LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker has renewed his quest to ban mountain lion hunting just one day after a committee rejected his latest effort.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha introduced a bill Thursday to eliminate the state’s mountain lion hunting season.

The Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee voted Tuesday to indefinitely postpone an identical bill that Chambers introduced last year. The new bill is likely to be reviewed by the same committee.

Chambers is a well-known animal welfare advocate who passed legislation in 2014 to strengthen the state’s animal cruelty laws.

Supporters of the hunting season say it’s necessary to help regulate the population and to ensure that mountain lion kills are tracked, rather than hidden.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker has proposed a bill that would hold refugee groups liable for damages if one of the refugees they have accepted commits a crime.

Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion introduced the measure Thursday amid a heated debate over whether Nebraska should accept refugees from war-torn Syria.

Several nonprofit agencies have said they are working to resettle the refugees in Nebraska. Gov. Pete Ricketts has said the state should welcome refugees, but he has concerns about how they’re screened.

The bill would require groups to compensate state or local governments for the cost of prosecuting a refugee. It also would allow crime victims to sue the groups, and require the refugee agencies to demonstrate that they have the capacity to cover up to $25 million in damages.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Back-to-school shoppers could save some money in Nebraska if a bill in the Legislature becomes law.

Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, a former high school principal, introduced a measure Thursday that would create a sales-tax-free weekend each year during the first weekend in August.

The bill would exempt clothing, school supplies and computers and computer accessories priced at less than $750.

The Washington-based Tax Foundation says 18 states offered sales tax holidays last year, including Nebraska’s neighboring states of Iowa and Missouri.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is urging lawmakers to pass a package that would slow the statewide growth in property taxes and to reject any proposals that expand Medicaid.

Ricketts outlined his agenda Thursday in his second State of the State address at the Capitol.

The governor’s proposals include an infrastructure bank that would accelerate work on road and bridge projects and a $26 million expansion of a community corrections facility in Lincoln.

Ricketts also argues that the state can balance its budget without tapping its cash reserve, even though some lawmakers have said doing so may be necessary. Ricketts’ plan would plug an expected budget hole by using unspent money from state agencies, transfers from cash accounts and a reduction in new spending.