Senators Ibach, Jacobson hopeful of getting legislation through in short session, despite deficit
BY BECKY UEHLING
GRANT TRIBUNE
Perkins County’s two state senators, Teresa Ibach for District 44 and Mike Jacobson for District 42, have hit the ground running with the state’s other 47 senators during the second year of the 109th Legislature Biennium, which encompasses both the 2025 long session and the 2026 short session. The 2026 session is scheduled to conclude on April 17.
Nebraska is facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit going into 2026, which will encompass most of the energy this session, according to the senators. However, the two Perkins County senators are also hopeful they will have some of their own personal bills heard and acted upon.
More than 250 new bills have been proposed this year, with a total of 715 being carried over from last year, and 35 new Legislative Resolutions (LR) being proposed, with 282 being carried over from last year. Of these, Senator Ibach carries 26 bills and four Legislative Resolutions, while Jacobson carries 25 bills and 10 Legislative Resolutions.
The following is an overview of some of the new legislation Senators Ibach and Jacobson have proposed. This information has been taken from each of their pages on the Nebraska Legislature website:
Senator Ibach
LB 806- Would allow cities of the first class located in a county of fewer than 50,000 to apply for a grant through the Site and Building Development Act to help deal with the economic impact of a sudden and significant private-sector entity closure for the purposes of improving buildings or infrastructure related to the assets of the private-sector entity.
LB 807- Change the administration of the Noxious Weed Control Act from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment and change provisions of the Noxious Weed Control Act and the Water Resources Cash Fund.
LB 808- To create a pilot project with any number of childcare licensees to increase the availability or capacity of day care facilities.
LB 1199- Expand the population threshold to qualify for funds under Legal Education for Public Service and Rural Practice Loan Repayment Assistance Act and appropriates funds to the program.
Senator Jacobson
LB 835- Will revise provisions related to bulk data requests for Uniform Commercial Code records provided by the Secretary of State, strike fees owed to the Secretary of State that are not utilized, update provisions related to filing state and federal tax liens, update fee provisions related to providing the master lien list for farm products, and make certain fees owed to the Secretary of State nonrefundable.
LB 836- A bill introduced at the request of the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance(“Department”) to amend the statutes authorizing the Department to charge and collect examination costs and to levy assessments against financial institutions and entities. LB 836 would eliminate standard hourly examination charges and provide the factors to be considered for the annual assessment of consumer finance firms.
LB 838- A bill that would strengthen protections for senior and vulnerable adults against financial exploitation by amending the Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults Act. This bill encourages the wider adoption of “Trusted Contact” programs by providing clear liability protections for both financial institutions and the private citizens designated as contacts. Specifically, the bill grants immunity to family members or friends acting as trusted contacts in good faith, ensuring they cannot be sued for assisting in an exploitation investigation. It further clarifies that financial institutions are immune from liability for declining to interact with a contact suspected of abuse, or for policy decisions regarding the administration of such programs.
These changes remove legal barriers that currently discourage intervention, fostering a safer banking environment for vulnerable Nebraskans.
LB 1130- A bill to establish the Community Improvement District Act, allowing property owners—subject to municipal approval—to voluntarily form Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) to finance, construct, and maintain public infrastructure and amenities within city or village limits. The bill provides a locally controlled tool that supplements existing municipal financing options by reducing development risk, lowering the cost of capital, and decreasing upfront costs to create buildable lots. By improving the feasibility of infrastructure for both affordable housing and other development types, LB 1130 helps address Nebraska’s estimated 120,000-unit housing shortage and ongoing affordability challenges.
Any bill not passed this year will be indefinitely postponed at the end of the session, and the Legislature will start new in the new biennium. Senators will need to reintroduce any bills they wish to revisit when the 110th Legislative Session convenes, they said.
Elections
Seats for both Senators Ibach and Jacobson are up for reelection in 2026, with both having filed to re-run, so far unopposed. To help keep their constitutes informed, both senators have scheduled video/audio conferencing calls with constituents weekly on Thursdays at 7 a.m Mountain Time. Everyone is invited to participate in these calls. To access the call for Senator Jacobson, request the link through the North Platte Chamber of Commerce by emailing your information to chamber@nparea.com. To access Senator Ibach’s call, request the link from Jayson Bishop by emailing him at jbishop@midwestecc.com.