Nebraska
A guide to Nebraska’s property tax relief special session beginning Thursday • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Thursday is officially game day for Gov. Jim Pillen’s special session on property taxes: a high-risk, high-reward moment for the first-term governor who has vowed, if necessary, to keep lawmakers in Lincoln “ ‘til Christmas.”
State senators will convene at 10 a.m. Thursday for the first of three days of bill introductions, all related to property tax relief. When lawmakers adjourned April 18 without passing legislation to curb the property tax, Pillen declared they’d be back later in the year.
“Enjoy halftime. We’ll see you again here soon,” he said in his end-of-session speech, promising a special session.
For nearly one-third of state legislators, this session could be their final showing, most because they are term-limited after eight years of service.
Here’s what to watch for heading into the special session.
Will lawmakers debate, or go home?
First up on the docket is the question of whether lawmakers will stay in Lincoln, or if they will vote to adjourn “sine die.” That vote would send lawmakers home and put the ball back in Pillen’s court should he choose to call another session.
Led by State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, lawmakers in a Tuesday night email thread summarized months of unease over the session and criticized Pillen for not calling the special session or clarifying its scope in a timely manner.
“We are not his slaves to be summoned at his whim,” Wayne wrote to his colleagues, detailing personal and career commitments he and other legislators needed to consider.
The governor officially issued that document Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the session is set to start. That’s the latest proclamation for any special session in 40 years.
Wayne suggested that lawmakers adjourn “sine die” and demand at least a week’s notice before any special session begins. Or, he suggested, the body should recess for one week, until Aug. 1, so senators would have more time to consider introducing legislation.
Usually, a “sine die” vote comes at the end of a legislative session and is a ceremonial formality to end the session. But Thursday morning could be a test vote.
At least 25 lawmakers must come to Lincoln for the session to begin, and if someone offers the “sine die” motion, it is not debatable. It requires a simple majority of those present.
A new record to introduced bills
Multiple lawmakers told the Nebraska Examiner that at least 80 bills were being prepared ahead of the special session. If all or most are introduced, it could set a record.
The previous record for a special session is 52 bills, which came in 2002 during a special session to address appropriations, cash funds, state aid to local governments and more.
Most lawmakers have not shared concrete details of what they might bring to the table, some out of concern that Pillen’s proclamation could have purposefully excluded their ideas.
Senators will determine what bills fall within the scope of the proclamation.
The 10-member Executive Board will determine which of 14 standing committees each bill or policy resolutions should be sent to.
After being assigned to a committee, all proposals must receive a hearing within five calendar days, per the Legislature’s rules. Speaker John Arch of La Vista said Wednesday he will better understand how many days of hearings will take after bill introductions, though he’s budgeted three days beginning next Monday.
Floor debate could in theory start next Thursday, Aug. 1, Arch said, though he stressed that scheduling depends on the number of bills introduced and the work of the various committees.
“Because it’s so focused, there’s probably going to be more committee work on the topic than in a general session,” Arch said. “I don’t anticipate bills being kicked out quickly.”
If a committee doesn’t take final action on a bill within two legislative days after its hearing, the rules allow lawmakers to seek a vote that could advance a proposal to the floor for future debate. That would require at least 25 votes.
What is Pillen proposing?
Once lawmakers get to floor debate, Arch said, “full and fair debate” will mirror his policy in the regular session last spring, allowing debate to go to a maximum of eight, four and two hours on three successive rounds of debate.
At those points after a “filibuster” to prolong debate, a cloture motion could be offered to end debate and vote on advancing or passing the bill.
Cloture requires at least 33 votes among the 49 members. Bills or resolutions that are not filibustered require at least 25 votes.
Pillen could run into problems with various lawmakers who have cast doubt on his ideas, which include:
- Placing hard caps on county and municipality property tax collections, either 0% (in times of deflation) or matching the consumer price index, unless 60% of voters agree to override the caps. There would be exemptions for growth and public safety needs.
- Funding more than 80% of local K-12 property tax burdens by the state, about $2.6 billion. School tax rates would be reduced from a maximum of about $1.05 per $100 of valuations to 15 cents, 7.5 cents and 0 cents in a three-year period.
- Retooling existing property tax relief programs, including homestead exemptions and property tax credits. A spokesperson for the governor said there would be no cuts to existing homestead exemptions.
- Removing more than 100 sales and use tax exemptions. Food, medicine and raw agricultural and manufacturing materials, along with more than 100 other goods and services, would remain exempt. Most new items would be taxed statewide at 5.5 cents per dollar purchase, plus local taxes between 0.5 and 2 cents; agricultural and manufacturing machinery and equipment would be taxed at 4 cents per dollar purchase, with personal property taxes on those items removed.
- Raising “sin” taxes on cigarettes, candy, pop, vaping, spirits, keno gambling, games of skill and consumable hemp.
Lawmakers to watch
Among the lawmakers to watch are the chairs of the three committees where legislation is likely to be referred: State Sens. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, who chairs Revenue; Rob Clements of Elmwood, who chairs Appropriations; and Dave Murman of Glenvil, who chairs Education.
Those three plus 14 other senators were part of a task force working with Pillen on his ideas this summer: State Sens. Joni Albrecht, Eliot Bostar, Wendy DeBoer, George Dungan, Steve Erdman, John Fredrickson, Ben Hansen, Teresa Ibach, Mike Jacobson, Kathleen Kauth, Mike McDonnell, Fred Meyer, Merv Riepe and Brad von Gillern.
Clements and Linehan joined Pillen in unveiling the outcome of that task force and 26 town halls across the state in May and June, which did not include the state’s largest cities of Omaha and Lincoln.
“Every senator, if you look at their campaign material, would say property tax relief is a high priority for them,” Clements told the Examiner last week. “I think it’s time for senators to step forward and do something about what they’ve been promising.”
However, not every task force member is in agreement on next steps, including Riepe and Dungan.
Riepe said last weekend he doesn’t “believe in the ‘jump and the net will appear’ philosophy.”
Multiple lawmakers have criticized Pillen, saying he and his family stand to gain financially as part of the plan, stating that lower-income Nebraskans could end up paying more in sales taxes:
- State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln: “This plan is indeed nothing more than a reverse Robin Hood scheme representing perhaps an unprecedented tax increase and massive tax shift.”
- State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar: “That’s corrupt, and we can’t have a tax plan that robs Peter to pay Pillen.”
Wayne has said a different proposal, relating to lawsuits alleging neglect on the part of political subdivisions in cases of child sexual assault or child abuse, needs to be part of the special session. Pillen vetoed that proposal in the spring, in part citing taxes, which could be the foot in the door to address the issue during the special session.
Erdman has promised that legislation similar to the ballot initiative to eliminate property, income and corporate taxes — the “EPIC Option” — will be introduced during the session.
Also something to watch is how lawmakers’ positions may shift from the 28-14 split from Legislative Bill 388, the previous Pillen-led proposal in the spring8. Five more lawmakers were “present, not voting” and two were “excused, not voting” when LB 388 was considered. The split wasn’t geographical or ideological.
Despite pushback, Pillen has remained confident that he will have enough bipartisan support to get something accomplished in the officially nonpartisan Legislature’s special session.
He says that’s because it’s not about what lawmakers say, it’s what they do.
“When it comes time to push that button [for the bill], it’s one heck of a responsibility to not push green,” Pillen said. “You push red, there’s going to be tough consequences.”
Special session costs, length
Of the 36 special sessions since the Unicameral formed in 1937, special sessions have ranged from six to 24 days. Twenty sessions lasted seven days and just one was six days.
Each day lawmakers are in session brings a cost to taxpayers. Pillen has said those expenses are “pennies compared to our property tax increases,” which went up $286 million in 2023.
During a special session, there is no specific end date, unlike in regular 90-day or 60-day sessions. That means lawmakers could theoretically remain in session until the next Legislature begins, or “ ‘til Christmas” as Pillen has threatened to ensure his relief goals are achieved.
The most recent cost estimates provided to the Examiner were in mid-May:
- Five days: $79,686 ($15,937.20 per session day).
- Seven days: $130,165 ($18,595 per session day).
- Ten days: $174,876 ($17,487.60 per session day).
“Special sessions aren’t 10-day sessions,” Pillen told school administrators Wednesday in Kearney. “This session will last as long as it takes to fix the problem.”
Nebraska All-American running back Emmett Johnson is waiting for the NFL Draft next month. In his wake, his legacy in Lincoln influences the Huskers’ running back room.
The current guys wouldn’t mind being like Emmett.
And why not?
Johnson ran for 1,451 yards in 2025, and is expected to be drafted. Johnson played four years at Nebraska and his development across that time became a textbook for younger players to follow.
“It’s interesting,” Huskers running backs coach E.J. Barthel told reporters after practice Wednesday. “It’s one thing to talk about development and one thing as a coach you want to say here’s what we believe and here’s the opportunities that are on the horizon if you do this, do that. All the kids watched him {Emmett] do it. It makes my job a lot easier.
“Emmett’s just been an example … talking about where he needs to improve to the next spring [practice] and he’s continued to battle and fight and compete. Emmett’s second year as a full-time player he had to compete with Rahmir [Johnson] and Dante [Dowdell] …
“That turned him into the player you saw last season. Learning to compete brings out the best out of everybody … And then for Emmett to compete with him [Rahmir] in camp and throughout the season, that’s going to make you the player you’re going to be.
“That’s what’s most impressive about Emmett, that the ability to compete and want to compete. If you look at him at the [NFL] Combine, I think he’s one of the only running backs to do all the drills. I think it’s been told to me by some NFL people that they’re impressed that he’s not afraid of competition. I think that makes you a great player.”
The next generation
Barthel, who is in his fourth season at Nebraska, has enormous numbers on the stat sheet to fill without Johnson. His running back room is well stocked but inexperienced. The Huskers are coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons.
Kwinten Ives, Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson each have limited experience. Each wants to be the main ball carrier in 2026. Combined, these three carried the ball 73 times for 295 yards. Johnson had 251 carries last season
“The one thing we pride ourselves here is honesty and transparency with our players,” Barthel said about Ives, a junior from Beverly, N.J. “And letting guys know exactly where they stand. And we challenge Kwinten.
“He’s going to have to maximize his role and show myself, show himself, show the staff that there’s a void here. And can you fill that void?
“That’s the reality. Not only did he do it in practice, he stepped up and he did it in the game [34 yards vs. Akron; 85 yards vs. Houston Christian; 14 yards on four carries in the Las Vegas Bowl].
“That’s a huge jump for him. His question had never been about ability. Last year it was the soft tissue injuries. So, he’s going to be challenged this spring to continue to focus on his body, keeping himself healthy, but he’s accelerating.
“He’s having his best spring that I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”
Barthel on Mekhi Nelson
“Off the field, he’s really maturing,” Barthel said about the sophomore from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. “When we’re on the road recruiting this cycle, he did a great job of getting the group together, making sure guys were meeting on their own voluntarily and coordinating all the things that we talk about during the season, as far as what we should be covering during their workouts.
“He did a great job as far as being a leader of that group in that sense. Right now, the challenge for him is going to see if he can take his body to the next level just like Emmett had to do.
“There’s no doubt he has breakaway speed and he has a competitive edge when he plays. The big challenge for him is focusing on his body. That’s going to be the big factor for him.
“As far as his skill set, as far as route efficiency, as far as his protection, as far as his rush skills, his ability to outrun the defense, his toughness, he’s very impressive.
“He’s going to continue to climb that ladder.”
Nelson was the Huskers’ second-leading rusher with 147 yards on 27 carries. He had 88 yards on 12 carries in the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Utah.
Barthel on Isaiah Mozee
“I look at him now as a real running back,” Barthel said about Mozee, a sophomore from Kansas City. “Last year, he was really transitioning and now his movements pre-snap, how he gets aligned, his eyes, all those things, he’s really truly bought into the position.
“The big thing for him right now will continue to be staying on that path and running the ball inside. That’s going to be the thing he needs to do to really grasp. Everyone knows what he can do in space. We know what he can do on the perimeter.
“His focus this spring is running behind his weight and becoming a really dynamic inside runner.”
The wild card freshman
The unknown factor is true freshman Jamal Rule from Salisbury, N.C. Rule was considered a three-star player who Barthel said was not recruited out of Charlotte Christian High.
“One of the reasons why we loved Jamal coming out of high school was because of his physicality and competitive edge, the way he ran the football in high school,” Barthel said. “It was evident in tape. It was evident when I went to go watch him play.
“The kid has a chip on his shoulder. He was the leading rusher at North Carolina his junior year … and then to run over 200 yards against Providence Day [School] in a championship game and to really not get recruited was a slap in the face to that kid. And so an opportunity for us to believe in him and everyone on the staff, everyone on our team seeing why we believed in him …
“That’s part of his attitude. Right now he needs to learn football. It’s one thing he’s got to transition from being a high school football player to really learning the cycle of the snap, development of his eyes in the run game and in the protection game.
“Those are the big things for him right now is just the details of football, is what he needs to learn.
“I think you could probably spot-play a young freshman, as far as their ability, but in order for us to rely on him, he’s got to be really diving into the details. And so that just takes repetition and experience … He’s going to gradually grow and so it’s really the meeting rooms, it’s the quizzing, it’s all the things off the field that are going to help him mentally play faster.”
Barthel has a challenging job this offseason — as do all of the Huskers.
“I’ve been their coach. I know where they need to improve,” Barthel said about his running back room.
With Emmett Johnson gone, there is a void to be filled, an opportunity for someone to step up.
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
They say all roads lead home, and for Daniel Kaelin, that remains true as he returns to Lincoln after a year away from the program in 2025.
The former four-star Belleview West (NE) star heads into his sophomore season in his second stint as a Husker, ready to compete for an impactful role. Though he’ll likely be on the outside looking in, in terms of earning the starting job, after gaining starting experience at his previous school, he won’t go down without a fight.
Now, after roughly a week and a half of spring football practices in the books, Kaelin met with the media Wednesday. During his time at the mic, the Nebraska native touched on a variety of topics, including his decision to come home, an ego-less quarterback room in Lincoln, and much more.
It didn’t take long for the will-be sophomore to get asked about his decision to return to Nebraska. After explaining the values he got out of his time away, Kaelin described it as something he’s as excited about as he is thankful for.
“It’s been really good,” said Kaelin. “Nebraska’s my home, and there are so many people on this team that I have a good relationship with. So, the transition has been really smooth. I’ve been enjoying being back, for sure”.
Leaving after the end of the 2024 season, Kaelin’s path towards competing for a starting job appeared to be full of obstacles. But a little over a year after he transferred to Virginia, the situation has changed dramatically. Back in the scarlet and cream, a year older and with more experience, the soon-to-be third-year player is enjoying his return, to say the least.
In his time as a Cavalier, the then-redshirt freshman saw action in seven games. Despite a sparing role, he still managed to throw for the first 339 yards of his career, while also scoring his first collegiate touchdown. Kaelin also proved to be a threat on the ground, with 12 carries for 72 yards.
In total, he amassed 400 all-purpose yards at Virginia and comes to Nebraska more battle-tested than before. Here, the 6-foot-3, 218-pounder will look to grow even more, but was asked to reflect on what he gained during his stay on the East Coast.
“It was my first time being away from home,” he said. “I think that year- doing things on my own- was probably big for me becoming an adult. I think I learned a lot about myself that way”.
Between personal development and his time on the field, Kaelin’s lone season at Virginia was not for nothing. Instead, a more mature version of the young quarterback is what the Huskers are getting back amongst their ranks. He also provides them with the third quarterback to have started a Power Four game in their career.
After discussing what he gained in his time away, Kaelin was then asked to explain how he landed back in Lincoln ahead of the 2026 season. To somewhat of a surprise, the Nebraska native suggested it wasn’t initially planned. Rather, the opportunity presented itself, and both sides agreed.
“I didn’t really even expect to be leaving the last school I was at,” Kaelin said. “Things kind of happened pretty quickly. When I got in the portal, I was able to get in touch with Coach Rhule, and when I knew that this was a possibility, it just made a lot of sense for me. It is really comfortable for me coming back home and being around people that I know”.
Using his past relationships with coaches and players such as Carter Nelson and Bode Soukup, the former in-state signal-caller is what you’d call back home. Confident, comfortable, and with a lot more to prove, he’ll look to make an impact on the field for the first time as a Husker this fall.
Kaelin was then asked to shed light on the dynamic within the quarterbacks’ room, and his response sounded similar to that of quarterback coach Glenn Thomas earlier in the day. Instead of pushing each other away due to competition, the position group is looking to help each other grow. In fact, Kaelin suggested it may be the most unified position group he’s ever been a part of, and something he views as a positive change.
“There’s egos,” he said. There’s money involved. I think that can create some tension or problems sometimes. There haven’t been any type of issues like that with the room that we have right now; it’s been great.”
While some suggest that his comment may be a back-handed dig at former signal-callers within the room, it’s clear that the Huskers no longer have an issue with competition in 2026. Instead, the group is pushing eachother to improve. And when spring ball and fall camp come to a close, the best man for the job will emerge with the others’ full support.
A big change since Kaelin was on campus in 2024 is NU’s retooled wide receiver room. After welcoming in a new position coach, the Huskers have been able to recruit, retain, and add several high-level players to the unit. When asked to offer his thoughts on the room, the will-be sophomore didn’t hold back his early praise.
“A big thing that we’ve noticed so far is we have guys that make plays,” Kaelin said. “We’ve been challenging them to- when the ball is in the air, it has got to be theirs. We don’t want 50/50 balls. They’ve got to go make plays. And so far, they’ve definitely been doing that. It’s been really impressive to watch”.
Not only are the Big Red’s pass catchers bigger, deeper, and faster than before, but it’s beginning to pay off for the offense this spring. There’s still plenty of time for the quarterbacks and wideouts to develop chemistry, but early reports suggest the relationship has started well.
For Kaelin, it was positive to see the metaphorical boy return as a man. Not only has he gained experience and found success on the field, but he’s also come back with a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead a team. By all accounts, it appears his teammates have taken a liking to him, so don’t be surprised if he sees the field in some role this upcoming fall.
Again, he’s far from guaranteed the starting job here in Lincoln and will have to beat out two players with more experience than he has. Still, it is more than likely that he will take his first snaps as a Husker at some point in 2026. Were he to take meaningful reps, the third-year sophomore has already been tested before, and that gives Nebraska reason for optimism about the room.
Overall, he sounded as if he was preparing to be more than ready when his opportunity comes. Returning home did not come without a price, but don’t expect Kaelin to remain silent his second time around. The Huskers are looking for a player who can reliably make plays, and it’s hard to argue that there would be another player in his position group who cares more about the program than he does.
Still, he’ll have to prove his skill is worthy of deserving that chance. Spring should tell a lot about where he stands.
Nebraska
In a first for Nebraska, federal judge awards attorney’s fees to immigrant who was detained without bond hearing
For the first time, a federal judge in Nebraska has awarded court costs and attorney’s fees to an immigrant who prevailed in a lawsuit challenging his detention without bond.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Gerrard, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued the ruling on Tuesday and awarded $1,535.23 to Edgar Eduardo Cadillo Salazar. Gerrard had previously ruled that Salazar’s detention at the Cass County Jail without bond was unconstitutional and ordered the government to provide him with a bond hearing or release him from custody.
Under the federal Equal Access to Justice Act, individuals and businesses that prevail in civil lawsuits against the federal government can file a motion to hold the government liable for attorney’s fees and court costs. Judges can order the government to cover those costs unless they find that the government’s position was “substantially justified,” or if “special circumstances make an award unjust.”
Before last summer, when the Department of Homeland Security revised its longstanding interpretation of statute, only immigrants who were encountered at the border or other ports of entry were subject to mandatory detention. Immigrants encountered after residing in the U.S. were typically subject to discretionary detention and eligible for a bond hearing.
The new interpretation has led to detention without bond for tens of thousands of immigrants who would have previously been eligible to bond out – and it’s led to an endless stream of wrongful detention lawsuits in Nebraska and around the country. A Reuters investigation found that federal courts have ruled against the mandatory detention policy more than 4,400 times.
In Gerrard’s order granting Salazar’s request for attorney’s fees, he said the government’s position that all undocumented immigrants are ineligible for bond hearings was not substantially justified.
“This ‘new understanding’ of a decades-old statute has resulted in the government detaining hundreds of thousands of nonviolent individuals, often without due process or other constitutional protections,” Gerrard wrote. “It has also sparked thousands of lawsuits where courts have ordered release of those wrongfully detained, for which neither immigration courts nor the Department of Justice have seemed prepared.”
He continued: “The government has not provided any justification, let alone a substantial one, for its radical departure from the historical treatment of noncitizens who entered the United States without inspection. Its arguments rely purely on statutory interpretation; the government apparently expects it can transform an entire area of administrative law because it unilaterally decided that, for thirty years, everyone was wrong about what a statute meant.”
Salazar was later denied bond by an immigration judge and remains in custody, according to his attorney, Alexander Smith.
Two similar motions were denied last month by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bazis, an appointee of former President Joe Biden. In both cases, Bazis had ruled in favor of the detained immigrants, and they were later released on bond per her orders. But in her opinions denying attorney’s fees under the EAJA, she found that the government’s position on mandatory detention was “substantially justified.”
“The Court cannot say that the Federal Respondents’ pre-litigation decision to treat [the respondent] as being subject to mandatory detention, while not ultimately correct in this Court’s view, lacked a reasonable basis in law or fact,” Bazis wrote in a footnote of her opinions.
The issue of mandatory detention is currently under consideration by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Nebraska and other Midwest states. In oral arguments last month, the appellate court’s conservative judges appeared friendly to the mandatory detention policy.
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