LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s cigarette tax could increase by $1.50 per pack under a bill proposed to the Legislature.

Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island introduced a bill Friday that would increase the state tax per pack of cigarettes from 64 cents to $2.14.

The measure would generate an estimated $120 million, which would be used for property tax relief and a variety of health care programs.

The bill notes that tobacco kills 2,200 Nebraskans a year and price increases are the most effective way to reduce tobacco use, especially among youth.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator is seeking legal protections for faith-based welfare agencies that refuse to provide services to same-sex couples.

Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward introduced a bill Thursday that would prevent the state from slashing an agency’s funding or limiting its contracts if the agency cites a religious objection.

Last year, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services abandoned a policy barring gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents. Kolterman says in some states faith-based groups have been forced to close after refusing to provide welfare services to gay parents.

Kolterman says preserving public and private agencies is essential to finding homes for more than 5,600 kids under state care.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Roman Catholic bishop who was convicted in Missouri of not reporting suspected child abuse has become chaplain at a convent in Nebraska.

Bishop Emeritus Robert Finn is spiritual adviser to the nuns at the School Sisters of Christ the King convent in Lincoln.

Finn was found guilty in 2012 of one misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected abuse and was given two years’ probation, making him the highest-ranking church official in the U.S. to be convicted of taking no action over abuse allegations.

Lincoln Diocese spokesman J.D. Flynn said Friday the 62-year-old Finn resigned as bishop for the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese in Missouri but retains the religious title of bishop emeritus.

Finn succeeds Monsignor Myron Pleskac, who died Jan. 2.

VALENTINE, Neb. (AP) — A Valentine woman convicted of stealing from Cherry County while an employee has been given two years in prison.

Forty-five-year-old Monica Bristow was sentenced Friday morning. She’d been the deputy county clerk.

Bristow was told to pay restitution of just over $20,000.

A state audit performed after Bristow’s arrest shows almost $199,000 in Cherry County funds is unaccounted for. Auditors found more than 1,000 credit card transactions totaling $83,000 that appeared to be for the personal use of Bristow when she worked as deputy county clerk. Auditors also found discrepancies in claim procedures, payroll issues and county expenditures.

She was arrested in July.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would allow Nebraska jails and prisons to charge a copayment for inmates is facing resistance in the Legislature.

Nebraska lawmakers debated the proposal on Friday but adjourned for the week without a vote. Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill says he introduced the measure after talking with a county sheriff in his district who complained about inmates abusing the system to get time away from jail.

His proposal would allow for copayments of up to $10 for every self-initiated, non-emergency visit to a health care provider. Exceptions would include treatment for mental health, preexisting conditions and chronic illnesses.

Opponents say it could discourage inmates from seeking medical help when needed.

At least 38 states and the federal government allow copayment charges for inmates.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha introduced legislation Friday that would require law enforcement agencies to save body-worn camera recordings for at least six months, unless they become part of a criminal investigation. Those recordings would join medical records and trade secrets as records which may be kept from public disclosure.

The measure would prohibit tampering with the records or releasing them without specific agency permission.

The bill also outlines a timeline for agencies using body-worn cameras to adopt training polices and report those to Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.

Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis introduced a bill Friday that would require monthly reports from abortion providers about how they disposed of each aborted fetus.

The measure would require the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules ensuring abortion-authorized facilities dispose of remains by burial, cremation, or hospital-type incineration. If an individual or organization is found selling fetal tissue for profit, a court could ban their abortion services.

Planned Parenthood is the only abortion clinic in Lincoln and one of two in Omaha. The other is operated by Dr. Leroy Carhart in Bellevue.