LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would raise the cost of a handgun permit from $5 to $25 is stirring debate among Nebraska lawmakers.

Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue presented the measure to the full Legislature on Tuesday, describing it as a user fee that’s necessary to help counties cover their costs. Blood says Nebraska’s three largest counties have seen a sharp increase in the number of permit applications that need to be processed.

Blood says the Legislature’s reluctance to allow such fee increases creates pressure on county boards to raise property taxes.

Gun-rights groups argue that the increase is too large and question whether it reflects the actual cost of processing permits.

In 2015, a measure that raised the cost of marriage license fees triggered a contentious and drawn-out debate among lawmakers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is criticizing Gov. Pete Ricketts’ attempt to end funding for any health care provider that also offers abortions.

A spokeswoman for the group issued a statement calling the governor’s Tuesday announcement “a blatant attack on Planned Parenthood” and part of an extreme agenda to dismantle reproductive health care access.

Ricketts is attempting to cut funding through his budget proposal to lawmakers. He included a provision in his proposed budget last year that would have prevented Planned Parenthood of the Heartland from receiving any family planning money, but lawmakers removed it.

Planned Parenthood says roughly 8,000 Nebraska residents could lose access to its health care services, even though the federal money in question doesn’t subsidize abortions.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is taking agenda on the road after he delivers his annual State of the State address to lawmakers.

Ricketts will deliver the speech Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the State Capitol in Lincoln, followed by additional public statements in the governor’s hearing room. He will then travel to Grand Island, North Platte and Scottsbluff.

Ricketts is expected to outline a legislative package that includes income and property tax measures and his proposals to balance the budget in the face of a state revenue shortfall.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says his budget plan to lawmakers will seek to end state funding for any health clinic that offers abortions.

The Republican governor announced the proposal Monday afternoon. Ricketts included a provision in his proposed budget last year that would have prevented Planned Parenthood of the Heartland from receiving any family planning money, but lawmakers removed it.

Health care providers that also perform abortions are currently eligible for federal funding through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. President Donald Trump signed a law last year that gave states greater latitude when distributing Title X funding.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state veterans’ care workers are receiving a 20 percent pay raise after recent surveys found their wages are lagging their peers in other states.

Gov. Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced the increase Monday. The governor’s office says in a news release that the new pay rate is more competitive for people with similar roles in government and the private sector.

Staff care technicians provide basic nursing care, administer medications and perform a variety of other tasks for Nebraska veterans. Ricketts says the raise is intended to increase recruitment and retention. There are 135 in the state’s veterans’ homes.

A spokesman for the governor’s office says the starting wage for the care workers is increasing from $11.71 per hour to $14.05 per hour.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge has told a Scottsbluff woman to pay back nearly $140,000 she took from a credit union she’d managed.

Court records say the judge handed down the order Monday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln to 45-year-old Christine Darley. She also was sentenced to time served and to five years of supervised release. Darley had pleaded guilty to wire fraud after other counts were dropped by prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Darley took the money from Panhandle Federal Credit Union and deposited it into her accounts there and at a local bank. The crimes occurred between August 2010 and June 12, 2012.