Local Senators' Bills Go Before Hearings

Several local senators brought their bills before committee hearings on Monday. You can hear the complete hearings below.  

District 34 Senator Loren Lippincott brought LB1182 to the education committee.

LB1182 establishes a statewide minimum base salary of $50,000 for all full-time certificated teachers, regardless of experience or educational attainment, beginning in the 2027-28 school year. To prevent salary stagnation, the bill provides for biennial adjustments to this base salary based on the percentage change in state General Fund receipts. LB1182 would transition funding from the current Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA) to a block grant funding system for foundation aid and salary support. By providing each school district with a quarterly block grant based on factors such as student enrollment and the new minimum salary requirements, the state will provide more predictable funding while allowing districts to maintain local autonomy over their operations.

District 37 Senator Stan Clouse of Kearney brought three bills before the General Affairs Committee.

LB1151 would provide for a Regional Craft Brewers License in Nebraska. Currently, if a brewer makes more than 20,000 barrels of beer anywhere in the country, they are limited to holding a manufacturing license in Nebraska. LB1151 creates the Regional Craft Brewers License which would cover brewers that brew more than 20,000 barrels and less than 200,000 barrels per year. LB1151 makes it possible for Regional Craft Brewer Licensees to hold a retail, catering, special designated, entertainment district, and promotional farmers licenses as well. Brewers holding a Regional Craft Brewers License would not be permitted to self-distribute their products and would be required to purchase all beer, wine, and spirits not produced by the brewer through the wholesale market.

LB1004 would remove non-alcoholic beer from regulation under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act.  The term ‘near beer’ would be modernized and replaced with ‘nonalcoholic beer’. Non-alcoholic beer would be defined as beer containing less than 0.5% alcohol, which is consistent with federal definitions and regulations. LB1004 would also establish an age restriction that prohibits the sale of non-alcoholic beer to minors.

The intent of LB1085 is to: Update the definition of bottle club within the Liquor Control Act; Harmonize and enhances the penalty for sale of alcohol at retail without a license to mirror the penalty of manufacturing alcohol without a license; Allows local governing bodies to consider for purposes of recommendation to the Liquor Control Commission the tax delinquency, if any, for retail applications; and, For retail applications, changes the burden of proof for applications receiving a denial recommendation from local governing bodies.