Nebraska
Bill introduced to plug ‘missing year’ of Nebraska property tax relief • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Lawmakers have formally introduced a “fix” to Nebraska’s summer special session changes to a key property tax relief program, which closed off some tax relief for Nebraskans.
State Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering introduced Legislative Bill 81 on Thursday, a promise he and five other lawmakers made in October. The legislation would allow all Nebraskans to claim a credit on any property taxes paid in 2024 when they file their tax returns this spring, in the middle of the 90-day legislative session. The aim is to make whole the people who missed out on claiming an income tax credit for property taxes assessed in December 2023.
LB 81 would offer a one-time extension for the income tax credit program established in 2020 and designed to offset K-12 school taxes, which make up the majority of local property taxes.
The credits will now be immediately applied against school taxes on property tax statements, beginning in December 2024.
For some Nebraskans who didn’t know about the program previously or weren’t able to request the relief, it will be the first time they benefit from the program. About 50% of such eligible credits were left unclaimed.
“[The] challenge is that, in so doing, we did not realize that, inadvertently, we caused a problem as we set about the solution,” Hardin said at an afternoon news conference in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda.
“It’s lovely to get that shot in the arm right now because most of us got lowered rates for this year,” Hardin added. “We’re looking at that saying, ‘Hey, that’s good.’ The problem is when you look across those years, 2023 is missing.”
‘Making life more miserable’
Hardin and State Sens. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth, who cosponsored LB 81, were among 40 lawmakers to vote to pass legislation during the special session to “front-load” the existing relief program so more people received it. But the change closed the door for relief on 2024 tax returns for anyone who decided to pay property taxes assessed in December 2023 in arrears, or throughout 2024.
“We didn’t realize it at the time but what ended up effectively happening is we ended up making life more miserable,” Hardin said, saying about 85% of Nebraskans didn’t pay their 2023 assessed taxes by December 31, 2023. One person who did pay early: Gov. Jim Pillen.
The legislation, as written, would not be limited to taxes assessed in December 2023 taxes. It would include anyone who paid their 2024 property taxes assessed just last month, if they paid by Dec. 31, 2024.
Implementing LB 81 would cost up to $750 million, plus the allowable growth rate of all real Nebraska property, as determined by the Nebraska Department of Revenue. The actual cost of the fix would likely be less because not all Nebraskans would request the additional year’s credit.
Meanwhile, the state is facing a more than $432 million projected budget shortfall by summer 2027 that lawmakers must tackle.
Hardin said lawmakers might draft an amendment to limit the additional relief to the desired fix: to target only the taxpayers who lost out on the credit for property taxes paid in 2023 if they didn’t pay those taxes by Dec. 31, 2023.
“There was no sleight of hand going on by the Revenue Committee or anyone involved in that process,” Hardin said. “We truly didn’t realize that what we made was an expensive error, but we’re saying: Here’s an opportunity for us to talk about it and fix it.”
‘Nobody had a crystal ball’
Former State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha, as chair of the Revenue Committee, led LB 34 through the special session for the tax credit changes she championed four years prior. Linehan, a former six-year chair of the Revenue Committee, and her successor as committee chair, State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha, have said the cash flow to taxpayers is improved by the special session’s changes.
“Nobody had a crystal ball that that was going to happen, that LB 34 was going to happen the way that it happened,” von Gillern told reporters. “To say that anybody prepaid their taxes knowing that they were going to get a ‘double dip’ on this is not reasonable.”
Linehan and von Gillern have noted that if the relief program is funded twice in the same year, the double $750 million credit has a total $1.5 billion price tag.
Hardin envisions paying for the one-time extension of tax credits using billions of dollars sitting in Nebraska agency cash funds, “sweeping the accounts” and recouping money that he said departments were “hoarding.”
‘The people’s money’
The effort to plug the “missing year” of relief that led to LB 81 was in part drafted by another former lawmaker before he was term-limited this week: Steve Erdman of Bayard.
‘A missing year’: No income tax credits for Nebraskans to offset school property taxes paid in 2024
Erdman was among the first to identify what he saw as a “retroactive property tax increase,” to the tune of 20-22% for some Nebraskans he said, shortly after the special session ended in August, as first reported by the Nebraska Examiner.
He and two other term-limited senators were the sole opponents of LB 34, largely for wanting more relief, not, as Erdman described the changes, “a decrease in the increase” of property taxes.
“You can go on forever and never make up that loss,” Erdman said in October of the “skipped” relief. “The question I have is, ‘Whose money is it?’ It’s the people’s money.”
The EPIC Option
Erdman drafted the legislation for his western Nebraska partner, Hardin, who also is taking the mantle from Erdman on seeking to more broadly rewrite Nebraska’s tax code by eliminating property, income and corporate taxes (the “EPIC Option”) and creating a wholesale consumption tax, but not on groceries.
“EPIC is alive and well,” Erdman told the Examiner last week. “The next effort that we put forward will be a far more involved and specific plan on how to get this on the ballot.”
Erdman says it takes time to make “big, bold changes,” but supporters aren’t deterred because of decades of inadequate policies and have learned how to improve their efforts. They are “more focused today than they were before.”
“Going forward, we will have a whole new look,” he continued. “I think it’ll be an opportunity for the Nebraska people that are being taxed out of their homes and farms and businesses to understand that there’s only one option, and that’s to change the whole system.”
Tax relief priority in rural Nebraska
Brandt said property tax relief is top of mind for his constituents.
“They want to know what happened,” Brandt said, adding that the 85% of Nebraskans who didn’t pay their 2023 taxes by the end of that calendar year are in rural districts.
“I would like to tell the people of the state: We’re here,” he continued. “We’re trying to make a difference.”
State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward said farmers in her district also preplan how they’ll pay their taxes and are good about claiming the income tax credit when available. The Nebraska Farm Bureau has been pushing for an LB 81-style fix.
“They didn’t know the rules were changing,” Hughes said, adding the quick fix left taxpayers in the hole without time to choose their next steps, who might have paid early if they had known.
Finding the money
The special session was the longest and most expensive in state history, costing $173,134 over 17 days, based on a deficit budget request made after the special session. That’s a daily cost of $10,184.35, the highest of any special session in Nebraska.
LB 81 would require an early hearing and would need to be passed, and signed into law, by the time Nebraskans start turning in their tax returns this spring.
Hardin would also need at least 33 lawmakers, regardless if the bill is filibustered, for his bill to take effect for this tax season. And he would need Pillen’s blessing.
Conrad said that in a state budget of more than $12 billion, lawmakers can find the money while also closing the projected budget shortfall.
“It is easily ascertainable to find resources to make it right for Nebraska taxpayers,” Conrad said. “If indeed there is a political will, if indeed there is consensus, we have to come together to make things right for Nebraskans who were negatively impacted by the special session.”
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LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Hundreds of Nebraskans protested against the Trump administration Saturday along Nebraska Parkway in Lincoln, and thousands protested near Northwest Radial Highway in Omaha as part of No Kings demonstrations statewide.
The third iteration of No Kings protests organized border to border gatherings to vent displeasure at President Donald Trump and his administration’s policy decisions. The Lincoln protest was held on the Helen Boosalis Trail between North 27th Street and North 56th Street.
“I don’t like what’s going on … I know it’s not the world I want to live in,” said Ford Kloepper, a 17-year-old Lincoln resident.
Kloepper said people his age are going to take the “brunt” of Trump’s “mistakes.” He pointed to the recent U.S. conflict in Iran as a motivator to protest for him, as he doesn’t want to get “drafted into a war in the Middle East for no reason at all.”
Many of the protesters, much like previous demonstrations, held anti-Trump signs with slogans like, “Trump lies” and “Stop Trump, save democracy.” Others held American flags and wore costumes. Volunteers from different groups gathered signatures for ballot initiatives and at least one candidate. One of the petitions sought to let voters decide on a state constitutional amendment requiring larger majorities to repeal or change any law passed by voters. Volunteers for nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn collected signatures to get him on the November ballot.
Organizers planned 18 protests across Nebraska. In Omaha, the rally was held at Gallagher Park, with thousands of protesters filling the sidewalks and grassy areas near the intersection of Maple Street and the Northwest Radial.
Organizers said the spot let protesters draw attention to historic Benson and all of the restaurants, galleries and coffee shops that have made the neighborhood a cultural destination since 1887. Among the crowd filled with a variety of ages and races was Lorin and Elwin Moseman, waving signs that said, “End Wars Before Wars End Us” and “No Kings No ICE.”
It was the Mosemans’ third anti-Kings rally, and despite the chill of the day, they said they wouldn’t have missed it.
“It could have been an ice storm,” said Elwin, who was motivated in particular by “the Epstein files and Trump being in them, this stupid war we’ve got involved with Iran.”
His wife, Lorin, said she came to “stand up for democracy.”
“I want to show up, stand up and speak out about our country,” she said, decrying “leadership incompetency from the very beginning.”
She said the nation needs a presidential job description and interview, and she was not short on words to describe her disgust and disappointment about current leadership: “Shameful, disgusting, exhausting.”
“We’re in a broken world,” she said.
Nearby, a bundled up woman in a wheelchair held onto a sign that said, “I’m mad about everything.”
Sara Peterson led buses carrying about 75 protesters from First United Methodist Church of Omaha. She said people felt a sense of unity and joy seeing the chanting crowd, which she said reflected her group’s makeup — diverse in age, ethnicity and political party.
“We’re not alone,” she said “It’s an exciting day to be a part of.”
Peterson called the rally a “tangible sign of people coming together … for democracy.” Her group included church members and their friends — some of whom never participated in such a protest or rally before but felt the urge and were nudged “out of their comfort zone to take back our country and democracy.
Since the return of Trump for a second term, the anti-Trump group has organized national protests. Nebraska, much like the rest of the nation, saw multiple demonstrations throughout 2025.
The group also bought ads in local newspapers ahead of the Saturday protests. Nebraska Republican Party chair Mary Jane Truemper had no immediate comment on the protests.
As Election Day gets closer, political observers have wondered how organizers might harness the political energy, whether the demonstrations might signal a coming wave of change at the polls, or whether momentum will fizzle after the crowds go home. Some have argued Democrats and progressives are good at mobilizing people for large-scale protests but have lagged conservatives in building local infrastructure to affect sweeping policy changes.
Back in Lincoln, Erik Betts, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, said the political winds are in Democrats’ favor, and he feels the possibilities are endless, even in a reliably red state. He said he thinks Osborn could beat Republican U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, and he hopes the “blue” wave might be large enough to beat Nebraska 1st Congressional District Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Legislature.
“We need to really show up this time …We’ve got to take this motivation … and make a difference,” Betts said.
Betts said events like these help him stay hopeful because it reminds him that he is not alone.
“When you are in your own house and just scrolling on social media, it’s easy to feel just defeated,” Betts said. “So I come out as much to show support for everyone else, to feel that maybe a bunch of people agree with [me] and things can change.”
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Aaron Sanderford for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For many families, beating a cancer diagnosis isn’t just about physical recovery. One Omaha cancer survivor is now using her voice to fight for medical debt relief across Nebraska.
Diana Gleisberg Meredith thought she had an upper respiratory infection in January 2024.
“In January of 2024, I felt like I had some kind of upper respiratory – maybe Pneumonia, RSV…” Meredith said.
She was sent from her primary care doctor to the emergency room to a hospital by ambulance in a five-hour span.
“The ER doctor identified that it was cancer, likely lymphoma,” Meredith said.
Diagnosis came as new mother started treatment
The diagnosis came as Meredith became a new mom. She knew she had to immediately start treatment.
“It’s life changing. You go from not having a care in the world to thinking you’re going to die and how is that going to affect my baby. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through emotionally, physically and mentally,” Meredith said.
Meredith said there’s an invisible burden that comes with the diagnosis.
“Not everybody is lucky to have the financial support or the human support to help them,” Meredith said.
Treatment costs could add up to millions
Meredith had 12 chemo treatments. Each used four medications, with one of those costing more than $130,000. For one family, this could add up to millions.
After Meredith entered remission, she began fighting for medical debt relief for other Nebraskans.
“Nebraskans all throughout the state and right here in Omaha – they’re having to make those decisions about should they save their life, or how do they care for their family,” Meredith said.
Advocacy group plans Washington trip
She works with Blood Cancer United alongside other Omaha mothers whose children are cancer survivors. They hold fundraisers like “Light the Night,” collecting thousands of dollars and supporters.
In May, they’ll travel to Washington, D.C., for training on how to push for change at the federal level.
“Our office of public policy gets together to help train these volunteers, help them get to know each other better and develop familiarity with what it means to go to a lawmakers office in Washington DC,” said Dana Bacon, senior director of government affairs for Blood Cancer United.
Meredith is fighting for lower interest rates on medical debt, no foreclosures on homes over medical debt and paused interest rates.
“It’s probably the most stressful thing that you’re going to go through, and then having to add medical debt on top of it? To be honest it’s hell,” Meredith said.
Other states are already protecting families from medical debt. Meredith said Nebraska should be next. Iowa is one of the states that limits liens and foreclosures when a family is drowning in medical debt.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Red Flag Warnings are in effect across Nebraska as dangerous fire conditions develop heading into the weekend, paired with unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds that could quickly spread any flames.
Red Flag Warnings are in place for eastern Nebraska through 9 p.m. Friday night. The warning area expands significantly on Saturday, covering the entire state from throughout the entire day Saturday.
Friday: Moderate Fire Danger, Drying Trend
Friday’s fire concerns are lower than Saturday’s, but still significant. A Red Flag Warning remains in place for eastern Nebraska through 9 p.m. tonight as northerly winds pull in drier air throughout the afternoon. Dewpoints are expected to fall between 0° and 10° this evening as wind speeds taper.
The strongest winds and driest air won’t occur at the same time Friday, which is why confidence in Red Flag conditions is lower than normal today. By sunset, winds will become light and shift to the south as a surface high pressure system moves through the area.
Saturday: Extreme Fire Danger
Saturday brings the most critical fire weather conditions of the period. The Red Flag Warning expands to encompass the entire state as relative humidity values plummet to 8-15% — dangerously dry levels that will allow fires to spread rapidly.
Winds will be the primary concern. Southerly winds are expected to be sustained between 20 and 30 MPH for most — with gusts between 40 and 50 MPH possible at times. These powerful winds combined with extreme dryness create a recipe for rapid fire spread.
Temperatures will warm into the 60s and low 70s on Saturday — warmer in the west — but the heat is secondary to the wind and dryness threat. Relative humidity values will fall below 30% as early as 9 a.m. when the Red Flag Warning begins.
Sunday: High Fire Danger, Lighter Winds
Fire danger remains high to very high Sunday as an upper ridge moves overhead. Temperatures will climb to the upper 70s to upper 80s. The good news: southerly winds won’t be as strong, with gusts peaking at only 20 mph. This provides some relief from the most critical conditions, though fire danger will still be elevated.
Record Heat Monday
Monday will be the week’s warmest day, with mid- to upper-80s and low 90s forecast across Nebraska. Records are within reach — for many areas across the state. Lincoln’s forecast high of 88 degrees would tie the 1917 record.
Pattern Change Ahead
A cold front will slice through the area Tuesday morning, bringing cooler and cloudier conditions back to Nebraska. Highs will fall back to the 50s and 60s — a dramatic 30+ degree temperature drop from Monday. Winds will remain gusty from the north.
Precipitation chances will increase by early to mid-week. Tuesday through Thursday will see low chances (~20%) for light precipitation, with a mixture of rain and snow possible at times. No winter impacts are expected. Better chances are forecast for Wednesday night and Friday night as a wholesale pattern change develops, bringing southwest flow and surface moisture back to the region.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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