTON ­–&nbsp;Yesterday, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) was appointed deputy whip by newly-elected Majority Whip, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). In this role, Fischer will unite her caucus around Republican priorities and drive forward the president’s legislative agenda.

“I am honored Senator Barrasso chose me to serve as one of his deputy whips, and I look forward to working alongside him in the upcoming Congress. With a newly elected Republican trifecta, we have the unique opportunity to achieve meaningful progress for our country, focusing on a safer, more affordable America. As deputy whip, I am excited to help lead our caucus in putting the American people first,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.

“I’m glad to have Deb as a member of our Whip Team. Deb brings the values of the Heartland to the Senate. That means she keeps her word and works tirelessly to find the best solution. She believes in a stronger America—from national security to economic opportunity. Deb never stops fighting for her team,”&nbsp;said Senator Barrasso.

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer&nbsp; WASHINGTON ­–&nbsp;Yesterday, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) was appointed deputy whip by newly-elected Majority Whip, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). In this role, Fischer will unite her caucus around Republican priorities and drive forward the president’s legislative agenda.“I am honored Senator Barrasso chose me to serve as one of his deputy whips, and I look forward to working alongside him in the upcoming Congress. With a newly elected Republican trifecta, we have the unique opportunity to achieve meaningful progress for our country, focusing on a safer, more affordable America. As deputy whip, I am excited to help lead our caucus in putting the American people first,”&nbsp;said Senator Fischer.“I’m glad to have Deb as a member of our Whip Team. Deb brings the values of the Heartland to the Senate. That means she keeps her word and works tirelessly to find the best solution. She believes in a stronger America—from national security to economic opportunity. Deb never stops fighting for her team,”&nbsp;said Senator Barrasso.

Fischer Appointed Deputy Whip

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/07/speaker-arch-nebraska-budget-without-a-doubt-biggest-issue-of-2025-session/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Speaker John Arch of La Vista this week outlined the Nebraska Legislature’s biggest 2025 issue as lawmakers return to Lincoln: the state budget.

Arch, who is so far running unopposed to helm Nebraska’s legislative branch for two more years, said the budget would “without a doubt” be state lawmakers’ biggest issue in 2025 when they return for a 90-day session beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m.&nbsp;

That priority comes as the state budget is forecasted to be running more than&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Budget/status.pdf" target="_blank">$432 million short</a>&nbsp;in the next two fiscal years, which begin July 1 and end June 30, 2027. Legislative solutions will likely need to be massaged by the Legislature’s Appropriations and Revenue Committees.

If left unchecked, estimates show that the budget hole could grow to $1.13 billion by the middle of 2029, partly because of 2023 legislative decisions to decrease tax rates for top income and corporate earners.

Now, Arch said, lawmakers will see the reality and real numbers of those changes.

“We’ll have to have some time to digest,” Arch told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday. “We took some pretty big swings in the last couple of sessions.”

This spring will be the final time that corporate taxpayers in Nebraska pay a tiered tax rate based on how much they earn. It’s part of a step-down approach to reducing top individual income tax rates and corporate tax rates to 3.99% beginning in 2027.

The start of the year also ushered in new income tax credits for grocery stores, restaurants and agricultural producers that donate to food banks, pantries or rescues; for family caregivers’ costs for eligible family members; for film and TV production companies’ qualifying expenditures to film in Nebraska; and for contributions to qualifying pregnancy help organizations.

Arch said crafting the 2025-27 budget will be “more normal” than past bienniums, as lawmakers continue to move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic era of being flush with “American Rescue Plan Act” federal relief dollars or a major budget surplus of state cash reserves.

The first duty for state lawmakers will be selecting legislative leadership, including the chairs of the Legislature’s 14 standing committees that consider the vast majority of legislative proposals.

Of those committees, as well as three special or select committees, at least 13 will choose new leaders, most because of term limits, while two current chairs seek other positions.

At least five of the 14 standing committees are expected to have contested elections, based on announced candidates up to Tuesday morning, including the tax-focused Revenue Committee to succeed term-limited State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha.

State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha, the current Revenue Committee vice chair, and George Dungan of Lincoln have announced bids to succeed Linehan.

State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood is so far running unopposed for chair of the Appropriations Committee, which sets the budget.&nbsp;

The Legislature will also vote on slates of senators to serve on the Committee on Committees, which doles out&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/committees/roster.pdf" target="_blank">committee assignments</a>&nbsp;to all 49 lawmakers, and the Executive Board, which monitors the hiring of legislative employees and the day-to-day operations of the legislative branch.

The 2025 legislative session will see 16 newly elected lawmakers and one former state senator from Grand Island returning.

Arch said he had the chance to meet with new senators&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/12/16/improving-oversight-eyed-as-a-hallmark-issue-of-2025-legislative-session/">at a legislative retreat in December</a>&nbsp;and looks forward to working with them.

“I feel like we’ve got a good group of senators coming in ready to learn and ready to problem solve,” Arch said. “I think with that, we’re setting ourselves up for dealing with some of the difficult issues that we’re asked to deal with.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736351761005.jpeg" alt=" Speaker John Arch of La Vista. July 26, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> Speaker John Arch of La Vista. July 26, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/07/speaker-arch-nebraska-budget-without-a-doubt-biggest-issue-of-2025-session/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Speaker John Arch of La Vista this week outlined the Nebraska Legislature’s biggest 2025 issue as lawmakers return to Lincoln: the state budget.Arch, who is so far running unopposed to helm Nebraska’s legislative branch for two more years, said the budget would “without a doubt” be state lawmakers’ biggest issue in 2025 when they return for a 90-day session beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m.&nbsp;That priority comes as the state budget is forecasted to be running more than&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/Current/PDF/Budget/status.pdf" target="_blank">$432 million short</a>&nbsp;in the next two fiscal years, which begin July 1 and end June 30, 2027. Legislative solutions will likely need to be massaged by the Legislature’s Appropriations and Revenue Committees.If left unchecked, estimates show that the budget hole could grow to $1.13 billion by the middle of 2029, partly because of 2023 legislative decisions to decrease tax rates for top income and corporate earners.Now, Arch said, lawmakers will see the reality and real numbers of those changes.“We’ll have to have some time to digest,” Arch told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday. “We took some pretty big swings in the last couple of sessions.”<h2>Revenue changes</h2>This spring will be the final time that corporate taxpayers in Nebraska pay a tiered tax rate based on how much they earn. It’s part of a step-down approach to reducing top individual income tax rates and corporate tax rates to 3.99% beginning in 2027.The start of the year also ushered in new income tax credits for grocery stores, restaurants and agricultural producers that donate to food banks, pantries or rescues; for family caregivers’ costs for eligible family members; for film and TV production companies’ qualifying expenditures to film in Nebraska; and for contributions to qualifying pregnancy help organizations.Arch said crafting the 2025-27 budget will be “more normal” than past bienniums, as lawmakers continue to move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic era of being flush with “American Rescue Plan Act” federal relief dollars or a major budget surplus of state cash reserves.<h2>Choosing legislative leadership</h2>The first duty for state lawmakers will be selecting legislative leadership, including the chairs of the Legislature’s 14 standing committees that consider the vast majority of legislative proposals.Of those committees, as well as three special or select committees, at least 13 will choose new leaders, most because of term limits, while two current chairs seek other positions.At least five of the 14 standing committees are expected to have contested elections, based on announced candidates up to Tuesday morning, including the tax-focused Revenue Committee to succeed term-limited State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha.State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha, the current Revenue Committee vice chair, and George Dungan of Lincoln have announced bids to succeed Linehan.State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood is so far running unopposed for chair of the Appropriations Committee, which sets the budget.&nbsp;The Legislature will also vote on slates of senators to serve on the Committee on Committees, which doles out&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/committees/roster.pdf" target="_blank">committee assignments</a>&nbsp;to all 49 lawmakers, and the Executive Board, which monitors the hiring of legislative employees and the day-to-day operations of the legislative branch.The 2025 legislative session will see 16 newly elected lawmakers and one former state senator from Grand Island returning.Arch said he had the chance to meet with new senators&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/12/16/improving-oversight-eyed-as-a-hallmark-issue-of-2025-legislative-session/">at a legislative retreat in December</a>&nbsp;and looks forward to working with them.“I feel like we’ve got a good group of senators coming in ready to learn and ready to problem solve,” Arch said. “I think with that, we’re setting ourselves up for dealing with some of the difficult issues that we’re asked to deal with.”<h2>Other key issues</h2>Bill introductions will begin Thursday, on the second day of the session, and continue through the 10th day, scheduled for Jan. 22.Among proposals on the docket is a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/12/09/nebraska-governors-priorities-shift-focus-from-spending-and-tax-changes/">quartet of priorities</a>&nbsp;from Gov. Jim Pillen:<ul>
 <li>Sex-based restrictions for K-12 bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams, which could more broadly mirror a Pillen-enacted “Women’s Bill of Rights” and extend to higher education or other areas of state government.&nbsp;</li><li>Changing how the state allocates funding to K-12 schools to take pressure off of property taxes.</li><li>Cracking down on sales of lab-grown meat and how it is labeled.</li><li>Changing how the state awards its Electoral College votes. Lawmakers told the Examiner the proposal might come in one of two ways, either by a legislative bill or a constitutional amendment the public would vote on in 2026.</li>
 </ul>