Pillen celebrates online protections, private school tax breaks approved

By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media

May 30, 2025, 5 p.m. ·

The Nebraska Legislature meeting Friday (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News) — The Nebraska Legislature meeting Friday. (Photo by Fred Knapp, Nebraska Public Media News)

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Gov. Jim Pillen and his allies celebrated new laws Friday they say will protect Nebraska’s children online.

And the Legislature passed a proposal extending Nebraska’s tax-exempt college savings plan to cover private and religious schools before college.

At a news conference Friday, Pillen celebrated the Legislature’s passage of four bills.

One will prohibit online companies from using design features like infinite scroll for users under age 13. Another would require social media companies to get parents’ permission before establishing social media accounts for children under the age of 18. A third would outlaw AI-generated child pornography. And a fourth would require schools to have policies prohibiting student cell phone use while on school property or during instructional time.

Leading off the news conference, Pillen criticized the effect of smart phones.

“These phones are called smart phones. Are you serious? They're dumb phones. They are dumbing us down where we are learning -- we have just slowly, slowly been relying on hanging our brains up and not doing critical thinking,” he said.

Sen. Carolyn Bosn, who sponsored the bill restricting design features, described the thinking behind it.

“To make the design features of these cell phones so that they are not becoming more and more addictive for our kids," she said. "We're not going to wait for the social media companies to do that anymore. We're going to take matters into our own hands."

During debate, opponents argued that restrictions on social media companies could threaten free speech. The bill passed, 42-7. Attorney General Mike Hilgers praised the restrictions in that and the other bills.

“The country is waking up, and in some point, maybe not too many years in the future, people will look back and say, ‘What were we thinking? Why did we allow this great national experiment that we know has caused so much harm to young boys and girls all around the country? Why did we let that go on?’ And I'm proud, and here in Nebraska, we aren't waiting for that day. We're acting today,” he said.

And Pillen promoted a similar theme.

“The Digital Age is bringing incredible opportunities, but there are extraordinary pitfalls," he said. "This is a great, great step, and it sends a very, very clear message in Nebraska, we protect our kids and we empower our families, and that makes tomorrow really, really bright."

Pillen has signed all four bills into law.

In legislative debate Friday, senators considered whether or not to extend Nebraska’s tax-deductible NEST college savings plans to help people pay for private or religious schooling before college, too.

Sen. Dunixi Guereca opposed the idea, which he said amounted to using public funds to subsidize private education.

“This last November, the people of Nebraska overwhelmingly voted to repeal a school privatization bill that had finally made it through. So here we are again, debating policy, debating concepts, philosophies that the public shot down,” he said.

But Sen. Brad von Gillern said the proposal would help families provide for their children’s education.

“Those NEST plans, based on the federal regulations, already are allowed to be used for public and private institutions. That's not an issue. The issue is the fact that it somehow seems to be a crack in the door for school choice. There. I just said it out loud,” he said.

Senators voted 33-11 against delaying a tax bill in order to strip out the tax deductions for private schools before college. They then voted 35-13 to advance the bill.

The legislative session was scheduled to end June 9, to allow senators to override any possible vetoes by Gov. Jim Pillen. But at the end of Friday’s debate, Speaker John Arch made an announcement that cheered his colleagues, and possibly many Nebraskans outside the Capitol as well.

“In talks with the governor and his staff, I have assurances that all of the bills that he intends to veto will be returned to us on Monday prior to adjournment, including the three bills that we will read on final that day. With that commitment, there will be no pocket vetoes, and I am announcing Monday will be the final day of the 109th Legislature,” Arch said, provoking applause.

“The first session,” he added, as senators laughed, realizing they’d be back for the second half of their biennial session next January – unless there’s a special session.