Top Journal Star photos for March 2024

An effort to add an exception for fatal fetal anomalies to Nebraska's 12-week abortion ban needed five votes in a legislative committee to move forward. Tuesday, it got three.

Sen. Danielle Conrad introduced the bill after working with East High School student Cassidy Bell, who has advocated for menstrual equity in Nebraska schools at the local and state levels.

Nebraska lawmakers took a step Tuesday toward protecting the missile silos in western Nebraska from potential enemy agents.

A bill to cut the time Nebraskans could draw unemployment benefits by nearly 40% stalled Tuesday in the face of a filibuster and may not return. 

A 20-year-old Lincoln man was charged with first-degree sexual assault after a 15-year-old and her mother saw a news report showing the man's age, according to court documents.

A group of conservative senators led by Julie Slama brought lawmaking to a halt Wednesday over their opposition to expanding tenant rights and privacy in eviction cases.

Gov. Jim Pillen's pick to lead Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services will be debated on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature. 

A bill that would have expanded tenant rights and privacy in Nebraska eviction cases failed to overcome a filibuster Thursday, effectively killing the proposal that faced opposition from some conservatives. 

Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh called the bill "a needed step to ensure everyone has the health care they need even if English is not their first language."

Nebraska lawmakers signed off on changing the structure of the state's tourism board among over a dozen bills that passed the Legislature Thursday.

The Appropriations Committee delivered a budget package to the Legislature Thursday that would hold spending to a 3.1% increase and leave a record amount of state money unspent.

Nebraska submitted the state's first Climate Action Plan to federal regulators earlier this month, outlining voluntary programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30% by 2030.

With the legislative session two-thirds done, almost every aspect of Gov. Jim Pillen's property tax cut proposal remains unsettled — and prospects for passage are uncertain.

A bill that would have allowed local jurisdictions in Nebraska to distribute hypodermic needles to drug users failed to garner enough support to override Gov. Jim Pillen's veto.

Halfway through debate Monday on a bill that would enhance penalties for drug dealers tied to overdoses, Nebraska lawmakers passed over Sen. Carolyn Bosn's controversial proposal.

Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings received swift rebuke from colleagues on both sides of the political aisle for his comments that came during debate Monday night.

A small group of health care professionals launched a ballot initiative Tuesday aiming to enshrine into Nebraska's constitution similar abortion parameters that already exist in state law.

Urban lawmakers prevailed in a fight over workforce housing money Tuesday that split the Nebraska Legislature along geographic — rather than ideological or party — lines.

The legislation would deliver millions to a prison that has been plagued for years by concerns over the appearance, taste, odor and potential health effects of the facility’s water.

Members of Nebraska's congressional delegation railed against new vehicle emissions standards the EPA announced, with U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts vowing to introduce a resolution to block the standards. 

Nebraska's smallest school districts could authorize security staff to carry guns in schools and at school activities under a compromise amendment added to a package of education bills.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Wednesday night to a bill that would restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentence.

Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad said the bill includes “a host of remedies to our state’s public records laws to reset the balance in favor of the citizens of Nebraska.”

Sen. Tom Brewer's bill directs the Nebraska Probation System to create a veteran justice program — essentially a problem-solving court — in each district in the state.

After years of contentious debate over parental involvement in K-12 schools, Nebraska lawmakers gave first-round approval to a bipartisan measure on the subject.

School property taxes would drop by over 45% statewide while state sales taxes could go up as much as 1 cent under a tax plan advanced by the Revenue Committee.

A permanent reduction to community behavioral health and substance abuse services funding will result in more crime, drug us, and homelessness in Nebraska, advocates warn.

A total of 35 National Guard soldiers and airmen and 10 state troopers will be sent to the U.S. border with Mexico in April, Gov. Jim Pillen announced.

HHS handed out millions without verifying whether the providers and individuals met the criteria to field grants or if they used the money for its intended purpose, Mike Foley said.

The state budget would leave about $20 million to pay for added spending or tax cuts in other bills working through the Nebraska Legislature. That's nowhere near enough.

Nebraska lawmakers launched Wednesday into a long-awaited debate about Gov. Jim Pillen's plan to cut property taxes by raising state sales taxes — but adjourned before reaching a vote. 

Among bills sent to Gov. Jim Pillen's desk were measures expanding Medicaid for prenatal care and inflating the governor's influence over the state's Racing and Gaming Commission. 

An Omaha senator says there's still time for the Nebraska Legislature to debate her bill on restricting access to school bathrooms and locker rooms on the basis of biological sex.

Nebraska voters won't weigh in on online sports gambling this year after the nation's biggest sportsbooks opted not to back a ballot initiative campaign aimed at legalizing mobile sports betting.

Voters in Brownville recalled two members of the village board. The board turned around and hired the recalled members, creating a furor in this 140-person village.

Gov. Pillen called on lawmakers to replace Nebraska's unique presidential election system with a winner-take-all model after a right-wing radio host endorsed the plan Tuesday.

In a dramatic vote late Wednesday, Nebraska lawmakers overwhelmingly voted down a procedural motion that could have cleared the way for the replacement of the state's unique presidential election system.

The Donald Trump-backed effort to replace Nebraska's unique presidential electoral system with a winner-take-all model has no path forward in the state's Legislature this year, lawmakers acknowledged Friday.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has signed both bills in the state budget package without a single veto and with praise for the Appropriations Committee.