LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator says he plans to seek the disbarment of a former state Supreme Court judge who recently resigned after a judicial ethics complaint.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha submitted a letter to the high court’s chief justice on Monday regarding Max Kelch. Anyone who isn’t fit to retain a seat on the high court also isn’t fit to retain a license to practice law, Chambers said.

A judicial ethics complaint remains confidential until a commission uncovers probable cause for discipline. Kelch resigned Feb. 15 before that could happen, stating that he was doing what was best for his family. He’d been on the court for less than two years.

The public should be made aware of Kelch’s conduct during the two years he served on the court, Chambers said.

“My guiding premise is that the public has a right to be informed of the facts surrounding actions by its servants, whom their tax dollars pay,” Chambers wrote. Kelch had an annual salary of $172,000 as a judge.

Failing to disclose the details undermines faith in the judiciary’s integrity, he said.

“While routinely pronouncing judgments on others throughout society, the judiciary must be willing to turn the searchlight of scrutiny on itself,” Chambers wrote.

Kelch declined to comment to the Omaha World-Herald on the issue.

“I’m just going to deal with what’s in front of me,” Kelch said.

Chambers said he’s prepared to file a grievance with the Supreme Court’s Counsel for Discipline. The counsel could dismiss the case or recommend actions including reprimands to disbarment.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill designed to give nurses and doctors special protections from assaults with bodily fluids has advanced in the Nebraska Legislature.

Senators gave the measure first-round approval Wednesday with a 33-0 vote. Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha says the measure would add health care professionals to a protected class that includes police and firefighters. Attacking a public safety officer with a bodily fluid is already a stand-alone crime.

McDonnell says nurses and doctors deserve the same protection as first responders because they often work alongside them and provide a valuable community service.

Opponents say the measure classifies residents differently and opens the door to other special protections for specific groups.

The measure advanced to the second round of three votes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is expected to gain an additional $55 million in tax revenue in its current two-year budget, according to new estimates approved Wednesday, but lawmakers still won’t have much money at their disposal.

Senators will now have a little less than $627,000 available for new spending in this year’s session, based on the tentative budget crafted by the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. Committee members updated their proposed spending plan in response to Wednesday’s projections by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board.

Lawmakers faced a projected $173 million revenue shortfall at the beginning of this year’s session, and the current budget-balancing proposal draws heavily from Nebraska’s emergency cash reserve fund to make up the difference.

Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said replenishing some of the money lawmakers withdrew was his top concern because state revenues could continue to struggle.

“I think we have to be careful and prudent about how we treat this,” Stinner said.

In a statement, Gov. Pete Ricketts sounded a similar note of caution and said the agencies he controls will continue to restrain their spending.

“These new numbers seem to indicate a growing economy, but we must remain cautious through the end of the fiscal year,” he said. The money that flows automatically to the cash reserve “should not be used for spending.”

The forecasting board predicted that Nebraska state government will collect $4.53 billion in the current fiscal year, a $25 million increase over its previous projections. By law, that money will automatically go into the cash reserve.

The state is also expected to receive $4.705 billion in the next fiscal year, which is $30 million higher than earlier estimates.

Complicating the issue is the prospect that federal tax changes approved by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress could leave the state with an additional $335 million in state tax revenue.

Because Nebraska’s tax system is closely tied with the federal system, the federal law is set to trigger a series of automatic tax increases in Nebraska by eliminating the personal exemption and increasing the standard deduction. A Nebraska family of four would pay at least $536 more in state taxes each year.

Ricketts has proposed a bill that would neutralize most of those changes, although the state is still expected to see an $8 million boost in corporate income tax revenue.

Even so, the federal tax changes have created a great deal of uncertainty for Nebraska’s budget, said Renee Fry, executive director of the OpenSky Policy Institute.

“Today’s revenue forecast is welcome news considering our recent revenue struggles, but it must be taken with a grain of salt,” Fry said.

Members of the forecasting board said Nebraska’s economy appears to be faring well, and some suggested that agriculture might be recovering after several years of low commodity prices.

“There are some people who are still struggling in the ag sector, but I think overall it has stabilized,” said board member David Ochsner of Nelson.

Board member Richard McGinnis of Kearney warned that proposed cuts to the University of Nebraska could harm his local economy in central Nebraska.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would remove noncitizens from Nebraska’s population total when redrawing legislative districts drew criticism during a hearing, where opponents questioned if it was discriminatory.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna said Tuesday the measure enforces language in the state constitution that lawmakers have failed to follow. He says officials should abide by the constitution and notes that opponents who took issue with the requirement have made no efforts to revise or remove it.

Opponents argue that nonresident status is more complex now than in the past and everyone deserves representation regardless of voting status. Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln says opponents are taking issue with the constitution, not the bill.

Murante says there is strong committee support for the bill. The committee took no action on the bill Tuesday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s secretary of state says he will allow Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Krist to appear on the party’s primary ballot, despite a challenge from one of Krist’s opponents.

Secretary of State John Gale rejected arguments Tuesday from Democratic hopeful Tyler Davis. Davis says Krist didn’t follow a law that requires candidates to change party affiliation before the first Friday in December of the previous year. The Nebraska Republican Party raised the same question.

Krist had been a Republican but switched to “nonpartisan” in September. He took initial steps to create a “United Nebraska” party but never finished the process. Earlier this month, he registered as a Democrat for that party’s May 15 primary.

Gale says changing from nonpartisan to Democrat is considered a declaration of party, not switching parties.