Nebraska
State chief medical officer a no-show at Nebraska gender care briefing • Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — The state’s chief medical officer, through his agency’s legal counsel, declined to attend a legislative briefing Thursday as requested by the Health and Human Services Committee.
The HHS Committee requested last week that Dr. Timothy Tesmer give an in-person update on the ongoing rules and regulations process regarding gender care for minors. Those provisions became law Oct. 1 through Legislative Bill 574.
State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, who led opposition to LB 574, said Tesmer’s absence was disappointing, particularly when he committed to keep the committee informed.
“He has not kept that commitment,” Cavanaugh told the Nebraska Examiner.
DHHS ‘must respectfully decline’
State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, committee chair, read a letter sent just before the Thursday briefing from Bo Botelho, chief legal officer for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Hanse wrote the amendment to LB 574 delegating authority to the chief medical officer to write the rules and regulations.
Botelho’s letter told the committee that because the final regulations are currently under review by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and will soon go to the Governor’s Office for final say, DHHS “must respectfully decline” to participate in the briefing.
Unanswered questions
Cavanaugh introduced LB 879 this year to repeal LB 574. She withdrew it last week just after Hansen formally requested the update briefing, stating it was mutually agreed between the two that a public briefing with Tesmer would be a “more beneficial avenue” than a public hearing that wouldn’t advance the bill.
Cavanaugh said her intention was to get answers for concerns raised by families of transgender youths and medical providers after a Nov. 28 hearing on the regulations.
“I think that they deserve an answer as to what the thought process is behind them and what the reasoning is,” Cavanaugh said.
With a four-page document in hand, with more than two dozen questions she planned to ask Tesmer, Cavanaugh spent most of the 10-minute briefing reading the questions out loud. They ranged from whether DHHS consulted with local physicians and/or considered possible mental health impacts to Tesmer’s philosophy on gender identity patients.
Future briefing possible
Hansen noted that communication among branches of government can be difficult, and he’s hoping Thursday can begin a process of more communication as many committee members have questions and concerns, as do their constituents.
“We’re hoping this can be the start of it and we can maybe even have a briefing sometime down the road when things can get more settled,” Hansen said.
The current set of temporary gender care regulations expire in one month, the future of gender care regulations hinging upon the current drafts in the Attorney General’s Office.
Cavanaugh said any public information is good and important, and she welcomes another briefing. However, she called Botelho’s justification “ludicrous” for a process that is supposed to be public.
“That’s not a real reason,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s really unfortunate that he (Tesmer) would not come because the questions are real.”
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The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
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Along with marching in the parade, the high schools will tour the U.S. Capitol, visit Mount Vernon and other monuments and museums.
Around 80 Grand Island students are making the trip. Lee said the students cover their own costs, with fundraising largely run though the school’s booster program helping offset the expense.
Bishop Neumann’s 53 students benefited from community donations, along with a holiday greenery sale and fundraisers, which Kellett said helped cover airfare and other costs.
For both directors, the trip carries extra weight tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“That’s a pretty big milestone,” Lee said. “And to be able to be a part of that is pretty neat.”
Kellett said the moment will stay with students long after the parade ends.
“These kids, they’ll be around for the 300th anniversary of the country, and they’ll be able to look back and tell their grandkids, ‘you know, I was there at 250 and was able to march in the National Independence Day Parade,’” Kellett said.
Both bands have spent the summer preparing. Grand Island started working on its music after its final spring concert in May, rehearsing its marching and music together on Tuesday evenings.
Bishop Neumann has rehearsed continuously over the summer and marched in two parades to prepare, a 150th anniversary celebration in Weston and the Papillion Days parade.
Kellett said the band’s last rehearsal in Wahoo drew residents who lined the streets holding signs and cheering the students on.
“The students have come in, and they’ve worked really hard,” Kellett said. “They have their music memorized and they’ve worked on their marching skills, and so all that effort into this they’re ready to go for the parade.”
The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. CT Saturday at Third Street and Constitution Avenue.
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