LB 527 creates a Medicaid Access and Quality Fund by imposing a 6% tax on certain health insurance premiums starting January 2026. The fund will increase payments to nonhospital Medicaid providers (like clinics and doctors) to improve access to care, especially for rural patients, pregnant women, and children. It also allocates $75 monthly per patient to primary care providers who serve as medical homes for Medicaid beneficiaries. This directly affects Nebraska Medicaid beneficiaries, healthcare providers, and insurance companies paying the tax.
LB 501 adjusts property tax assessments for real property damaged by disasters like fires, floods, or tornadoes. It directly affects property owners whose homes or land suffer significant damage (exceeding 20% of assessed value) after January 1, 2019, excluding damage caused by the owner. The bill requires owners to report damage to county assessors by July 15, triggers a county review by July 20, and mandates that the county board of equalization adjust the property’s assessed value to what it was *before* the disaster occurred. This ensures affected properties are taxed based on their pre-damage value for the current year only, without requiring new property appraisals.
This bill modifies how Nebraska handles state aid to local governments (cities, counties, and other political subdivisions) that miss financial deadlines. If a local government fails to comply with budget limits, submit property tax calculations, or complete annual audits, the state will suspend their funding for six months. If compliance isn't achieved within that period, the funds are forfeited and redistributed to other local entities in the same county or returned to state funds. After 12 months of non-compliance, the local government becomes ineligible for future state aid until it meets all requirements.
LB 116 amends definitions in Nebraska's Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act and Nebraska Visitors Development Act to clarify eligibility for state funding. It specifies that "associated hotels" and "nearby retailers" must be within 600 yards of a convention center (with special rules if near the State Capitol), and excludes new sports arenas with over 16,000 seats from becoming "eligible facilities" for state assistance. The bill also adjusts funding limits, capping total state assistance at $150 million per project, with modified rules for facilities near the State Capitol. These changes directly affect local governments seeking state financial support for convention center development or related infrastructure.
LB 396 modifies how Nebraska's public power districts submit budgets and audits to the Nebraska Power Review Board. It requires districts to create annual budgets showing detailed revenue and spending from the prior two years, make these budgets available for public inspection 7 days before board meetings, and post any last-minute changes at district headquarters. The bill also mandates that districts file completed financial audits with both the Auditor of Public Accounts and the Nebraska Power Review Board within 180 days after their fiscal year ends. These changes apply directly to public power districts, public power and irrigation districts, and rural power districts operating under Nebraska law. The bill repeals the original budget and audit filing requirements it amends.
LB 609A appropriates $232,777 for fiscal year 2025-26 and $185,061 for fiscal year 2026-27 from the Financial Institution Assessment Cash Fund to the Department of Banking and Finance's Program 65. This funding supports the implementation of Legislative Bill 609 (which established a new banking oversight program) and limits salary/per diem expenses to $85,000 for 2025-26 and $87,125 for 2026-27. The bill directly affects the Department of Banking and Finance and its Program 65 operations.
LB 296A is a funding bill that allocates $0 from the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to support Legislative Bill 296. It specifies that total expenditures for salaries and per diems from these funds cannot exceed $160,197 for 2025-26 or $165,403 for 2026-27. The bill directly affects the State Department of Education by providing a procedural funding mechanism for another legislative act. This is a technical appropriations measure with no actual monetary allocation, solely establishing budgetary parameters for a related bill.
Nebraska's LB 209 expands property tax exemptions for veterans and their surviving spouses by modifying homestead exemption rules. It also creates a new property tax break for for-profit skilled nursing, nursing, and assisted-living facilities that serve Medicaid beneficiaries. The tax exemption amount for these facilities equals the average percentage of occupied Medicaid beds over the previous three years. This change specifically applies to for-profit facilities - nonprofit facilities serving Medicaid already have separate, full exemptions under current law.
LB 208 modifies Nebraska's sales tax filing requirements based on annual tax liability: businesses with less than $900 yearly tax obligation file annually, those with $900-$3,000 file quarterly, and those over $3,000 file monthly. It adds rules for electronic payments via the streamlined sales tax agreement, requiring annual reconciliation and imposing a 50% penalty if payments miss the target by over 10%. The bill also updates confidentiality protections for sales tax data, adjusts annual limits for certain income tax credits, and clarifies filing rules for seasonal retailers and combined returns. These changes primarily affect Nebraska retailers and businesses collecting sales tax, streamlining compliance with state and multi-state tax agreements.
LB 194 amends Nebraska's documentary stamp tax law to expand exemptions for certain family property transfers. The bill adds exemptions for deeds between spouses, parents and children, and transfers to family-owned corporations, partnerships, or LLCs (when all ownership is held by family members within the fourth degree of kinship) without payment. Transfers must be made in the business entity's name, not the individual's, to qualify for the exemption. This directly affects families and small family-run businesses that move property without monetary exchange.
