At OpenSky, we prioritize data and evidence to ensure our work is a credible, unbiased and reliable resource for policymakers, media and all Nebraskans.
Our primers aim to provide an overview of the issues important to creating fair and just outcomes for everyone.
“A Healthy Nebraska,” updated in 2023, provides an overview of Medicaid and CHIP funding in Nebraska.
“Taking Ownership,” released in 2023, explores the history of property taxes in Nebraska with information on the valuation process, how revenues are distributed and efforts the state has made to lower property taxes.
“Investing In Our Future,” updated in 2025, explores how Nebraska has paid for K-12 education in the past, how it does so now and discusses the perceived inequities of our current system.
“Sustaining the Good Life,” updated in 2025, examines the use and funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in our state.
Keep tabs on policy changes under consideration as the Nebraska Legislature meets each year.
Using census data, OpenSky produced fact sheets showing the diversity among Nebraska’s 49 legislative districts.
OpenSky compiled profiles of Nebraska’s public school districts to help taxpayers to better understand education funding.
Learn about proposal to replace most state and local taxes with a single tax on consumption.
Learn about proposals for taxpayer-funded scholarship programs that threaten funding for public schools.
$31.27 Trillion The sum of public debt reached $31.27 trillion at the end of April, eclipsing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States for the first time since World War II. During that time period, government spending on the war effort drove the increase in national debt, but recent trends are driven by […]
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 filing deadline of April 15. […]
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 issued by the Centers for […]
88 According to analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), 88 of the nation’s largest and most profitable corporations paid zero federal corporate income taxes for 2025. Collectively, the organizations across a variety of industries made more than $105 billion in taxable income last year. Had they paid the statutory federal income […]
Today is the deadline for filing federal and state income taxes. At OpenSky Policy Institute, we have spent 15 years studying the impact of tax and budget policy decisions on Nebraska families. As United States Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. famously stated, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society,” and […]
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Resources At OpenSky, we prioritize data and evidence to ensure our work is a credible, unbiased and reliable resource for policymakers, media and all Nebraskans. Primers Our primers aim to provide an overview of the issues important to creating fair and just outcomes for everyone. Medicaid “A Healthy Nebraska,” updated
