Summaries from 2026 Nebraska Bill Introduction

The Second Regular Session of the 109th Nebraska Legislature convened on January 7, 2026.  Bill introduction concluded on January 21, 2026.  As of that date, 50 legislative days remained in the session.  The Legislature will adjourn sine die by April 17, 2026.

Throughout bill introduction, we identified various bills warranting special attention.  Below are summaries of those bills.  A chart is at this link.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

LB 719 (Jacobson) proposes to amend the Nebraska Rural Projects Act by expanding the definition of “Project.”  Qualified expenses under the “Project” definition would include “infrastructure development costs involving property but not owned by the applicant.”  The Legislature referred this bill to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee, which held a hearing on January 20, 2026.  The Committee added AM 1752 to include natural gas infrastructure in the definition of “infrastructure development costs.”  The Legislature advanced the bill with AM 1752 to General File. 

LB 819 (Hallstrom) would amend the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Act and Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Act.  Under the bill, “workforce housing” would include owner-occupied housing units worth up to $375,000 and rental housing units worth up to $300,000 per unit.  The bill would also extend both acts through 2037.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Business and Labor Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 2, 2026.

LB 840 (Rountree) would amend the Affordable Housing Act.  The bill defines “accessible” and “multifamily housing project.”  To receive assistance under the Act, at least 20 percent of the dwelling units would have to be mobility-impaired accessible and at least 10 percent would have to be hearing/vision-impaired accessible.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 27, 2026.

LB 844 (Rountree) would amend the Site and Building Development Act to appropriate $100,000 to the Department of Economic Development.  The Department would award the entire amount to a nonprofit organization for food distribution in counties with 100,000 to 300,000 residents.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Appropriations Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 850 (Cavanaugh, J.) proposes to amend the Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act, Nebraska Revised Statutes section 18-2701 et seq., to enable cities of the metropolitan class and primary class to use the economic development programs for construction and rehabilitation of housing.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 27, 2026.

LB 852 (Spivey) would recapture money from the Convention Center Support Fund.  The bill would reallocate the money to recipients within an area of high poverty if that recipient does not maintain its principal place of business within that area for at least three years.  This recapture will occur according to the pro rata share of the three-year period during which the recipient failed to remain in compliance.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 861 (Bostar) would amend the Building Construction Act to require authorized building inspectors to inspect buildings.  The bill defines authorized inspectors as those with credentials from the state agency, city, county, or village issuing permits or a state-licensed inspector.  The bill would also require all inspections to be made public records if the structure remains standing at the time of the records request.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Business and Labor Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 2, 2026.

LB 883 (Andersen) would amend the Civic and Community Center Financing Act and Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program to allow communities to receive demolition grants for historic properties.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 30, 2026.

LB 915 (Lippincott, Hallstrom, Lonowski and McKeon) would amend the Municipal Inland Port Authority Act to increase the maximum number of inland port districts to six.  Counties and cities of the metropolitan, primary and first class could also enter into interlocal agreements to jointly create inland port authorities.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 918 (Conrad) proposes to amend the Sports Arena Facility Financing Assistance Act to allow 10 years of funding rather than five for a sports complex in a city of the second class.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 953 (Von Gillern) proposes to amend the Site and Building Development Act.  The bill adds golf facility development within cities of the metropolitan class as an eligible activity, provided they include: (i) programming for veterans and youth, (ii) support letters from national/state golf associations and the city mayor, (iii) applicant funding for at least eight percent of total construction costs and (iv) no more than 20 percent of costs funded by grants.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 10, 2026.

LB 980 (Bosn) would amend the Nebraska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.  Landlords and tenants could agree to waive the right to a jury trial for an action for possession of the premises.  If the matters goes to a trial by jury, however, the prevailing party could recover court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.  The bill proposes to establish a procedure for a trial by jury as well as the procedure for summary judgment.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Judiciary Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 4, 2026.

LB 981 (Urban Affairs Committee) proposes to empower cities of the metropolitan class to regulate housing authorities as to bedbugs.  Housing agencies in cities of the metropolitan class would also need to submit a report every six months to the city and to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 988 (Meyer, DeKay, Hardin and Lippincott) proposes to amend the Community Development Law.  A blighted area must now include at least one permanently uninhabitable or recently demolished structure, as determined by a designated inspector.  A structure is “permanently uninhabitable” if it is unstable, allows elemental intrusion or poses unresolved safety hazards.  The bill also sets maximum blighted areas per city or village.  No city or village may re-declare an area blighted within a 20-year period, unless an emergency declaration by the Governor permits it.  Cities must report annually on redevelopment projects to the Property Tax Administrator, detailing plan approvals, tax-division dates and development types.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1044 (Prokop) proposes to amend the Business Innovation Act by tightening how Nebraska selects and funds projects that support product development and commercialization.  The bill would revise the qualified action plan process, adjust prototype and commercialization funding rules and update appropriations language.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 2, 2026.

LB 1045 (McKinney and Spivey) would create the Nebraska Public Housing Preservation Trust to finance and oversee major rehabilitation of public housing while ensuring long‑term public ownership and strong tenant protections.  It requires local housing agencies to partner with the trust through formal agreements and gives residents significant decision‑making power over capital plans, management proposals and redevelopment processes.  The act also prohibits privatization, caps rents, guarantees return rights for residents and establishes transparency, labor and accountability standards.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1070 (Dover) proposes to update the state’s appropriations for the Department of Economic Development by adjusting funding levels for community and rural development programs in fiscal year 2026‑27.  The bill would revise the General Funds amount and update how the agency may use those funds.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Appropriations Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1114 (Urban Affairs Committee) would amend the Community Development Law by lowering the minimum age requirement for structures and platted or recorded lots eligible for expedited redevelopment review from 50 to 25 years.  It would also expand eligibility to include long‑platted vacant or nonconforming lots, retains population and project‑value limits and outlines a streamlined review process that requires cities to issue approval or denial within thirty days.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1116 (Ibach) would update the Sports Arena Facility Financing Assistance Act by expanding how long certain sports complexes in second‑class cities and villages can receive state assistance from five years to ten years.  The bill would also tighten timelines for public hearings and requires funding decisions within 30 days, ensuring faster decisions on project eligibility and funding.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1129 (Dover) proposes to amend the Nebraska Community Development Law.  The bill would add underdeveloped parcels that have been within a city’s extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction for more than 25 years as eligible for tax-increment financing.  It would also prohibit a city of village from designating more than 100 percent of the city or village’s corporate limits and extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction as blighted. 

The bill further proposes to amend the definition of “extremely substandard and blighted.”  That term would include areas where the average rate of unemployment is 150 percent of the average rate of unemployment in the statement, as opposed to 200 percent and where the average poverty rate exceeds 15 percent of the total federal census poverty rate in the area, as opposed to 20 percent.  It would also allow a city or village to declare an extra as “extremely substandard and blighted” if it has a higher-than-average unemployment rate and a higher‑than‑average poverty rate, as compared to the rest of the state.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1156 (Spivey) proposes to adopt the Disinvested Community Development Incentive Tax Credit Act.  The act makes a tax credit available to taxpayers that make cash contributions to a qualifying organization for purposes of funding a qualified project.  The taxpayer may carry unused portions of the tax credit forward for up to five years.  The act allows up to an annual amount of total tax credits of $26,500,000. 

The act further allows the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to issue grants to certain developers for qualified projects.  The grant may not exceed 10 percent of the total qualified project cost, or, $500,000 per project.  The act allows up to $20,000,000 in grants annually.  A recipient may only use the grants for predevelopment and feasibility costs, downpayment assistance, workforce development, job training, community engagement, or public consultation activities.  The Legislature referred the bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1192 (Prokop) would update the Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act by revising key definitions, including “eligible facility” and “associated hotel,” and adjusting how applicants map and designate the areas eligible for state assistance.  The bill would refine distance and boundary rules to determine which hotels qualify for revenue recapture and clarifies how political subdivisions apply for this financing.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

ENERGY / RENEWABLE ENERGY

LB 916 (Meyer) proposes to increase regulation of carbon pipeline regulation and carbon storage under the Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide Act.  The bill would prohibit eminent domain for carbon pipelines, subject those pipelines to approval by the Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission and increase the threshold for unitization of underground pore space from 60 percent to 100 percent of pore space owners.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 28, 2026.

LB 1003 (Meyer) would adopt the Renewable Energy Consumer Protection Act.  For “renewable energy sales” to residences and small businesses, the bill would prohibit solicitation outside of daytime hours and require disclosure statements to consumers at least 30 days before contract execution.  The act also requires purchase contracts to contain a five-day no-penalty cancellation clause in favor of the consumer and a five‑year warranty for roof damage from the system.  The bill defines “renewable energy sales companies” as entities that sell or lease renewable energy systems or battery energy storage systems.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 17, 2026.

LB 1010 (Brandt) proposes to integrate energy storage resources into Nebraska’s electric utility laws.  The bill would add energy storage to the inherent powers of public power entities but limit the ability of “private” electric suppliers to develop energy storage.  Private electric suppliers could not operate energy storage resources absent Power Review Board approval, a contract to sell “all electric energy and electric capacity of such resource” to a public power entity and approval from all electric suppliers that will have any part of the energy storage resource in their chartered territory or retail service area.  Public power entities could condemn privately developed energy storage resources at any time.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Judiciary Committee, which re-referred it to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1026 (Storm, Clouse, DeKay, Sorrentino and Strommen) would limit electric suppliers’ authority to retire electric generation facilities.  If any customer awaits electric service, electric suppliers could not retire or alter service at any electric generation facility unless another legal provision so requires, the facility is mechanically unsafe or beyond repair or the facility is uneconomical to operate.  Any retirement requires a formal resolution by the electric supplier.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1027 (Storm, Clouse, DeKay, Sorrentino and Strommen) proposes to subject privately developed renewable energy generation facilities to Power Review Board approval authority.  After a hearing, the Power Review Board could only approve upon finding “[t]he application will serve the public convenience and necessity, and that the applicant can most economically and feasibly supply the electric service resulting from the proposed construction or acquisition without unnecessary duplication of facilities or operations.”  This bill would effectively nullify the certification process for most wind and solar farms that the Legislature adopted in 2016.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1033 (Spivey) would require the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to make “crisis assistance payments” of up to $800 per program year to the Low‑Income Home Energy Assistance Program.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Health and Human Services Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1064 (Bostar) proposes to enact the Large Load Customer Regulation Act.  The act would require public power districts, electric cooperatives and municipalities to establish standards for entities that request new or expanded interconnection for loads exceeding 20 megawatts.  Developers would need to disclose their other projects, site control capacity and supplier and backup generation information.  They would also need to pay a study fee of at least $100,000.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1076 (Brandt) would increase penalties for violations of the Nebraska Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide Act.  The Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission brought the bill to aid the state’s efforts in acquiring primacy for permitting Class VI carbon storage wells under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 28, 2026.

LB 1111 (Cavanaugh, M.) would require the Nebraska Power Association to submit an annual report to the Nebraska Power Review Board that identifies and analyzes the annual load support data centers will require.  Public power suppliers could regulate and impose restrictions on large data centers.  Public power supplier could require such data centers to submit operational and decommissioning plans, post security bonds, provide a plan to prevent the transfer of costs of infrastructure upgrades to other retail customers in the area and execute a “community benefit agreement” to mitigate adverse community impacts.  Finally, the bill would require public power suppliers to limit energy service to large data centers to the extent the center acquires electricity from a private electric supplier or by self‑generation.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1163 (Fredrickson) proposes to update the Property Assessed Clean Energy Act by tightening how municipalities handle delinquent assessments and record liens on both commercial and single‑family properties.  The bill would require municipalities to record liens within 14 days of delinquency and ensures that delinquent assessments follow the same collection processes as property taxes.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1109 (von Gillern, at the request of Governor Pillen) proposes to remove the sales tax exemption for non-profit organizations that contract with sales-tax-exempt non-profit organizations for the purchase of property.  It also proposes to remove the sales tax exemption for the gross receipts on the sale or rental of game birds.  Last, it proposes to remove the sales tax exemption, beginning July 1, 2026, for producers of renewable energy.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1172 (Holdcroft) would require all electric suppliers to maintain 75 percent “dispatchable” electricity capacity within its generation portfolio.  Dispatchable electricity means “a source of electricity that is readily available for on demand use that the supplier can dispatch upon request of the power grid operator or a source of electricity the supplier can adjust the power output of according to market demands.”  The bill would require the electric supplier to annually report its compliance to the Nebraska Power Review Board.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1186 (Cavanaugh, J.) proposes to create the Affordable American Energy and Jobs Act.  It would promote wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, biomass and battery‑storage projects in Nebraska.  It would also update how the state distributes nameplate capacity tax revenues tied to renewable energy facilities.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1193 (Prokop) proposes to subject energy storage resources to the nameplate capacity tax.  The bill also clarifies permitting for energy storage resources.  As the Power Review Board’s Guidance Document 14 currently provides, energy storage resources “associated” with a wind or solar farm would qualify under the wind or solar farm’s regulatory approval.  “Standalone” energy storage resources, by contrast, would need a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Power Review Board.  Finally, the bill addresses eminent domain and safety.  No consumer-owned Nebraska electric supplier could condemn an energy storage resources.  Energy storage resources would need to satisfy standard safety practices and avoid inputs from foreign adversaries.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  It has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1204 (Clouse) would enact the Nameplate Capacity Tax Facility Standards Act.  The bill would subject energy storage resources to the nameplate capacity tax.  Rather than distributing nameplate capacity tax according to local levies, the bill would direct five percent to local community colleges and 95 percent to the local county board.  Political subdivisions could not adopt zoning regulations more stringent than the act’s maximum standards for setbacks, height limitations, decommissioning security amount and form, screening, shadow flicker and lighting.  The developer would need submit certain reports and surveys to the political subdivision and pay landowners certain crop loss and drainage tile damages and other damages relating to construction.  

The bill would also require the developer to obtain a permit under the act before commencing construction.  The developer could then file the permit with the county board.  For any project less than 25 megawatts, the county board would need to approve or deny the permit within 45 days after submission.  For larger projects, the county board would need to approve or deny the permit within 90 days after submission.  Any applicant could appeal a denial to the district court.  If the applicant can demonstrate the denial was either (i) arbitrary and capricious, (ii) based on a determination of fact that the evidence of the record does not support, or (iii) done by the County Board’s exercise of powers beyond the act, the district court would need to order the permit granted.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  It has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1255 (Bostar) proposes to remove public power suppliers’ eminent domain authority.  The bill defines a “public power supplier” as a public power district, a municipal electric utility, and any other government entity providing electric service.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Judiciary Committee.  It has not yet scheduled a hearing.

LB 1259 (Hansen) would adopt the Grid Modernization Act.  The act proposes to require all “large-load customers” seeking electric service to submit a “large-scale service request” to the public power utility serving the location.  The request would need to include the customer’s information, the location for service, the amount of requested electric demand (in megawatts) and a proposed commencement date and annual expected hours of usage, including variations.  A “large-scale service request” would be one for a cumulative amount of 100 megawatts or more within five years or a request that is expected to increase a customer’s total service level by 100 megawatts or more within five years. 

The public power utility must begin processing such requests by April 1, for requested received between September 30 of the prior year and March 31 of the current year, and, October 1, for requested receives between March 31 and September 30 of the current year.  The public power utility would need to conduct an evaluation of its capability to support the request.  Within 15 days after completing the evaluation, the public power utility would need to provide the customer a written service proposal.  The proposal would need to include whether it can provide the requested service, any necessary upgrades and the expected incremental costs to be allocated to the customer. 

The act would not require a customer to submit a request if they are under a “private generation contract.”  This means a contract for electric service from a closed private generation system for at least a cumulative demand of 100 megawatts within five years of the initial request date.  The act also would not require a request submittal for electric service through a closed private generation system.  The act defines a “closed private generation system” as an electric generation facility that is not connected to the transmission system of the public power utility, that serves a demand of at least 100 megawatts and serves as least one large-load customer through direct connection.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Natural Resources Committee.  It has not yet scheduled a hearing.

GOVERNMENTAL / MUNICIPAL LAW

LB 771 (Ballard) would allow dynamic pricing for what during a state of emergency.  Thus, the Governor could enable dynamic pricing by any political subdivision under a state of emergency.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.  The Committee held a hearing on January 20, 2026.

LB 791 (Raybould) would amend the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act to cap total contributions for any candidate or ballot question committee at $3,500 per year.  This change would take effect on January 1, 2027, and adjust every two yearsthe Consumer Price Index beginning on January 1, 2029.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  Senator Raybould then withdrew the bill via MO352 on January 14, 2026. 

LB 770 (DeKay) proposes to subject reclamation districts and county agricultural societies to ad valorem property taxes.  This bill also allows county treasurers to retain one percent of nameplate capacity tax revenue it receives from the Department of Revenue before disbursing the remaining revenue.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee held a hearing on January 21, 2026.

LB 797 (Urban Affairs Committee) proposes to increase the dollar amount threshold for contracts that cities of the first and second classes and villages must advertise for bids.  The threshold for city council or village board approval would increase from $30,000 to $90,000 for enlargement or general improvement contracts.  For municipal electric utilities, the threshold would increase to at least $90,000 and up to $1,000,000 depending on the utility’s gross revenue.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 27, 2026.

LB 798 (Urban Affairs Committee) would allow the planning commission of any city of the second class or village to consist of as few as three members.  It would also allow a city council of the second class to include two or more at-large electees.  The council could not contain a majority of at-large electees.  The city council would need to submit the question of whether it will allow at-large members at a general election.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee held a hearing on January 20, 2026.

LB 811 (Dover) would remove from the Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act the requirement for the municipality to be either a city of the metropolitan or primary class.  Every municipality could thus form its own land bank.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 839 (Rountree) proposes to amend the Municipal Density and Missing Middle Housing Act.  Under the bill, each city’s biannual housing report would need to disclose the number of multifamily housing units constructed within the corporate limits since March 13, 1991, and the number of those units that have accessibility certifications under the federal Fair Housing Act.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 27, 2026. 

LB 896 (Lonowski) proposes to increase county fees for marriage-related services.  The bill raises the marriage license fee (including administering oaths and recording the certificate) from $25 to $50 and the fee for a certified copy of a marriage record from $9 to $16.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 917 (Conrad) would empower the Board of Regents to dispose of any real and personal property by majority vote.  Currently, the Legislature must approve any such disposal with a market value over $1,000,000.  The Legislature revered this bill to the Executive Board.  The Board has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 935 (Bosn) would allow political subdivisions to recover attorney’s fees and court costs any time it must defend against a claim that is frivolous or intended primarily to harass the political subdivision or its public officials.  After a court rejects such a claim against a political subdivision, the court would hold a hearing to determine whether the claim was frivolous or harassing.  If the court determined the claim was frivolous or harassing, the party asserting such claim would have the opportunity to rebut that finding or show the claim was otherwise excused.  If the party who brought the claim failed to rebut the presumption, the court must award reasonable attorney’s fees and other expenses to the political subdivision.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Judiciary Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 951 (Ballard) would require city council districts to include the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee held a hearing on January 22, 2026.

LB 969 (Hallstrom) would require the Auditor of Public Accounts to create and maintain online databases with financial information for all Nebraska counties and municipalities.  These databases would provide historical data back to 2016 and include annual updates.  The Auditor would need to implement the system by January 1, 2027.  Confidential or non‑public information would remain protected.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 976 (Andersen) proposes to require that sanitary and improvement districts hold elections for their boards of trustees four and six years after the first election of trustees.  Currently, districts must only hold a single election four years after the first election.  Every election, the legal property owners within the district would also need to vote for three members of the board of trustees.  The bill would also increase the project cost at which districts need public bidding from $20,000 to $50,000.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1094 (Ballard) proposes to create the By‑Right Housing Development Act and the Permitting Approval Timeliness Act to speed up housing development in Nebraska.  The bill would allow housing projects that meet existing zoning rules to move forward without discretionary review.  Permitting authorities would need to issue decisions within 75 days of application.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 28, 2026.

LB 1108 (Clouse) would update bidding and contracting rules for joint entities and public power districts by raising bidding thresholds and adjusting advertising requirements.  The bill also lets these entities respond more quickly during emergencies.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1135 (Urban Affairs Committee) updates the Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act by changing how land bank boards form, how land banks acquire and manage property, and how they report their activities.  The bill expands board‑member residency options, increases land bank partnership and property‑holding flexibility, and requires more frequent reporting to municipalities and the Legislature.  These changes aim to strengthen land banks’ ability to address vacant, abandoned, and tax‑delinquent properties.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1215 (McKinney) proposes the Political Subdivision Contracting Transparency Act.  The act would require contracting agencies to pay prime contractors within 30 days and prime contractors to pay subcontractors within 7 days.  The bill would also void any contract terms that delay payment beyond those limits.  It would also direct agencies to maintain a public procurement calendar, provide debriefs to unsuccessful bidders and develop tools that help small businesses compete for contracts.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LIQUOR

LB 1004 (Clouse) proposes to exempt “nonalcoholic beer” from regulation by the Nebraska Liquor Control Act.  Nonalcoholic beer includes “alcohol, spirits, wine, beer and any liquid or solid, patented or not,” containing less than one-half percent of alcohol by volume.  The bill would still prohibit the sale of nonalcoholic beer to minors.  The Legislature referred this bill to the General Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1085 (Clouse) would change the definition of “bottle club” to an operation that maintains premises where persons that make their own alcoholic liquor congregate and consume said alcoholic liquor in or upon said premises.  An applicant for a retail, bottle club, craft brewery or micro distillery license would need to submit evidence to the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission that the city, village or county issuing a recommendation of denial acted arbitrarily and capriciously.  And the Commission could approve a license application if the applicant can show such city, county, or village acted arbitrarily or capriciously.  The Legislature referred this bill to the General Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1115 (Storer) proposes to exempt microbreweries from many of the distribution‑agreement rules that govern relationships between beer suppliers and wholesalers.  The bill would redefine “supplier” so it no longer includes microbreweries.  It would also end existing open‑ended microbrewery–wholesaler agreements on October 1, 2027, unless the parties sign a new contract.  The Legislature referred this bill to the General Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1151 (Clouse) would create a new regional craft brewery license under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act for breweries that produce between 20,000 and 200,000 barrels of beer per year.  The bill lets these breweries manufacture beer, sell on‑site or to wholesalers and operate with a single consolidated license for their production locations.  It also updates licensing, fees, taxes, and operational rules.  The Legislature referred this bill to the General Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

TAX & FINANCING

LB 749 (Sorrentino) would revise the calculation of tax levies for state aid to municipalities.  The Auditor of Public Accounts would no longer provide the Department of Revenue with bond and nonbond tax request amounts.  Instead, the Property Tax Administrator would use the prior year’s Certificate of Taxes Levied.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee held a hearing on January 22, 2026. 

LB 778 (Dungan) proposes to amend the Civic and Community Center Financing Act.  A municipality would no longer need to partner with a certified creative district to receive grants.  This change would take effect from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 30, 2026.

LB 806 (Ibach) would amend the Site and Building Development Act to create a grant program for cities of the first class.  Two conditions of the grant make Lexington a likely candidate after Tyson’s decision to close its meatpacking plant there.  A qualifying city must (1) be in a county with fewer than 50,000 residents and (2) face a sudden and significant private‑sector entity closure.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Appropriations Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing. 

LB 814 (Brandt, DeKayt, Dorn, Ibach, Jacobson and Murman) proposes to amend the valuation of agricultural and horticultural land for revenue and tax purposes.  Beginning January 1, 2027, the bill would value agricultural and horticultural land at 50 percent of its actual or special value.  On January 1, 2027, the Tax Commission may value agricultural land at 44 to 50 percent of actual or special value.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 28, 2026.

LB 856 (McKinney) would adopt the Community Reinvestment and Equity Act.  This Act would establish a five percent excise tax on the gross receipts of gas stations, convenience stores and liquor stores operating within qualified census tracts.  Each covered business would receive an annual community reinvestment report.  This Act would also create a Community Reinvestment Fund and an annual grant program for childcare, community development, healthcare, healthy food access, homeless services and re-entry housing.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 873 (Hallstrom) proposes to impose an excise tax on the retail sale of kratom products.  The tax would be 10 percent of the retail purchase price.  The bill would also add clarifying language to the Kratom Consumer Protection Act relating to adulterated kratom products.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 982 (DeBoer, Brandt and DeKay) would approve a one-time emergency appropriation of $10 million from the General Fund to the Public Service Commission for Program 793: Broadband Bridge Program to support ongoing broadband expansion efforts.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Appropriations Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1021 (Ibach) proposes to allow the Department of Revenue to retain three percent of all nameplate capacity tax revenue it receives, before remitting the remainder to the applicable county.  This retention is for administrative costs the department incurs.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1067 (Hallstrom and McKinney) would amend Nebraska’s revenue and housing statutes by increasing the documentary stamp tax from $2.32 to $3.82 per $1,000 of real estate value and redirecting portions of the new revenue to the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Fund and Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Fund.  The bill would also remove the Legislature’s authority to transfer money out of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and clarify all workforce housing funds must go for their designated purposes.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on January 29, 2026.

LB 1168 (Wordekemper) would authorize municipalities to issue conduit revenue bonds under the Community Development Law to help finance qualifying development projects.  The bill would give local governments a new financing tool to support redevelopment and economic‑development efforts without pledging their own credit or tax revenues.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.

LB 1253 (Bostar) would update the rules that govern tax sale certificates by clarifying which laws apply to certificates issued during different time periods.  The bill assigns specific governing law based on a certificate’s issuance date and ensures later statutory changes do not retroactively alter earlier certificates.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Revenue Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled this bill for hearing.  

OTHER

LB 919 (Sanders) would allow for the use of “durable accessible mediums” for certain public records.  A durable accessible medium is one that can retrieve data through intellectual, digital, or physical means within institutional or legal parameters.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LR 298CA (Brandt, Conrad, Raybould and Wordekemper) would amend the Nebraska Constitution to create specific requirements for the use of the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund and grants awarded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.  The Trust could only use funds for administrative costs and funding competitively awarded grants to tax-exempt entities, political subdivisions and state agencies for conservation and restoration projects.  Any project a state agency proposes would need to receive at least 50 percent of its funding from a political subdivision, the federal government or private donors.  The Legislature referred this resolution to the Natural Resources Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 999 (Spivey) proposes to adopt the Business Innovation and Startup Commission Act.  Under the Act, a Business Innovation and Startup Commission would administer grants and collaborate with other state agencies, political subdivisions, educational institutions.  The commission would consist of eight Governor appointees, including members from a small rural business, a chamber of commerce, an economic development corporation, a Nebraska-based venture capital fund or other start up financing organization, a research university engaged in applied-workforce innovation, a manufacturing, agricultural, or industry innovation sector critical to Nebraska’s economy and a community-based or minority-serving organization that supports underrepresented entrepreneurs or small businesses.  The commission would also include all executive offers of the state innovation hubs and several non-voting, ex-officio members from the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Labor.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.  The Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on February 10, 2026.

LB 1098 (Juarez, DeBoer, Fredrickson and Guereca) would adopt the State Rail Plan Act, directing the Nebraska Department of Transportation to prepare, maintain, and annually review a statewide rail plan.  The department would need to conduct yearly studies on passenger rail service, report findings to the Legislature and submit the full state rail plan to the Governor for approval before forwarding it to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1107 (Meyer) proposes to amend the Rural Road Improvement District Act by redefining key terms, streamlining how counties create, modify or dissolve rural road improvement districts and allowing county boards to initiate road projects through detailed resolutions.  The bill would strengthen procedures for petitions, hearings and public input while updating financing tools such as bonds, special assessments and district funds.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1134 (Kauth) proposes to amend the State Building Code to incorporate the 2009 International Residential Code and International Energy Conservation Code as opposed to the 2018 versions.  It further prevents a city, village, or county from adopting, updating, or changing its building, construction, or electrical code without first consulting an independent third-party to determine whether the new or updated code is necessary to protect the public from eminently dangerous situations or to comply with state or federal law.  It further would prevent a city, village, or county from adopting or enforcing a local building or energy code that is more stringent or a newer version than the state building code.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Urban Affairs Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1162 (Ballard) would allow the Nebraska Public Service Commission to adopt federal railroad safety standards.  These standards pertain to safety inspections and participation in federal safety programs.  The bill would also empower the Commission to inspect railroad sites.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.  The Committee has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

LB 1179 (DeBoer) would combine the Legislature’s Agricultural and Natural Resources Committees into a single Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee.  It would also split the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee into the Transportation and the Telecommunications and Technology Committees.  The Legislature referred this bill to the Executive Board.  The Board has not yet scheduled a hearing for this bill.

David C. Levy
Hannes D. Zetzsche
Spencer A. Hosch
Emily J. Hervert
Ellie Crawford
Samuel P. Heffron, Summer Associate