Bill would legalize betting on Nebraska football home games at casinos

LINCOLN — Nebraskans may guess on Husker residence soccer video games and different in-state matches performed by Nebraska faculty and college groups underneath a invoice launched within the Legislature Monday.

Legislative Invoice 168 would elevate the prohibition in Nebraska’s present sports activities betting legislation, whereas directing tax revenues from these bets into the state’s faculty scholarship fund.

State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln proposed the measure, one in every of 60 payments launched through the day. He mentioned he does not suppose the present legislation represents good coverage, as a result of it makes a distinction based mostly solely on the place collegiate groups compete. 

“This is not about increasing playing,” he mentioned. “It is about offering consistency in our statutes.”

Nebraska legislation presently permits sports activities betting at horse racetrack casinos, however solely when bets are positioned in particular person and when the bets don’t contain Nebraska collegiate groups or athletes competing inside the state.

The exemption was included in 2021 to assist the invoice win assist as state lawmakers labored to implement a trio of voter-approved on line casino playing measures. The measures allowed on line casino playing at licensed horse racetracks and earmarked a lot of the tax income for property tax aid.

Bostar’s proposal would divert a few of that income to the Nebraska Alternative Grant program, which offers need-based assist to college students attending post-secondary faculties and universities within the state. Cash for this system now comes from state lottery proceeds.

Though the voter-approved measures opened the door for sports activities betting, no authorized bets have been positioned in Nebraska but, whereas guidelines and laws for the exercise are pending. Two casinos have opened their doorways to this point in Nebraska. They embrace WarHorse On line casino in Lincoln and a on line casino at Grand Island’s Fonner Park. 

Amongst different payments launched Monday:

College alternative. Two measures would offer monetary assist to personal college college students. LB 165, launched by Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, would develop the state’s faculty financial savings plan to cowl tuition and different prices associated to Okay-12 personal and parochial college schooling. Individuals get state revenue tax advantages for placing cash into the financial savings plan accounts. 

LB 177, launched by Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, would require the state to arrange a fund masking 55% of the associated fee to teach Okay-12 college students in Nebraska. Dad and mom would then have to use for his or her kid’s share of the fund, which might be based mostly on the common price per scholar. The cash may very well be used to pay for both public or personal college schooling. 

Veterans instructing. LB 188 would permit the state schooling commissioner to challenge short-term instructing certificates to sure veterans. The veteran will need to have no less than 4 years of army service, have no less than 60 faculty credit with a 2.5 GPA, and have handed particular exams designated by the State Board of Schooling. The invoice was launched by Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. 

LGBTQ points. LB 169 would develop Nebraska’s employment non-discrimination legal guidelines to incorporate protections on the idea of sexual orientation and gender identification, whereas LB 179 would bar medical professionals from working towards conversion remedy on people underneath 19, referring to the apply of attempting to vary an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identification, and would prohibit the usage of any state funds to assist conversion remedy. Omaha Sens. Megan Hunt and John Frederickson launched the laws, and are the one two members of the physique that brazenly determine as LGBTQ+.

Canadian medicine. LB 200 would permit Nebraska to import decrease price prescribed drugs from Canada, following a federal legislation handed in 2020 that allowed the apply. The invoice’s introducer, Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, mentioned six states have applied comparable legal guidelines because the federal legislation handed.

Jail building. LB 163 would prohibit the state or native governments from constructing new prisons or increasing present ones till total admissions and lengths of keep decline over a 20-year interval. The invoice, launched by Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, additionally would set requirements for dealing with jail mail and contracts for inmate telephone service.  

Cash for all. All Nebraskans who file revenue taxes for 2022 and all of their dependents would share in a number of the state’s built-up tax revenues underneath LB 185, launched by Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha. The proposal would require the state to separate $500 million amongst these tax filers and dependents. Nebraska is projected to have $2.3 billion in its money reserve fund by June 30, 2025. 

Gun legal guidelines. LB 194 would prohibit state and native legislation enforcement officers from taking part or aiding the federal authorities in imposing federal gun legal guidelines. Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings launched the measure, which he known as the Second Modification Preservation Act.