LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts says he has voiced concerns to the Trump administration about the potential effects of tariffs on Nebraska farmers.

Ricketts said Monday he spoke with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross last week after President Donald Trump moved to impose numerous trade restrictions against China. China responded with tariffs on 128 U.S. products, including pork and certain fruits.

Ricketts says it’s important not to disrupt any of the trade relationships established with China and other foreign nations. He says it’s also important to have a level playing field for trade.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau says the tariffs will hurt the state’s farm economy, particularly in Platte and Holt counties. Both counties rely heavily on pork exports.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska has adopted federal guidelines on avoiding opioids as painkillers.

The guidelines were released in March 2016 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and include avoiding opioids as the first or second painkiller option.

The Nebraska insurer’s chief medical officer, Dr. Debra Esser, said opioid alternatives include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy and chiropractic treatments.

Guidance from the Nebraska Medical Association and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services also mirrors the federal guidelines.

ALLIANCE, Neb. (AP) — Power has been restored to a Nebraska Panhandle city that lost it overnight when a transmission cable came loose.

Alliance City Manager Rick Kuckkahn says the power went out at 8:17 p.m. Monday when the cable connecting to a transmission line from wholesaler Western Area Power Administration got loose at a city substation. The only power then available came from a city generator for downtown and those at area businesses, institutions, and residences.

The cable was reattached early Tuesday morning, and Kuckkahn says the power was back on for all customers by 6 a.m.

He blamed the cable coming loose on wear and tear and weather over the years.

The city of around 8,400 residents is the county seat of Box Butte County.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers have passed a controversial budget bill that could deny federal funding to Nebraska’s Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.

The measure passed 38-6 Tuesday and will need to be signed into law by Gov. Pete Ricketts, who introduced the family-planning measure into the budget.

The bill would prevent health clinics from receiving Title X federal funding if they perform, counsel in favor of or refer patients to abortion services. Clinics would need to show physical, financial and legal separation from abortion services.

Opponents say the measure unfairly targets Planned Parenthood and attempts to regulate family planning do not belong in the budget.

Supporters say it will ensure tax money is not going toward abortions.

The measure has been heavily debated throughout the session and failed to advance twice.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A center is vetting and sharing federal and local intelligence with Nebraska law enforcement agencies on crime trends and terrorism in cases such as the Austin bombings this month.

Analysts at the Nebraska Information Analysis Center were already disseminating information on the Austin bombings to law enforcement agencies in Nebraska before the first televised press conference linked the bombs, according to center director Lt. Kurt Von Minden.

“Most people would just say, ‘Oh a bomb went off in Austin,'” said Von Minden. “Most of us here wouldn’t look at it that way.”

The NIAC, part of the Nebraska State Patrol, is the state’s only fusion center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It started in 2007 and operates on a $1.1 million budget, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.

Von Minden said the center has helped thwart attacks such as the case in which hackers attempted to access open ports on two school networks. Analysts alerted the schools, which closed the ports preventing malware, identity theft or data breach, he said.

In 2015, the center also created an information sharing system that allows agencies within Nebraska to query data from other departments in their investigations. More than 60 agencies within the state have access to the network, along with federal partners, said State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas.

Information sharing keeps law enforcement from stepping on each other’s’ toes, said Von Minden. It also helps small agencies that can’t afford to hire crime analysts, he said.

He said the center offers information to non-law enforcement agencies such as energy providers to notify them of hacking threats or attacks.

Von Minden said the next challenge will be for analysts to understand crypto-currency and how it might be misused for identity theft or funding terrorism.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — After months of negotiations, Nebraska lawmakers are set to begin debate Tuesday on a new version of Gov. Pete Ricketts’ tax plan geared toward property owners and corporations.

The package, endorsed by the state’s largest farm and business groups, will face heavy scrutiny from lawmakers in the final days of the 2018 session.

“It’s likely our last, best hope for tax relief in this legislative session,” said Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, who sponsored it on the governor’s behalf.

Here are five things to know about the package:

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WHAT WOULD IT DO FOR PROPERTY OWNERS?

The package would offer income tax credits to reimburse some of the property taxes paid by agricultural landowners and homeowners.

Homeowners would get a credit equal to 1 percent of their total property taxes in 2018, up to a maximum of $25. That means a homeowner with a $2,000 property tax bill would get $20 back after filing an income tax return. The credit would increase each year until 2030, when it would total 20 percent of a homeowner’s property tax bill. At that point, the credit would be capped at $500 to prevent mega-homes from getting too much of the benefit.

Agricultural landowners would get a credit totaling 2 percent of their property tax bill this year, with no cap. That credit would also increase annually until 2027, when landowners would get a credit equal to 20 percent of their property tax bill.

In both cases, the tax credit would be refundable, so property owners would get a payment from the state if the credits are greater than the total income taxes owed.

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WHAT WOULD IT DO FOR BUSINESSES?

Commercial property taxes wouldn’t be cut, but the plan would lower Nebraska’s top corporate income tax rate over five years and pump $5 million a year into job-training programs.

Nebraska’s top corporate rate of 7.81 percent would ratchet down to 6.84 percent, the same rate levied on individual taxpayers. Business groups such as the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry say the lower rate will help companies compete against businesses in neighboring states.

The original bill would have lowered Nebraska’s top individual income tax bracket as well, but that provision was taken out because of the cost.

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HOW WOULD THE STATE PAY FOR IT?

Nebraska state government would lose millions in revenue each year if the bill passes, and the totals would increase over time. Once the package is fully implemented in 2030, state officials estimate it would cost more than $644 million a year.

Supporters would pay for the first year of tax breaks by drawing about $40 million from the state’s cash reserve, which was designed to cover one-time expenses and sudden declines in tax revenue. They haven’t given specifics beyond that point, but Ricketts and Smith have said it’s doable by keeping tight control on state spending.

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WHAT ARGUMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR AND AGAINST IT?

Supporters say the bill would help farmers whose property taxes have soared over the last decade, despite a recent decline in commodity prices that has hurt their incomes. The bill “puts us on a path for long-term relief for all property tax payers,” said Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Smith and business groups argue the package will spur economic growth and make Nebraska more attractive to businesses. They also point to neighboring Iowa, where the Republican-controlled Legislature and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds are pushing their own tax-cut packages.

Opponents argue the property tax benefits would take too long to go into effect and won’t keep pace with inflation. Most of the benefits in the bill would go to larger, wealthier farm operations, said Sen. Paul Schumacher, of Columbus.

“For the farmers that are really hurting, it’s not going to be much help at all,” Schumacher said. “Whatever help they get from it will be absorbed by the increased cost of fertilizer, fuel and insurance.”

Schumacher said the corporate tax cut isn’t large enough to make a difference for any businesses.

Some moderate and progressive senators said the bill would make it harder to invest in other priorities, such as child welfare services, water conservation projects and changes to the state’s troubled prison system.

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DOES IT HAVE A CHANCE OF PASSING?

Smith said supporters will have to navigate a “narrow path” to pass the bill in a tight budget year, but he and Ricketts have been meeting with senators to try to win more support. The bill is certain to face a legislative filibuster, forcing supporters to gather votes from at least 33 of the Legislature’s 49 senators.

That could prove challenging. Several rural senators have pitched their own ideas to lower property taxes, including a statewide ballot measure, and some progressive lawmakers say the governor’s bill would hurt the state’s finances. Three or four senators could provide crucial swing votes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has scheduled three informational meetings about mountain lions.

Topics will include an update on research and details of the new mountain lion management plan. There also will be time to answer questions from the public.

The meetings will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The first is set for Tuesday at the Chadron State College Student Center Ballroom in Chadron. The second is scheduled for the next day at the Gering Civic Center in Gering. The third is set for April 11 at the Cherry County Fairgrounds in Valentine.

• Robert Burton Litzenberger IV, 29, North Platte and April Marie McCracken, 35, North Platte

 

• Devin William Dunbar, 28, North Platte and Brittany Lynn Pochop 27, North Platte

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers have advanced a package of bills designed to address Nebraska’s overcrowded prison system.

The measures that advanced Thursday would look at ways to address the system’s chronic understaffing, high recidivism rates and call for officials to prepare for an accelerated review process to handle an impending deadline to significantly reduce the prison population.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services reports that its prisons are filled to roughly 160 percent capacity. Lawmakers imposed a July 1, 2020, deadline to lower that total to 140 percent of capacity, and state officials will have to consider paroling all eligible inmates if the population does not decrease.

No one spoke in opposition to the measure, and it advanced 37-1 to the second of three required votes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Advocates for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland are looking for ways to stop a Nebraska budget proposal that could deny federal family-planning money to the organization.

More than 80 people rallied outside the Nebraska Capitol on Thursday to support the organization after lawmakers advanced a budget measure aimed at abortion providers.

The proposal from Gov. Pete Ricketts would prevent health clinics from getting federal Title X dollars unless they can show total separation from abortion providers. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland is a major recipient of Title X dollars, which are used for non-abortion services such as contraception, annual exams and sexually transmitted disease screenings.

Supporters say the bill would ensure Nebraska doesn’t jeopardize its federal funding. Opponents say it’s a politically motivated attack, and they may file a lawsuit.