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
27% KFF, the health policy think tank, indicates that 27% of agricultural sector employees buy health care plans on state marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), compared with just 6% of the adult population with non-group coverage. As a result, agricultural workers are among the highest users of
$8 million The newly-combined Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (NDWEE) has requested an $8 million transfer from the Nebraska Environmental Trust in their mid-budget requests, which will be evaluated as the Legislature crafts an amendment package to the biennial budget. Of the total sum, $6 million would be
Watching our Pennies The Legislature will be navigating a $472 million budget shortfall that will eventually need to be closed in order to meet Constitutional obligations. While one more update of the forecast will occur in February, lawmakers can’t wait that long to begin examining options to balance the budget.
30,000 Governor Jim Pillen announced this week that Nebraska will opt to become the first state to conform to new federal regulations around work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The Governor noted during a press conference that he anticipates 30,000 adults will lose health care coverage as Nebraska voluntarily rolls out
$310 million The amount of unpaid taxes owed to the state of Nebraska rose 15% in the past year, totaling more than $310 million, according to a press release issued by Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Foley. The sum includes individual income taxes, sales and use taxes, partnership income
111,000 Congress passed what they considered a compromise designed to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in the country’s history. Part of that agreement was a promise of a future vote on the extension of premium tax credits (PTCs), which would save 22 million Americans who purchase insurance
151,000 The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that benefits for 151,000 Nebraskans under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be suspended effective October 29, 2025, in response to the federal government shutdown. Any remaining benefits on SNAP cards can still be used 9 months
1.2 million Nationwide, about 8% of all veterans who have served in the United States armed forces receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when the federal government is up and running. New changes adopted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) could reduce that number substantially.
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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.
