LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed a law creating anti-abortion license plates.

Ricketts said Wednesday that manufacturing the “Choose Life” plates is a small step to celebrate Nebraska’s “culture of pro-life.” He says the license plates will join anti-abortion billboards along state highways in displaying Nebraska’s culture.

Opponents of the law argued the state should not put political speech on license plates, but Lt. Gov. Mike Foley says the landmark Roe v. Wade case allows states to express a preference for avoiding abortion. He and Ricketts say the Legislature will deal with other issues as they come up.

The plates will be available next January and cost $5 more than standard license plates. Revenue from them will supplement federal funding for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says he does not understand why a legislative committee working on the next two-year budget would cut the number of additional corrections officers he requested in half.

Ricketts said Wednesday he was “greatly disturbed” by the Appropriations Committee’s decision not to fund all 48 new officer positions. He says lawmakers have spent the past year asking him what the corrections department needs and then chose not to create the positions.

The corrections department has struggled to fill open positions and had nearly 150 officer vacancies as of March 31.

Ricketts says he plans to continue advocating for more guards. Creating 48 new positions would cost about $11 million over two years.

The request comes as Nebraska faces a projected $288 million two-year revenue shortfall.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska judges will get a 2.5 percent pay raise over a two-year period if a bill advanced by lawmakers becomes law.

Senators gave the measure first-round approval on Wednesday with a 31-0 vote, amid concerns about retaining quality jurists. Members of the Nebraska Supreme Court would see their salaries increase to roughly $176,300 a year by July 1, 2019. Their current salaries are about $171,975.

Members of the Nebraska Court of Appeals, district courts, juvenile courts, workers compensation courts and county courts will also get raises because their salaries are tied to what Nebraska Supreme Court justices make.

Supporters say judges could make far more money as private attorneys, but they want to serve the public.

Two additional votes are required before the proposal goes to Gov. Pete Ricketts.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would lift the statute of limitations for child abuse sex victims to sue perpetrators has won first-round approval in the Nebraska Legislature.

Lawmakers advanced the measure Wednesday with a 29-3 vote.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says ending the statute of limitations is important because child sex abuse victims sometimes repress their memories or feel too ashamed to talk about what they experienced until later in life.

A statute of limitations would remain in place for people who were abused before the bill goes into effect if their claims were previously time-barred. Victims would have to file lawsuits within 35 years after their 18th birthday or three years after the date when the bill goes into effect, whichever is longer.