LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Construction workers have begun to renovate the Nebraska statehouse’s four courtyards in preparation for the installation of several fountains.

Fountains were not a part of the original designs of the nearly century-old courtyards, according to Capitol Administrator Bob Ripley. So construction, such as laying down pipe, for the fountains poses many logistical challenges.

The addition of fountains and a set of murals had been delayed during the Great Depression. The murals were later added to the statehouse in 1996.

Ripley says the $2.7 million installation project should be done by the end of the year, in time for Nebraska’s 150th birthday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could require high school students to pass the federal government’s civics exam for United States citizenship if a bill in the Legislature becomes law.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha introduced a measure Monday that would require students to answer at least 70 percent of the test’s questions correctly before they graduate. If passed, the bill would go into effect during the 2017 school year.

The Joe Foss Institute, a civic education group that champions the measure, says nine states have passed similar laws. The other states are Idaho, Utah, Arizona, North Dakota, South Dakota, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee and South Carolina.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s school security director wants districts to improve security by identifying and reporting potential attackers before they strike.

Jolene Palmer is recommending a set of guidelines that call for school districts to use “behavioral threat assessments” standards to identify and report suspicion or concern.

Palmer says she will use the standards to assess the level of security in each of the state’s 1,130 public schools. She has an Aug. 31, 2017, deadline to conduct the assessment.

Officials from several Omaha metro area school districts say they already have processes to identify threats, but those processes are likely to become more formalized in years to come.

But some education leaders, like state school board member Glen Flint, are concerned about the possibility for schools to misidentify potential threats.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator is proposing a series of state tax credits to address the high cost of child care and to increase access to early childhood programs.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha introduced legislation Monday that he says would focus on the state’s youngest children, particularly those who are at risk of failing in school.

Mello says his bill, the School Readiness Tax Credit Act, is modeled after a similar package of tax credits that began in Louisiana in 2008. He says the bill is intended to support families and the businesses that employ them.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator wants student journalists to be guaranteed the same First Amendment rights as their professional counterparts.

Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis introduced a bill Monday that would grant college journalists the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media such as student newspapers, regardless of whether the publication is supported financially by the school or not.

Davis says the bill was inspired by similar legislation passed in other states to prevent school administrators from blocking unflattering stories. Davis says college students are given the right to vote and serve in the military, so college journalists should also have the right to do their jobs and hold leadership accountable.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state government collected about $14 million less than expected in December.

The Department of Revenue reported Monday that net receipts for the month totaled $369 million, which is nearly 4 percent below the state’s certified forecast of $383 million.

Net sales-and-use tax receipts were about 9 percent lower than expected, while individual income tax receipts were more than 3 percent lower. Net corporate income tax collections were 8 percent above the forecast, and net miscellaneous receipts were more than 18 percent below.

Department of Revenue economist Hoa Phu Tran says the lower-than-projected tax collections are largely driven by the slowdown in sales tax revenue, which is due to recent declines in farm income. Tran says the overall state economy appears to be faring well.