Pillen vetoes bills on emergencies, maternity leave, housing, medicaid and university contracts

Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday vetoed bills dealing with emergency services, university contracts, maternity leave, medicaid and affordable housing.

The vetoes occurred on the eve of the final day of this year's legislative session, a time set aside for senators to attempt to override any vetoes.

The bills vetoed by Pillen, a Republican seeking reelection, were sponsored by Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

Pillen said one bill he vetoed, LB1256, could increase property taxes by allowing local governments to count snow and ice removal and flood management as emergency services.

Pillen said that by adding those exceptions to levy limits enacted in 2024, LB1256 could increase property taxes by $40 million.

"I cannot in good conscience sign LB 1256 into law, which will increase property taxes, while we are in the middle of a property tax crisis," Pillen said in a statement.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. John Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh is a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature and is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in the Omaha-area 2nd Congressional District.

Asked for reaction, and whether he would attempt to override the veto, Cavanaugh said ""I am going to ask the 49 senators who voted for this bill to stand by their vote." The bill passed 49-0 on April 9.

Pillen also vetoed LB1029, which would exclude compensation, salaries, and wages from being disclosed by Nebraska’s colleges and universities when contracting with foreign adversarial sources.

Sen. Danielle Conrad, who sponsored LB1029, said she was "unbothered" by Pillen's veto.

"The bill had no opposition, no fiscal impact, was designated a speaker priority bill and was passed by a bipartisan majority of state senators," said Conrad, who said she, " never heard a concern from the governor's office about this bill."

The governor also vetoed LB878, sponsored by Sen. Dunixi Guereca, which was intended to extend six weeks of paid maternity leave to employees not covered by the state's contract with NAPE/AFSCME, the main state employees union.

The bill would have extended those benefits to employees covered by the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the State Code Agencies Teachers Association. A fiscal note estimated it would have meant maternity leave for an additional 13 employees this year. Pillen said the benefits should be provided through negotiations, not a law, and said he had directed his Department of Administrative Services to negotiate to provide those benefits.

Pillen also vetoed LB929, sponsored by Sen. John Fredrickson, which said managed care organizations operating under the state's Medicaid program could pay deductibles or other cost sharing measures for medicaid recipients. Pillen called the bill a "do nothing" measure, since those organizations already have that power, adding that it would send the wrong message that recipients did not have to have "skin in the game."

Another bill vetoed by Pillen, LB839 sponsored by Sen. Victor Rountree, would require that developers using subsidies from the state's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, would have to ensure that 5 percent of their units were accessible to tenants with mobility impairments, and two percent for tenants with visual or hearing impairments.

Pillen also criticized LB1237, a bill that requires metal detectors at the entrances to the capitol building and directs Nebraska State Patrol officers to stop anyone without a permit from bringing a gun into the Capitol.

While Pillen said the bill "would not have been my preferred policy," he said he nonetheless respected the good faith efforts by senators and the "overwhelming support" the bill received. He let it become law without his signature.