LINCOLN — When a new Nebraska Legislature convenes for its 2027 session, lawmakers will have the authority to accept or reject Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to cut all state agencies’ budgets by a minimum of 5%. Pillen announced the spending cuts in a July memo. Though the memo announced the reductions would begin immediately, there […]

Records obtained Friday by Nebraska Public Media News show state agencies are using a number of strategies – ranging from cutting positions to potentially having employees sleep in cars rather than in hotel rooms – in response to Gov. Jim Pillen’s memo that said his State Budget Division would be withholding at least 5% of […]

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s tax receipts for July fell less than 1% below economic forecasts, according to the state Department of Revenue, as data shows a steadily lessening impact of higher-than-expected tax refunds. The Department of Revenue’s report on July’s tax receipts showed a net loss of 0.1% compared to what Nebraska’s Economic Forecasting Advisory Board […]

LINCOLN — The effects of Gov. Jim Pillen’s 5% spending reduction across all state agencies aren’t likely to hit Nebraska’s community colleges until mid-2027. Michael Baumgartner, executive director of the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, said the 5% cut won’t impact the state’s Community College Future Fund — the largest share of state aid […]

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s education commissioner said a 5% spending cut Gov. Jim Pillen requested from all state agencies won’t apply to the state’s school funding formula. Commissioner Brian Maher provided an update on the Nebraska Department of Education’s response to the governor’s spending memo at a State Board of Education meeting Thursday. While portions of […]

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers will likely have to contend with two separate budget deficits when they reconvene for the 2027 legislative session, with the combined shortfall currently set over $1 billion. Legislative Fiscal Analyst Keisha Patent confirmed the situation at a Tax Rate Review Committee meeting on Wednesday. There, she provided lawmakers with a new […]