ICYMI: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen wrapped up his 2026 legislative session touting accomplishments and aims before he faces the voters in next month's primary election.
From Juan Salinas II:
CATCH UP: On the last day of the 2026 legislative session in Nebraska, including the outcome of five gubernatorial vetoes.
From Zach Wendling:
FORMER SUPE: The Sioux City school board did not violate the Iowa Open Meetings Law during a closed-door evaluation of former Sioux City and Lincoln superintendent Paul Gausman, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled.
From States Newsroom:
nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/17/r...
FINAL DAY PINCH: The Nebraska Legislature adjourned for 2026 Friday, deciding on the final day to sustain five gubernatorial vetoes after 30 lawmakers flipped from support to backing objections across four different bills.
From Zach Wendling:
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CLOSING SPEECH: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen used his last major speech before the May primary in his reelection bid to sell voters on his state budget work and his administration’s legislative wins.
From Juan Salinas II:
nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/17/n...
GET READY: Nebraska's 2026 primary election is underway, with early ballots mailed and in-person voting at county election offices. Let the Examiner help you get ready with our detailed voter guide.
From Zach Wendling:
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ANOTHER VETO: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued his first veto of the year against a bill meant to explicitly include snow and ice removal and flood management as “emergency management” in state law.
From Zach Wendling:
VETO QUICK LOOK: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen let legislative tweaks to State Capitol security become law without his signature Thursday, in a flurry of decisions that included vetoes of four more bills from Democratic lawmakers.
From Zach Wendling:
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PILLEN ORDER HOLDS: The Nebraska Supreme Court sided with state officials Friday in saying the Pillen administration could refuse to bargain with a state employees union over a 2023 executive order limiting remote work.
From Zach Wendling:
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WHAT'S NEXT? Food and farm aid fights in Congress appear to have the full attention of Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
From States Newsroom:
SECURITY SHUFFLE: During Thursday's flurry of vetoes, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen let new security measures the Legislature passed become law without his signature months after senators got input from his admin.
From Zach Wendling:
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CDC DIRECTOR: President Donald Trump has picked who he wants to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From States Newsroom:
Some former Nebraska law enforcement and military veterans announced a new coalition called “Equality Before the Law” to push back against what they described as “federal overreach” by some fed agencies in the second Trump administration.
From Juan Salinas II:
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VETO: Gov. Jim Pillen issued his first veto of 2026 against a bill to label snow and ice removal and flood management “emergency management” functions, saying the change might let local governments avoid a state property tax cap.
From Zach Wendling:
nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/16/p...
ICYMI: Nebraska's briefly balanced budget is no longer, after state tax receipts for March dipped below projections. Some expect a bounce back in April. Others point to structural imbalance.
From Erin Bamer:
START YOUR MORNING: With the central debate of the week from Washington. How did federal tax changes impact what people paid and how they feel?
From States Newsroom:
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TAX DAY 2026: The 2026 tax filing season closed Wednesday with Republicans hailing success under last year’s tax cuts law and Democrats said any benefits have been wiped out by skyrocketing prices.
From States Newsroom:
ICE FUNDING: Could congressional Republicans find a path to fund immigration enforcement through reconciliation?
From States Newsroom:
nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/15/r...
ICYMI: A pollster for Democratic former State Sen. Lynne Walz found her governor's bid within punching distance of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. The last time a Nebraska Democrat registered that close: the 1990s.
From Aaron Sanderford:
DEFICIT REOPENS: A Nebraska budget update based on tax receipts coming in below expectations in March — and competing explanations of what it means for a structurally imbalanced state budget moving forward.
From Erin Bamer:
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JOB TRAINING FUNDS? Tucked into President Donald Trump’s new budget request is a plan that could dramatically change — and, critics say, slash — how much money and help states provide to people needing jobs and training.
From States Newsroom:
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START YOUR WEDNESDAY: With an endorsement by President Donald Trump that could be a double-edge sword for presumptive Republican U.S. House nominee Brinker Harding in the Omaha-based 2nd District.
From Juan Salinas II:
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MEDICAL HELP: More states are trying to make it easier for physician assistants to step in when and where doctors might not be available.
From Stateline:
'TOTAL ENDORSEMENT': Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding got the endorsement Tuesday of President Donald Trump. But it's not immediately clear what that means in Nebraska's hotly contested 2nd Congressional District.
From Juan Salinas II:
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OUTSIDE COMMENTARY: Jean McGuire of the League of Women Voters of Lincoln and Lancaster County weighs in on the SAVE America Act that Congress is considering.
nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/13/o...
GOV POLL: Gov. Jim Pillen could face something foreign to modern Nebraska Republicans running for governor: a consequential general election race, if a new poll done on behalf of his likely opponent proves true.
From Aaron Sanderford:
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COMMENTARY FROM GEORGE AYOUB: Columnist Ayoub wants someone to ask our Washington quintet what they are thinking about a variety of subjects, what with a war, gas prices and a couple reelection campaigns on inquiring minds.
WAITING: Debate will wait on whether the Nebraska Legislature should create a new committee focused on tech by combining the Ag and Natural Resources Committees into one and splitting the Transportation and Telecom Committees into two.
From Erin Bamer:
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