Nebraska State Laws
✅ Law #1: LB 415 — Amendments to Nebraska Healthy Families & Workplace Act (Paid Sick Leave)
📝 What It Does
💰 Cost to Taxpayers / State Budget
Minimal direct cost to state (administration, enforcement).
Employers will incur compliance costs (providing sick leave to employees).
👥 Who It Helps / Affects
Helps: Employees in Nebraska who need sick leave (especially those working for employers who hadn’t offered it before).
Affects: Employers (must comply, track sick leave), possibly smaller businesses.
⚙️ Who Sponsored / Initiated It
Nebraska Legislature, after the voter-approved NHFWA. (Ogletree)
⚠️ Who Opposed / Concerns Raised
Some business groups have raised concerns about cost burdens, especially for small employers.
Possible concerns about how the law is administered (tracking, recordkeeping, disputes).
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
✅ Pros:
Gives employees legally required sick leave — improves health, reduces spread of illness, more fairness.
Clarifies rules ahead of implementation date to reduce confusion.
❌ Cons:
Added cost to businesses, especially small ones.
Some logistical burden with managing sick leave accrual, tracking, compliance.
🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
LB 415 makes Nebraska’s earned paid sick time law clearer and enforceable as of October 1, 2025 — worker protection increases, with cost and compliance burdens for employers.
✅ Law #2: LB 258 — Changes to Nebraska’s Minimum Wage Law
Statute / Bill: LB 258 — modifies how Nebraska’s minimum wage grows in the future under the Wage and Hour Act. (Nebraska Legislature)
Effective: Some provisions are already legally approved; major changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026 for minimum wage amount; other changes (training wage, youth wage) phased. (Nebraska Examiner)
📝 What It Does
Voters in 2022 approved a law that sets up automatic cost-of-living (inflation) based increases to the minimum wage starting Jan 1, 2026. (Nebraska Examiner)
LB 258 seeks to slow those annual increases by replacing automatic inflation adjustments with a fixed rate of 1.75% per year starting in 2027. (Nebraska Examiner)
Also modifies training wages for teen workers; introduces a “youth minimum wage” for ages 14-15, etc., under certain conditions. (Nebraska Examiner)
💰 Cost to Taxpayers / State Budget
Minimal direct taxpayer cost. More about employer cost / wage growth.
Could reduce cost burden on businesses compared to full inflation-based increases.
👥 Who It Helps / Affects
Helps: Employers seeking predictability in wage expenses. Some small businesses may prefer fixed increases.
Affects: Workers, especially low-wage and young workers, who may see slower wage growth.
⚙️ Who Sponsored / Initiated It
Senator Jane Raybould (and others) introduced LB 258. (Nebraska Examiner)
⚠️ Who Opposed / Concerns Raised
Opposed by worker advocates, arguing that slowing increases undermines voter intent from 2022. (Nebraska Examiner)
Concerns that workers will lose ground vs inflation.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
✅ Pros:
Provides cost stability and predictability for employers.
May prevent large, unplanned wage jumps in years with high inflation.
❌ Cons:
Workers may suffer if inflation is higher than 1.75%, losing real pay.
May be seen as overriding what voters approved in 2022.
🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
LB 258 changes Nebraska’s upcoming minimum wage law to use fixed 1.75% annual raises instead of inflation-based ones starting in 2027 — more stability for businesses, likely slower real wage growth for workers.
✅ Law #3: LB 89 — “Stand With Women Act” (Transgender Sports Law)
📝 What It Does
Modifies state law definitions of “male,” “female,” and "sex" to align with biological sex (e.g. male = produces sperm; female = produces ova). (Wikipedia)
Restricts participation in K-12 and college female sports teams to individuals whose biological sex matches “female” under the law. Exceptions included for coed sports or if no female equivalent team exists. (Wikipedia)
💰 Cost to Taxpayers / State Budget
State costs likely low; regulatory enforcement or disputes might incur legal costs.
👥 Who It Helps / Affects
Helps: Proponents who believe in sex-based classification for fairness in women’s sports.
Affects: Transgender youth seeking to participate in female sports; schools and athletic programs required to enforce the bar.
⚙️ Who Sponsored / Initiated It
Sponsored by Senator Kathleen Kauth, with Governor Jim Pillen signing. (Wikipedia)
⚠️ Who Opposed / Concerns Raised
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups argue it is discriminatory and harms trans youth. (Wikipedia)
Some questioned how many students it impacts, enforcement, and fairness.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
✅ Pros:
Supports cisgender female athletes in competitive fairness arguments.
Provides legal clarity on sports participation rules.
❌ Cons:
May exclude transgender students, possibly harming their inclusion and mental health.
Legal challenges likely; administrative burden on schools.
🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
Nebraska’s LB 89 (Stand With Women Act) takes effect Sept. 3, 2025, limiting girls’ sports to those whose biological sex is female under law — aiming at fairness, with controversy over inclusion and rights.
✅ Law #4: LB 293 & LB 474 — Installment Loans & Money Transmitters Act Reforms
Statute / Bills: LB 293 and LB 474 — changes to how installment sales, installment loans, money transmitters are regulated in Nebraska. (LegiScan)
Effective: Approved by Governor June 4, 2025. The exact effective dates vary by section (some likely effective 90 days after session end, etc.). (LegiScan)
📝 What It Does
LB 474: Renames Nebraska Installment Sales Act; transfers/streamlines provisions between the Installment Loan Act and Money Transmitters Act; eliminates certain redundancies. (LegiScan)
Also changes regulatory oversight and requirements for these financial entities (installment lenders, money transmitters). (LegiScan)
💰 Cost to Taxpayers / State Budget
Implementation/oversight costs for state regulatory agencies.
For businesses in those industries: may face changes in compliance, possible costs associated with updated licensing/operations.
👥 Who It Helps / Affects
Helps: Consumers who may get clearer, more streamlined regulation. Could reduce unfair practices in installment credit / loan sectors.
Affects: Installment lenders, money transmitters, financial services businesses — must adapt to new rules.
⚙️ Who Sponsored / Initiated It
Nebraska Legislature; part of financial / commerce regulatory reform. (LegiScan)
⚠️ Who Opposed / Concerns Raised
Some lenders/financial firms likely opposed layers of regulation or cost.
Advocacy groups may be concerned about access to credit if lenders pull back.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
✅ Pros:
Simplifies and updates financial regulation.
Potentially protects consumers from predatory or unclear lending terms.
❌ Cons:
Businesses that rely on installment credit / money transmitter business may see increased regulatory burden.
Possible reduction in availability of some high-risk or niche credit services if compliance costs rise.
🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
Nebraska’s financial regulation reforms (LB 293 & LB 474) streamline and rename installment loan & money transmitter laws as of mid-2025 — better clarity for consumers, more compliance demands for lenders.