Pay raises for Nebraska governor and other officials sidetracked in Legislature

By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

March 17, 2026, 5 p.m. ·

Senators consider legislation Tuesday (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News) — Senators consider legislation Tuesday. (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News)

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Proposed salary increases for the governor and other top state officials were sidetracked in the Legislature Tuesday.

It’s been 20 years since the last increase in pay for the governor and other state constitutional officers, including the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, and public service commissioners.

On Tuesday, Sen. Rob Clements proposed to change that.

Clements offered an amendment that would raise the governor’s salary from $105,000 to $130,000, and the other officers salaries by similar amounts.

The raises would take effect next January and apply to whoever won those offices this November. Clements said the state constitution forbids raises during an incumbent’s term in office, so if they’re not approved this year, the next chance for increases would be in 2031. So he said now is the time to act.

“I think it's very reasonable. The budget is short, but we have four more years before it could be changed – it’d be 24 years before any increase happened in these salaries. So I think it's appropriate to consider increasing a moderate amount for the constitutional officer salaries,” Clements said.

Clements said his proposal amounted to a 1.3% increase per year or 29% cumulatively. He said if salaries had kept pace with inflation, that would amount to just under 2.5% a year, or a 60% increase.

Sen. John Arch, speaker of the Legislature, said he appreciated Clements’ proposal, but would not support it.

“I will personally be voting no on this bill, and honestly, it is purely because of timing,” Arch said.

Arch said the state is in a budget crisis, so this is not the time to raise officials’ salaries.

Sen. Danielle Conrad proposed an amendment to cancel all the raises except the one for the state auditor.

That position is currently held by Mike Foley, whom she praised.

“We presently have -- and hopefully in the future, we'll have -- auditor Foley in this position, and he serves an incredibly valuable role, and is probably amongst the best auditors, if not the best auditor we've had in state history,” Conrad said.

But Sen. Mike Moser opposed that idea.

“Just because we like one person who's on the list and we're mad at the other people on the list, we'd leave out the seven or eight and give a raise to one. That's crazy, I'd say,” Moser said.

Senators rejected Conrad’s amendment on a vote of 27-6.

Back on the main proposal, Sen. Rob Dover said all the raises are needed, comparing the elected officials to other state employees.

“If we treated our employees in the Legislature and government the same way that we have treated our elected officials, we would have no one working here. Who would work for no increase in wage for 20 years?” Dover asked.

Sen. Mike Jacobson, supporting the proposal, continued the comparison.

“If you're not paying good people a fair salary, you're going to lose them, and you're not going to get the performance that you need,” Jacobson said. "These dollars are relatively small compared to the big budget picture

The proposed salary increases would add up to $195,000 a year, compared to a state budget of about $5.3 billion."

Even as senators were preparing to debate the measure, Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg, and Secretary of State Bob Evnen issued a joint statement opposing the raises. And Gov. Jim Pillen, through a spokesperson, said that if the measure reached his desk, he would veto it. Attorney General Mike Hilgers, through a spokesperson, declined to comment.

When it came time to vote, 21 senators voted for Clements’ proposal, with 18 opposed. Since it would have required 25 votes to approve it, the proposal failed. But senators then voted to advance the bill it would have been attached to, leaving open the possibility they could revisit the issue later.

Meanwhile, the Appropriations Committee continued to discuss ways to overcome the state’s projected budget shortfall, which has been whittled down to around $40 million through a series of budget cuts, cash fund transfers, and withdrawals from the state’s cash reserve.

The proposed cuts include $5 million in aid to the state’s community colleges. Originally, the committee was going to include language prohibiting community colleges from levying additional property taxes to make up for any cuts. But Sen. Jason Prokop said the colleges had assured him they would not do that for $5 million but wanted to keep the option open in case a future Legislature made deeper cuts. The Appropriations Committee then voted to drop the language prohibiting a property tax increase.

Teresa Ibach is the state senator for Nebraska’s 44th District. (Courtesy of the Nebraska Legislature)

Also Tuesday, Sen. Teresa Ibach paid tribute to the firefighters, volunteers and first responders dealing the largest wildfires in the state’s history.

“Your courage and your tireless dedication in the face of such immense challenges have not gone unnoticed. Nebraska is incredibly, incredibly fortunate to have such committed individuals willing to step forward and serve when our communities and our neighbors need you most. On behalf of the Nebraska Legislature, thank you,” Ibach said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, those wildfires had burned more than 750,000 acres in central and western Nebraska.