LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker has proposed a bill that would hold refugee groups liable for damages if one of the refugees they have accepted commits a crime.

Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion introduced the measure Thursday amid a heated debate over whether Nebraska should accept refugees from war-torn Syria.

Several nonprofit agencies have said they are working to resettle the refugees in Nebraska. Gov. Pete Ricketts has said the state should welcome refugees, but he has concerns about how they’re screened.

The bill would require groups to compensate state or local governments for the cost of prosecuting a refugee. It also would allow crime victims to sue the groups, and require the refugee agencies to demonstrate that they have the capacity to cover up to $25 million in damages.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Back-to-school shoppers could save some money in Nebraska if a bill in the Legislature becomes law.

Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, a former high school principal, introduced a measure Thursday that would create a sales-tax-free weekend each year during the first weekend in August.

The bill would exempt clothing, school supplies and computers and computer accessories priced at less than $750.

The Washington-based Tax Foundation says 18 states offered sales tax holidays last year, including Nebraska’s neighboring states of Iowa and Missouri.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is urging lawmakers to pass a package that would slow the statewide growth in property taxes and to reject any proposals that expand Medicaid.

Ricketts outlined his agenda Thursday in his second State of the State address at the Capitol.

The governor’s proposals include an infrastructure bank that would accelerate work on road and bridge projects and a $26 million expansion of a community corrections facility in Lincoln.

Ricketts also argues that the state can balance its budget without tapping its cash reserve, even though some lawmakers have said doing so may be necessary. Ricketts’ plan would plug an expected budget hole by using unspent money from state agencies, transfers from cash accounts and a reduction in new spending.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two people were charged with child abuse after a 4-year-old girl they were baby-sitting was found wandering around outdoors without shoes or a jacket

Arrest affidavits say the girl was found Saturday on a street in the Nebraska Panhandle city of Gering when the temperature was 13 or 14 degrees. A short time later the two people went to the police station and reported they’d lost a girl they were baby-sitting.

They’ve been identified as 26-year-old Amber Lockard and 25-year-old Too Feathers Bueno.

Lockard’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call Thursday from The Associated Press. Court records don’t list an attorney for Bueno. The records say he’s also known as Two Feathers Bueno and also list his name as TooFeathers Bueno.

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — A 40-year-old man arrested after a high-speed chase through two states and a highway standoff has been imprisoned in Nebraska.

Joseph Mladenik, of North Las Vegas, Nevada, Wednesday was given three to five years in prison. He’d been convicted of weapons and other charges stemming from the Sept. 16 incident.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol had alerted Nebraska authorities that Wyoming officers had stopped their Interstate 80 pursuit of Mladenik, who was wanted on a stalking warrant. Nebraska troopers deployed stop sticks to flatten tires on Mladenik’s vehicle, halting him in Cheyenne County.

Mladenik gave up 45 minutes later.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — The city of North Platte has entered a partnership with the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corporation to improve housing options.

The city and the chamber have started the Shot in the Arm program to bring 33 single-family homes and 10 duplexes to North Platte by August 2017. Chamber board chairman Brock Wurl presented an incentive check for $8,000 Tuesday to Willis Roethemeyer for the first home in the program.

Roethemeyer is partnering with Greg Batt Construction to build nine homes in the city.

The program is offering incentives for housing construction from a $344,000 pool collected from the city’s Quality Growth Fund and the chamber and development corporation’s incentive fund that comes from private businesses in the city.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker is proposing legal immunity for drug users who call for help during a medical emergency, saying America’s rising rate of drug overdose deaths demands it.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln said he will introduce a bill this week that would allow drug users immunity from possession charges if they seek help for themselves or someone else who is overdosing.

The bill would apply to all drug possession charges, including felonies. Morfeld says that as Nebraska’s prescription drug monitoring technology improves, people will turn to other substances such as heroin, and Nebraska authorities need resources to prevent overdose deaths.

Last year, the Legislature passed a measure that allows immunity for minors seeking help for themselves or someone else in need of immediate medical attention due to alcohol poisoning.

HARRISON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Panhandle couple have been accused of neglecting cattle.

Court records say 25-year-old Calinda Vantine and 33-year-old Calvin Vantine are charged with felony animal neglect resulting in death or injury. Calinda Vantine said Wednesday that they couldn’t comment until checking with their attorney. A preliminary hearing for them is scheduled for Feb. 5.

A state investigator says the Vantines, of Crawford, were contracted to manage about 100 cattle during the calving season early last year but didn’t take proper care of the animals.