The settlement requires Colorado to make the payment by Dec. 31, 2018, even though state officials did not admit to any violations of the Republican River Compact. Colorado legislators must approve the funding before the deadline, or the settlement will become invalid.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper touted the settlement as a way to promote cooperation between the states. The settlement was signed by both governors, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman.

“Nebraska and Colorado can now continue to focus on providing their water users with greater certainty and to pursue other collaborative opportunities to benefit our shared economies,” Ricketts said.

Coffman said the agreement “avoids the cost and uncertainty of litigation” and seeks to defuse some of the controversies over the river.

Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado have fought for decades over water entitlements provided under the compact. The compact has resulted in lawsuits among the states, which regulate access to the water, and from farmers who said they were cheated out of water they should have received.

The compact signed in 1943 gives Nebraska the rights to 49 percent of the river’s water, while Kansas receives 40 percent and Colorado gets 11 percent. The Republican River originates in Colorado, crosses the northwestern tip of Kansas into Nebraska, then runs through Nebraska before re-entering Kansas through its northeastern corner.

The settlement bars Nebraska from suing Colorado for alleged violations on or before Dec. 31, 2013. Both states have been complying with the compact’s terms since 2015 after Colorado officials finished several projects to augment the river. The settlement also applies to a previous settlement from 2002, which Nebraska had accused Colorado of violating.

Hickenlooper said the payment could be used in the Republican River basin in Nebraska and “creates additional opportunities for cooperative water management between the states.”

Ricketts has recommended that Nebraska lawmakers invest the settlement money in surface water conservation projects in the Republican River basin. Lawmakers have not yet taken action on his request.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln said Thursday that her bill would adopt the code of conduct from the American Psychiatric Association, which prevents discrimination of protected classes of people, but does not require professionals to treat patients if they lack expertise or it conflicts with their personal beliefs. The professional would have to provide an adequate referral instead.

Pansing Brooks said the bill will likely not become law, but she hopes it will bring attention to the ongoing problem. She said she hopes it will be resolved internally, but if a conclusion is not reached, she plans to call for a hearing later this year and will “not let this issue die.”

The state Board of Psychology proposed new regulations in 2008, and the following year, the Department of Health and Human Services sent the changes to the Nebraska Catholic Conference for review. Pansing Brooks said she is unsure why the religious organization was given a special review.

Officials from the Nebraska Catholic Conference called for a “conscience clause” that would allow professionals to refuse treatment or referrals to patients because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The board refused to add the clause, saying it violated an ethics principle included in the regulations from the American Psychological Association.

Failure to adopt an anti-discriminatory policy could infringe on constitutional rights, Pansing Brooks said.

Supporters of the measure pointed to the high levels of suicide within the LGBTQ community and said mental health care is necessary. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people between the ages of 10 to 24.

Supporters also argued the existing regulations, which are 10 years old, create outdated barriers for incoming professionals that hurt recruitment and retention throughout the state.

Opponents contend that faith-based psychologists cannot in good conscience provide referrals to patients for services that go against their belief system because they don’t believe seeking care for such issues is in the patient’s best interest.

Tom Venzor, the executive director of Nebraska Catholic Conference, said professionals still treat LGBTQ individuals because it is their duty to treat them with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

Professionals can treat the individuals for mental health concerns, and if the issue of sexual identity or gender is brought up as a cause of their problems, they can refer the individual to someone else who could better help them, Venzor said.

The committee took no action on the bill Thursday.

“Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA,” Langin said.

Langin declined to say when the contract would expire and would not elaborate on what sort of feedback the company had received.

Separately, car rental company Enterprise said its three brands would end a discount program for NRA members.

Both companies released their statements dozens of times on Twitter in response to calls for them to sever ties with the NRA. Some Twitter users who identified themselves as customers pledged to take their business elsewhere.

The announcements came after the progressive news website ThinkProgress listed them as companies that support the NRA. ThinkProgress noted that First National Bank offered two NRA cards, each with a $40 bonus, and touted it as “enough to reimburse your one-year NRA membership!” It also noted Enterprise “offers members an unspecified discount.”

On Thursday, the bank webpage that advertised the NRA card had been disabled. A cached version of the site touted the card as “the official credit card of the NRA” and noted the benefits of membership.

The NRA credit cards are part of a larger business in which the bank issues cards branded with organizations’ logos, such as the sporting-goods store Scheels and the Best Western hotel chain.

Twitter accounts for Enterprise and its two other brands, Alamo and National, tweeted late Thursday: “All three of our brands have ended the discount for NRA members. This change will be effective March 26.”

The NRA has faced intense criticism following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, the latest in a string of high-profile mass killings in the U.S.

An NRA spokeswoman referred questions Thursday to the group’s licensing department. A phone message left with that office was not immediately returned.

A group that tracks the credit industry said the move could carry significant risks for First National Bank of Omaha.

“Many will applaud the move, but NRA members are famously loyal and the organization has shown itself as being very good at mobilizing its members,” said Matt Schulz, a senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. “However, banks are in the business of managing risks of all kinds, and First National clearly sees this as one they’re willing to take.”

First National Bank has banks in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.

Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston presented the measure to the Legislature’s Revenue Committee on Wednesday, saying it would encourage younger residents to purchase private coverage to help pay for their care.

“Many Nebraskans put off planning for long-term care, hoping they will never need it,” Riepe said.

The bill would allow residents to claim an income tax credit equal to 25 percent of the premiums paid for a long-term care insurance policy, up to $250 for an individual and $500 for a joint policy. Residents could only claim the credit if they were not previously enrolled in a plan, and they would no longer receive it after three years.

A legislative task report released in 2014 noted that fewer than 10 percent of Americans are saving for long-term care, yet after reaching the age of 65, the average American has a 70 percent chance of needing long-term care services. The bipartisan task force warned that lawmakers will need to explore new options to contain rising Medicaid costs and an elderly population that’s expected to grow over the next several decades.

The bill’s prospects are uncertain this year given the state’s projected $173 million revenue shortfall, which lawmakers will address this session. If it passes, Nebraska would join 28 other states that provide tax credits for long-term care coverage, said Galen Ullstrom, a lobbyist for Mutual of Omaha.

Ullstrom said most people don’t believe they need long-term care insurance and end up receiving coverage through Medicare and Medicaid, placing an additional burden on the state.

More than 12,000 elderly Nebraskans lived in nursing communities as of last year, and more than half of them relied on Medicaid to pay for the service, said Jeremy Hohlen, CEO of LeadingAge Nebraska, a group that represents nonprofit housing and service providers for the elderly.

“By 2050, the number of Nebraskans needing elder care will outnumber Nebraskans needing day care,” Hohlen said. “Anything that can be done to help educate and encourage Nebraskans to invest in long-term insurance is a most worthwhile and important endeavor.”

Still, some residents questioned whether the tax credit was enough to make long-term care affordable. Donna Roller of Lincoln told lawmakers she and her husband looked into a long-term care plan but couldn’t afford it.

“You want young families to invest in this?” she asked. “They’re saving for their kids’ college.”

The committee took no action on the bill Wednesday.