Fred Knapp

1 week ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Fred Knapp

People who assault hospital workers or pharmacists would get harsher sentences under a bill advancing in the Legislature. And defense contractors who move to Nebraska would get a break on their income taxes under another proposal that’s moving ahead. The bill dealing with assaults on health care workers would bump up existing penalties one level.

1 week ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Fred Knapp

A proposal to increase penalties for people who assault health care workers provoked opposition Tuesday in the Legislature from senators who said it would be ineffective. Nebraska already has heightened penalties for assaulting licensed health care professionals. The proposals debated Tuesday would extend that to everyone who works in a hospital, and to pharmacists as well. Sen. Beau Ballard said people in health care are common targets.

1 week ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Fred Knapp

Mobile online sports betting would be legal in Nebraska under a bill advancing in the Legislature, but trouble could still lie ahead for the proposal. Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced the proposed state constitutional amendment that would let people make sports bets on their phone from anywhere in the state. Bostar says Nebraskans are already betting, either by going to a casino, a neighboring state or using illegal, unregulated platforms.

2 weeks ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Fred Knapp

The Nebraska Legislature advanced a bill Friday scaling back various tax incentive programs in an effort to help close the state’s budget gap. Introducing the proposal, Sen. Brad von Gillern, chair of the Revenue Committee, compared it to what households have to do, and alluded to the Nebraska Constitution’s balanced budget requirement. “When we face a budget deficit at home, we can either find ways to bring in more income or cut our expenses," he said.

2 weeks ago | nebraskapublicmedia.org | Fred Knapp

A bill aimed at protecting Nebraskans under age 18 from harmful practices by online services is advancing in the Legislature, despite concerns that it may violate First Amendment free speech rights. At the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, Sen. Carolyn Bosn introduced what’s dubbed the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act. The proposal seeks to regulate how services like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram interact with young customers.