LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would encourage some Nebraska school districts to lower their property tax levies has won first-round approval in the Legislature.

The measure introduced on Gov. Pete Ricketts’ behalf advanced Wednesday on a 38-0 vote.

The legislation would effectively remove an excuse school boards use not to lower their levy rates and tighten budget restrictions on bonding for projects such as mold abatement and environmental hazards.

Sen. Kate Sullivan says the bill represents an improvement in how schools are funded and increases local government accountability.

The proposal represents the first half of Ricketts’ tax package, which has changed substantially since it was introduced in January. Lawmakers are set to debate the second half on Thursday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed a bill that would extend Nebraska’s equal-pay law to businesses with two or more employees.

The measure approved Wednesday replaces the previous law which only applied to employers with 15 or more workers. The law prohibits wage discrimination based on sex.

The measure is a combination of proposals from the Business and Labor Committee and Sens. Heath Mello and Tanya Cook, who are both from Omaha.

Opponents questioned whether employers still pay women less than men in 2016. Several senators responded that women continue to be paid less than men.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have advanced new safeguards to keep employers from demanding access to their workers’ social media accounts.

Senators gave the bill first-round approval on Wednesday with a 40-1 vote.

The measure by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill would prohibit employers from requiring or requesting an employee’s user names or passwords to personal Internet accounts. They also could not coerce employees to change their personal Internet account settings or retaliate against workers who refuse to disclose their personal information.

Lawmakers rejected an amendment by Sen. Ernie Chambers that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Chambers called the proposal a “do-nothing” bill, saying it doesn’t address a real problem, but senators eventually reached a compromise.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved a new state budget with no line-item vetoes.

Ricketts says he signed the $8.7 billion package Wednesday despite some misgivings.

He says he took issue with funding increases for priorities that he doesn’t consider an emergency, such as $1 million for community colleges. He also opposes using state money for a scholarship program just because it lost federal funding.

Despite his concerns, Ricketts says he signed the budget in the spirit of compromise with lawmakers who crafted the budget. He says the budget holds state spending growth at 3.5 percent, less than the historic average.

The package will allow new construction on levee systems surrounding Offutt Air Force Base and provide $1.5 million for pay increases at the short-staffed Department of Correctional Services.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska has launched a campaign dedicated to improving the four-year graduation rate at the state’s public university.

University President Hank Bounds visited Lincoln High School on Tuesday to promote the “Commit to Complete” campaign. The program pairs students with advisers to help them graduate on time by planning a course load of 30 credit hours per year.

Bounds said only about 30 percent of the state’s college students are completing degrees and entering the workforce within four years.

Bounds told the high school students that finishing college in four years could cut as much as 20 percent of student loan debt. He added that paying tuition for a fifth year also cuts into a year of potential wage earning.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A judge has barred two companies from ending their dialysis services agreement with Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff.

Renal Treatment Center and DaVita Healthcare Partners have a five-year contract with the hospital. The two have told the hospital that the agreement provisions had made it financially untenable, so they intended to withdraw from the contract Wednesday unless it was modified.

The hospital sued, saying a contract breach would harm patient care, forcing patients to get treatment in Colorado. Regional West also said a suggested reduction of service hours was unacceptable.

On Tuesday a district judge granted the hospital’s request for a temporary restraining order that will run until 1 p.m. April 8, giving both sides time to set a hearing on the hospital’s request for a temporary injunction.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska cattle producers will be donating hay and fencing and other supplies to victims of the massive wildfire that has blackened land and destroyed buildings along the Oklahoma-Kansas border.

Officials estimate that the Anderson Creek fire has ravaged nearly 600 square miles of land, destroying fences, residences, outbuildings and livestock.

The Nebraska Cattlemen group is organizing the aid drive. Monetary donations to the Kansas Livestock Foundation and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation are being encouraged as well.

Police have charged a North Platte man with a felony after he allegedly assaulted his brother’s roommate and seriously injured him.

Just after 3:00 pm, on March 17, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to Great Plains Health and met with a 20-year-old male who had injuries to his face.  Investigator John Deal said the man refused to tell officers what had happened.

Later that day, Deal said the victim called the police and advised that he would like to speak to them about what had happened.

According to the victim, he had gone to his residence in the 1200 block of Skinner Drive on March 16, at around 11:00 pm.  He stated that when he arrived, his roommate’s brother, 27-year-old Brian Piel, was inside the residence and would not let him in.

It was reported that, as some point, Piel punched the victim in the face numerous times.  Deal said this account was corroborated by several witnesses who were interviewed, and it was determined that Piel was the aggressor in the disturbance.

On March 28, Piel was contacted by police at a residence in the 700 block of South Dewey.  He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony 1st-degree assault.

Deal said the alleged victim suffered a broken jaw and facial lacerations that required stitches.