February 17, 2026

109th Legislature, 2nd Session

Fraud Free Nebraska Bills Heard in Committee

​Three of the NBA’s bills were heard last week in committee hearings. The bills make up the Fraud Free Nebraska Coalition’s legislative agenda. On Tuesday, LB 1118 was heard in the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee, and LB 1082 was heard in the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. LB 1118, introduced by Senator Carolyn Bosn (Lincoln), amends the Nebraska Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act to require social media platforms that accept paid advertising to establish programs to verify the identity of their customers, and a process for detecting, investigating and removing fraudulent advertising. LB 1082, introduced by Senator Tanya Storer (Whitman), amends the Nebraska Telecommunications Act to establish a duty for telecommunications providers to protect their customers from receiving unwanted calls or text messages from unauthenticated numbers and the use of inaccurate caller identification information to prevent spoofing. Kristy Bartak of Nebraska State Bank & Trust Co. in Broken Bow testified in support of both bills on behalf of the NBA. Industry experts Paul Benda (Executive Vice President for Risk, Fraud and Cybersecurity at the American Bankers Association) and Mike Rudolph (Chief Technology Officer for YouMail) also testified on behalf of the NBA. Additionally, Deputy Mike Dechellis of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and representatives of AARP Nebraska and the Nebraska Credit Union League testified in support of both bills.
 
On Wednesday, LB 785, introduced by Senator Bob Hallstrom (Syracuse), was heard before the Judiciary Committee. LB 785 outlaws the use or possession of a mail receptacle key or lock by an unauthorized person to provide law enforcement and prosecutors better tools to crack down on check theft. Iris Wiese of First State Bank Nebraska in Beatrice testified in support of the bill on behalf of the NBA. Additionally, NBA General Counsel Ryan McIntosh and representatives of AARP Nebraska and the Nebraska Credit Union League testified in support of the bill.

Supporters of LB 1118 and LB 1082, left to right: NBA Associate General Counsel Scott Smith, Kristy Bartak (Nebraska State Bank & Trust Co., Broken Bow), Paul Benda (American Bankers Association, EVP - Risk, Fraud & Cybersecurity), Deputy Mike Dechellis (Douglas County Sheriff's Office), Mike Rudolph (YouMail), NBA General Counsel Ryan McIntosh, Joyce Beck (AARP Nebraska), and Sarah Brown (AARP Nebraska)

Iris Wiese, Electronic Banking Officer/Senior Project Officer at First State Bank Nebraska, testified in support of LB 785 last week.

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Priority Bill Designations Ahead

The Legislature resumed Tuesday after its first four-day weekend of the session. The recess days provided a much-needed break after a marathon of legislative hearings. Hearings will continue this week and finish next week. All-day floor debate will begin on Tuesday, March 3.

During each session, each senator may designate a personal priority bill. Additionally, each standing committee may designate two committee priority bills, and the Speaker may designate an additional 25 speaker priority bills. The deadline to officially request a speaker priority designation is Tuesday, February 17. The final day for senators to select their personal priority bills is Thursday, February 19. These selections will largely dictate floor debate for the remainder of the session. So far, 14 senators have already designated his or her priority bill.

Thus far, the Unicameral has made good use of time. Floor debate has been robust on several bills. However, debate has been generally efficient with dozens of bills advancing stages of debate last week. This includes an additional four bills passed on Final Reading last Thursday. This was despite additional disciplinary drama. On February 12, 2026, the Executive Board formally reprimanded Senator Machaela Cavanaugh (Omaha) for "unbecoming" behavior after she tore down "Founders Museum" posters displayed on the State Capitol walls. The same day, Clerk of the Legislature Brandon Metzler read the letter into the legislative record. Brief comments followed from Senator Cavanaugh and Senator Ben Hansen (Blair), who chairs the Executive Board.

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January Revenues Outshine Forecast

Nebraska lawmakers received encouraging short-term revenue news as January state tax collections came in $37 million above projections, offering some modest relief as they continue grappling with a significant state budget shortfall. Stronger-than-expected individual income and sales tax receipts largely drove the surplus, though officials cautioned that monthly fluctuations do not resolve the broader structural imbalance facing the state budget.

Despite the positive January numbers, legislative leaders still face a substantial budget deficit for the upcoming biennium, entering the session projected $471.5 million in the red. Lawmakers are weighing a mix of spending reductions, agency cost controls, and possible revenue adjustments as they work to craft a balanced budget. The updated revenue figures will factor into ongoing budget deliberations in the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, where members continue evaluating agency requests and the governor's proposed budget adjustments.

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Hearings This Week

The following bills will be heard in committee this week:

LB 1258 - Nebraska Livestock Brand and Inspection System Overhaul
The bill fundamentally restructures Nebraska's livestock brand and inspection system, dissolving the Nebraska Brand Committee and transferring all its powers, duties and personnel to a new division in the Department of Agriculture. It establishes voluntary, statewide brand inspections for a fee, creates a new position of 'brand recorder,' and revises how brands are registered, inspected and transferred. Many administrative, procedural and enforcement sections are amended or repealed, and appropriations and contracts of the former Brand Committee are transferred to the new division. The bill also updates related references in law regarding state personnel, undercover license plates and open meetings. (NBA Position: Oppose)

LB 969 - Creation of Public Financial Databases for Nebraska Counties and Municipalities
This bill mandates that the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts develop, maintain and publicly share online databases containing detailed financial data for all counties and municipalities in the state. The information must include revenue sources, expenditures and balance sheets from the most recent audit reports, with historical data going back to 2016 where available. All relevant entities must submit their financial data annually, and the Auditor must update the database within 30 days of receipt. The bill exempts disclosure of confidential or non-public record information and sets an implementation deadline of January 1, 2027. (NBA Position: Support)