LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska zoos and aquariums would be exempt from state and local sales tax under a bill that cleared first-round vote in the Legislature.

Senators voted 33-5 Tuesday to advance a measure that would allow nationally accredited zoos or aquariums to avoid charging sales taxes on memberships and admissions. The zoo would keep the percentage usually allotted to the state.

Advocates say the bill encourages economic activity from Nebraska’s nationally recognized tourist attractions, but opponents worried the 2.67 million dollar exemption makes it harder for lawmakers to deliver property tax relief.

The exemption would apply to three accredited facilities: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and the Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that may allow adults with intellectual disabilities to place as much as $100,000 into special saving accounts is being considered in Nebraska.

Bank account savings for most intellectually disabled adults are not allowed to exceed $2,000 because of the benefits they receive from the government, including health coverage through Medicaid. The bill would allow up to $100,000 in savings to use for qualified expenses without counting against the $2,000 limit.

The Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act was passed by Congress last year, allowing states to set up their own ABLE account system so that family members of adults with intellectual disabilities could deposit up to $14,000 in funds.

The Nebraska bill advanced from a legislative committee last month, and is likely to be debated this year.

A former North Platte man will spend the next three decades in prison for manufacturing child pornography.

According to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, 32-year-old Billy Schrader appeared for sentencing on Tuesday in U.S. District Court, in Lincoln, where Senior United States District Judge Richard G. Kopf sentenced him to 30 years in federal prison, the maximum sentence allowed for the offense.

Authorities say the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into allegations of child abuse committed by Schrader in November of 2013.

As a result of the investigation, deputies seized electronic items including cell phones and computers.

An examination of the devices by the North Platte Police Department resulted in the discovery of over 75,000 images of child pornography that prosecutors say were generated by Schrader and a co-defendant, Julia Thiemann.

The AG’s office says the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

The case was investigated by the North Platte Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Kale Burdick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Russell prosecuted the case.

In addition to the prison time, Schrader must also register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Thiemann is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for sentencing on Thursday.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to continue a behavioral health screening program for children has won first-round approval from Nebraska lawmakers.

Lawmakers advanced the measure Tuesday even as some questioned the pilot program’s effectiveness. The program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is scheduled to end in September.

Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln says 1,941 children have been screened for conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and other behavioral health problems.

The program is already receiving $450,000 a year, an amount included in the university’s base budget.

Some senators criticized Nebraska’s use of pilot programs which are often made permanent later at the state’s expense. Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion says every program has a constituency that will defend it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mothers-to-be will have better employment protections under a bill passed by Nebraska lawmakers.

The measure cleared the full Legislature Tuesday with a 45-0 vote.

The bill would require employers to acknowledge physical limitations of pregnancy and make accommodations for employees. It would also bar discrimination against pregnant women in employment practices like hiring or firing.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha has said the bill he sponsored complies with a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of a pregnant woman who asked for job accommodations similar to those available to workers with physical disabilities.

Gov. Pete Ricketts has five days to take action on the bill.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The number of trains carrying at least a million gallons of volatile crude oil across Nebraska and Iowa has increased significantly this spring.

BNSF railroad has told emergency management officials in both states that it is now hauling 20 to 30 trains loaded with oil from North Dakota’s Bakken region through the area.

That’s up significantly from last summer when federal regulators began requiring railroads to notify state officials about trains carrying at least 1 million gallons of oil.

Railroad shipments of crude oil are facing additional scrutiny and tougher regulations because there have been several fiery derailments involving the commodity in recent years. The worst one happened in July 2013 and killed 47 people in a small Canadian city just across the U.S.-Canada border from Maine.

ODESSA, Neb. (AP) — An 18-year-old from Cincinnati has been charged with three felonies, accused of stabbing another man several times in south-central Nebraska.

Online court records say Caleb McDonald is charged with assault, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon to commit a felony. Online records say McDonald remained in Buffalo County Jail on Tuesday. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press, seeking comment about the case.

McDonald is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 27.

Authorities say McDonald stabbed 38-year-old Johnny Quintana on Friday afternoon. The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office says the two were traveling in separate vehicles on a county road in Odessa when they exchanged words and got out of their vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office says McDonald then began stabbing Quintana, of Elm Creek.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Organizers of Nebraska petition drives could once again pay circulators by the signature under a bill passed by lawmakers.

Senators advanced the bill 42-0 through a third and final vote on Tuesday. It now goes to Gov. Pete Ricketts.

A 2008 ban on signature-based compensation forces groups to pay petition circulators hourly. Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, who introduced the repeal measure, says many grassroots citizen groups don’t have the resources to pay circulators hourly.

An initiative or referendum petition allows registered voters to place an amendment on the ballot. Paying by the signature creates an incentive for circulators to gather more, but some critics say it encourages fraud and aggressive behavior.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A Scottsbluff woman faces a felony charge after authorities say she used two fake $20 bills to pay for a pizza delivery.

Marcy Lara is charged with first-degree forgery and was arrested Saturday. Staff from Domino’s Pizza notified authorities after receiving counterfeit bills from a recent order at the Capri Motel.

According to an arrest affidavit, police went to the motel and questioned 19-year-old Lara. She gave consent to police for them to search the room.

Officers say they found a $20 with no watermark that had the same serial number as the two bills she gave the delivery driver Friday night.

It wasn’t immediately known if Lara has an attorney.