State Budget & Taxes

Ensuring the state has the revenue for critical investments and to support its changing economy is vital to Nebraska’s future.

2025 Session

Follow OpenSky for sound research, data and analysis throughout the 2025 Nebraska Legislative session

Key Resources

The Latest from OpenSky

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (3/7/25)

$289 million Nebraska will be looking to find additional Medicaid funding in the coming biennium, totaling $90.3 million, which will make balancing the state’s budget shortfall more difficult. The news comes after positive developments from last week’s forecasting board meeting. The additional funding needed for the coming budget cycle is

Weekly Legislative Update (3/4/25)

OpenSky offered insight on 13 different bills in 5 committees last week, weighing in on everything from property taxes to school vouchers to term limits. We were also in attendance at the meeting of the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board, an important step in the development of the state’s biennium

Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board – February Meeting Recap

OpenSky followed along with the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board’s February meeting, and while we are pleased with positive developments reflected during the meeting, we advise caution as the budget process continues since we can’t rely on economic growth alone to resolve the state’s budget challenges. Nebraska still faces a

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (2/28/25)

$262 million Last week, the Appropriations Committee released its Preliminary Budget report for the upcoming biennium, Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2027). The report, a milestone in the budget process, is the Legislature’s starting point for budget actions to be taken during the 2025 session. The

Medicaid in Nebraska

Weekly Legislative Update (2/25/25)

The OpenSky team was busy again last week, including our first engagement with the Appropriations Committee this session on the biennium budget. Our slate is full again this week and we look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders as the session continues. LB 261 and 264 – Research

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (2/21/25)

17 Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers joined 16 other attorneys general in asking that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 be declared unconstitutional, potentially causing severe consequences for children and adults with disabilities, particularly in educational settings. A 504 plan, as they are commonly known, facilitates accommodations necessary

Weekly Legislative Update (2/18/25)

Another week, another busy hearing schedule for the team at OpenSky Policy Institute. Hearings will continue through the remainder of February and into March. If you’d like more frequent updates on the progress of various bills, make sure to check out our new Bill Tracker feature on the website, with

OpenSkyLIGHTS: Focus on Nebraska fiscal policy (2/14/25)

$1,000 As the Nebraska Legislature considers a variety of options for re-imaginging school funding in the state, it is important to consider the impact of additional investments in K-12 public education, independent of any corresponding property tax relief. California rebuilt their funding formula in 2013, launching the Local Control Funding

Nebraska Examiner on Feb. 10: School, ag advocates largely endorse Nebraska school finance reform proposal

Education advocacy organizations, including OpenSky Policy Institute, and the state’s largest rural-focused organizations largely endorsed an “incremental” proposal Monday to reform Nebraska’s core school finance formula. Read the story

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State Budget & Taxes

State Budget & Taxes Ensuring the state has the revenue for critical investments and to support its changing economy is vital to Nebraska’s future. Key Resources State Budget Overview “Looking for Clarity,” updated in 2023, offers an unbiased look at Nebraska’s budget process, state spending, state revenue and tax expenditures.