“Sustaining the Good Life,” updated in 2025, examines the use and funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in our state.
On July 4, 2025, fireworks lit up the sky, hot dogs cooked on the grill, households across the country displayed their American flags and the President signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, also known as H.R. 1). Fast forward one year, and the fireworks, hot dogs and flags
$177 million General Fund tax receipts for the month of May fell short of revenue forecasts by about 7.8%, according to new data released by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. This marks the third consecutive month that receipts have come in below forecast, with cumulative receipts now lagging the revenue
8.2% The Nebraska Department of Revenue recently released April General Fund tax receipts, showing a gap of 8.2% between actual collections and the amount forecasted by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board (NEFAB). April is typically the highest month for tax refunds, due to the state and federal income tax
As OpenSky previously reported, Governor Jim Pillen decided to opt Nebraska into a new set of work requirements for Medicaid recipients beginning today. The May 1 deadline is a full 8 months prior to the deadline imposed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and prior to final guidance being
-9.14% According to analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, from December 2024 to December 2025, the number of Nebraskans receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) declined by 9.14%, largely credited to changes in eligibility implemented by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed
$3.5 Million Facing a sizeable budget gap, the Nebraska Legislature voted to retain a $3.5 million appropriation to the Department of Labor for private school scholarships this week on a 23-17 vote, with 9 legislators present, but declining to vote. AM 2500, introduced by Senator Tom Brandt, would have removed
$130 million Amid several maneuvers used by the Appropriations Committee to send a balanced budget to the legislative floor for debate next week was a $130 million transfer from the state’s cash reserve. This will be in addition to the $152 million transfer from the reserve approved in 2025, set
$37 million In the January tax receipts report last week, Nebraska showed a net growth of 6.5% over the forecast put forward by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board (NEFAB) in October. This equates to just under $37 million in additional revenue. Fiscal year-to-date receipts are nearly on par with
650% The Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee began hearings on the mid-biennial budget adjustments this week. The mainline budget bills, LB 1071 and LB 1072, received significant pushback from Nebraskans. Among them was OpenSky Policy Institute’s Research Director, Craig Beck, who raised concerns about the growth of cash fund sweeps and
$152.4 million Governor Jim Pillen released his budget proposal last week, which includes a total of $495 million in spending cuts over the next two fiscal years. The largest share of the proposed cuts are from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), to which the Governor proposed $22
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Health Access to quality health care is a key element of “The Good Life” because it helps keep Nebraskans working and thriving. Key Resources Medicaid Overview “A Healthy Nebraska,” updated in 2023, provides an overview of Medicaid and CHIP funding in Nebraska. Learn More State Budget Overview “Looking for Clarity,”
