Medical Cannabis Commission would still lack immediate funds for regulation without state law change
LINCOLN — The governor's push for the executive branch to take on Nebraska medical cannabis regulations as a way to sidestep pending legislation at the statehouse would include no additional funding for months.
Gov. Jim Pillen's spokesperson and the director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services confirmed Monday that under Pillen's plan announced Friday, the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission still would have no additional funds to spend on developing rules or regulations.
He announced his plan as lawmakers are set to debate Legislative Bill 677 Tuesday, which would legislatively create additional rules and regulations for the medical cannabis laws that voters overwhelmingly approved in November.
Pillen orders Nebraska medical cannabis regulations to proceed as legislative, legal fights approach
Under Pillen's approach, the commission would need to make up for any spending later, such as through registration fees, though the commission's ability to raise such revenue remains uncertain, as the Nebraska Attorney General's Office has pledged to sue the new commission if it issues any state licenses for medical cannabis.
Pillen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers have questioned the legality of medical cannabis, though Pillen formally certified the vote in December and the laws have been in place since.
The governor's Friday announcement referenced 'operational funding' that had already been appropriated for the regulatory work, but when the next two-year state budget passed Thursday, it included limited new funding.
The Appropriations Committee offered an annual $30,000 each of the next two fiscal years for employees in the Liquor Control Commission, who take on additional duties under the new medical cannabis-related laws. In comparison, the Liquor Control Commission has a $2 million annual budget, including for enforcement of regulations.
The Medical Cannabis Commission has no additional funding for the remaining two months of the current fiscal year.
The voter-approved laws required regulations by July 1 and licensing by Oct. 1.
The Department of Administrative Services, which Pillen oversees, can provide limited financial support to agencies crafting regulations. Pillen spokesperson Laura Strimple, citing Lee Will, the DAS director who previously oversaw the state's budget, said the Liquor Control Commission has a cash fund spending authority of $100,000 that is 'rarely used.'
The new spending would come through a new administratively created cash fund to capture any new revenue.
'This funding authority will allow for [the Cannabis Commission] to operate, combined with registration fees for revenue,' she said in an email.
The one cash fund that the Liquor Control Commission currently has is derived from the commission selling copies of its rules, the law governing its actions and other publications. It also gets funds from fees for registration, server training and more, according to a Legislative Fiscal Office directory of state funds and programs. Just a portion of the fund has been used in recent years.
State law allows the funds to be used for 'any administrative costs' associated with specific liquor statutes. Medical cannabis statutes were placed in a different section of the law, and the budget bills did not expressly authorize additional spending from that fund.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Nebraska ed commissioner reflects on literacy, workforce, fed department
Nebraska Education Commissioner Brian Maher. June 20, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Education is moving ahead on priorities of literacy, chronic absenteeism and workforce development while navigating an ideologically divided governing board and federal uncertainty. The State Board of Education has selected three legislative priorities for the Education Department through 2027, focused on increasing reading proficiency among Nebraska third graders to 75%, halving the number of school staffing vacancies and halving chronic absenteeism. The State Board hopes to accomplish all three goals by 2030. Nebraska Education Commission Brian Maher says such progress might not be 'intuitive' for the average Nebraskan, considering the 4-4 split on the officially nonpartisan board between registered Republicans and Democrats, which appointed Maher beginning July 2023. However, Maher said the board has done a nice job pulling together, often unanimously, on many important topics, including what he terms 'LAW' — literacy, attendance and workforce — while differences remain. 'The occasional flare-up that might have an appearance of dysfunction really gets noticed, but what doesn't get noticed is all of the conversation, give and take on items of significance, like literacy, attendance and workforce,' Maher told the Nebraska Examiner in late June. Maher said he didn't bring the literacy improvement goal to the table, but he said if he has brought anything, it's a 'tenacity' to advance the 'laser-focused' goal of reading improvement. The state Education Department has also enacted the 'Nebraska Literacy Plan,' which is supported through funds from the Legislature and the federal government. Legislative Bill 1284 of 2024, led by former State Sens. Lynne Walz of Fremont and Lou Ann Linehan of the Elkhorn area, appropriated a few million dollars to employ regional literacy coaches statewide and to mentor teachers in grades K-3 on how to better teach reading. The focus is on training prospective teachers and getting literacy coaches directly in the classroom. Maher said 2015, his last year as Kearney superintendent, was a high-water mark for student achievement, but since then, student test scores have declined. With a focus on the 'Science of Reading,' a methodological research-focused view to teaching reading, Nebraska looks to improve the achievement trend. Maher notes that this was 'by and large' how reading was taught years ago. 'It's a little bit of going back to what we know works,' Maher said. Maher said several educational service units in the state, publicly elected boards to assist and coordinate resources with school districts, have a literacy coach in place. He said the Education Department has met with those coaches to boost consistency statewide. LB 1284 from Linehan and Walz, Maher said, 'planted the seed' for the science of reading and quality coaching in a 'very well-needed' three-year commitment. Maher said the Education Department is also engaging in the 'cross-sector' issue of preparing students in K-12 for 'whatever's next.' That includes higher education partners and also the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, work that includes developing apprenticeships. While Nebraska's chronic absenteeism rate has flatlined, Maher said, leaders must still reverse high absenteeism rates that 'accelerated' as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but had been declining before. Maher said there is finally more research on addressing absenteeism, in addition to how a good teacher can make 'all the difference in the world.' He noted that without students in school, it's hard to teach reading and math. 'We've got to find strategies in addition to that teacher who's a unicorn and a pied piper to get kids to come to school,' Maher said. One of the questions Maher is preparing for is what happens if the U.S. Department of Education is eliminated, a goal of President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Maher said he's had good conversations with state colleges, community colleges and the University of Nebraska to ask, 'What if?' He said that has produced a rough 'skeleton plan.' 'I get the question all the time, 'What's going on in Washington, D.C.?' and I really don't know a lot more than the average citizen could know if they followed the reports coming out of D.C.,' Maher said. He continued: 'I tell people … I don't want to panic. I don't want to react on a rumor or an innuendo. I want to react on facts. To this point, I think we've done a really nice job of that. And I think our schools have done a really nice job of that.' On whether eliminating the federal department would be 'OK,' Maher says, 'I need more detail.' For example, what occurs with the Office of Special Education and associated funding, as well as funding for various Title programs that serve some of Nebraska's most vulnerable students. 'If we can get satisfactory answers to those questions, it may make a lot of sense to actually shift some of the decision-making and some of the oversight to the state level,' Maher said. 'I'm certainly not opposed to that happening, but I need a lot more of the questions answered before we dig into that.' Funding has also become tighter on the state level, and Maher said while his department has good relationships with the legislative and executive branches, more money might not always be the solution. Instead, he said support in policymaking and 'having our voice valued,' which he says the NDE voice is, is valuable. 'Let's build from that strength in that relationship that already exists,' Maher said, wanting to focus on efficiency and maximizing current resources and expertise. Maher, 63, announced his candidacy in early July for the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He did so with the endorsement of all eight State Board of Education members. He and Lincoln entrepreneur Brent Comstock, 29, are the first to announce for the Lancaster County seat. Maher noted the Nebraska Department of Education also includes a broader focus than a traditional definition of public, private and home schools. For example, NDE includes Vocational Rehabilitation and helping Nebraskans with disabilities 'from birth to death,' including how to be employed and maintain employment while working with employers. Maher said the 'dynamic' leadership of the VR division, for example, is 'phenomenal' but also a 'best kept secret' that educational leaders want to highlight more. NDE's Disability Determination Services also helps determine taxpayers' eligibility for Social Security. The State Board of Education and Education Department are now embarking on creating a strategic plan, which Maher said will likely cover five years. The final result will include feedback after about a dozen forums held statewide earlier this year, including in Nebraska City, Omaha, Valentine, McCook and Scottsbluff. The hope is to get the plan approved by the end of the year and ready to go in January, Maher said. He would like it to focus around literacy, attendance and workforce. 'I think if we do those things really, really well, a lot of other things will fall in place,' Maher said. Maher, who played football at Midland University, echoed longtime head football coach and athletic director for the Nebraska Huskers, Tom Osborne, who used to say that if players can block and tackle well, 'winning will take care of itself.' Maher noted the 'waters didn't look perfect' when he returned to Nebraska in 2023 on a 5-3 vote (one Republican and all four Democratic members) after eight years in South Dakota, the past three as the CEO and executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. As he entered his latest Nebraska role, the commissioner said he heard a lot about how he would need to pull the ideologically separated board together. The 2024 elections left the same board split 4-4, plus a moderate Republican who sometimes split ties, including on Maher's appointment, declined to seek reelection. She was succeeded by a more conservative member. Maher, a previous superintendent of Kearney Public Schools and Centennial Public Schools, said he received advice when he started that administrative work in 1999: have the audacity to lead, but also remember when the superintendent is the 'hired help.' While he works for the board, Maher said he must develop relationships with each member to figure out what makes them tick, their hot buttons and issues that could be a deal breaker. He said that sometimes means walking away from some issues, too, while making significant progress for Nebraska students in other areas. Along those lines, he offers a third piece of advice: remembering he has 'eight good people' who all fit into the education equation. 'If I can figure out how audacious I should be or when to step back and let the board make board decisions, but yet treat those eight individuals like the quality humans they all are, that can go a long way,' Maher said. Maher said he felt good when, in early June, the State Board of Education extended his contract initially set to end July 2026 to July 2027 in an 8-0 vote. He also received a 3.25% pay bump, to $325,237.50. Maher has pledged to resign as education commissioner if elected regent in November 2026, meaning his tenure could end about six months sooner. The native of Hooper says he tries to use common sense and work hard, and Maher said his passion has 'never wavered, that it is about education' at all levels. 'I've loved every piece that I've been in, and when people ask me how this job is going, I say, 'I love it.' I do,' Maher said. 'Now they think I'm a little bit nuts when I tell them that, but I do, because I think the work is so meaningful, and if you can be involved in education, I just think there's something special about the impact that you can have in that space.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Newsweek
Supreme Court Called to Settle High-Stakes Water Battle Between Two States
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Nebraska is taking its long-standing water feud with Colorado to the nation's highest court, filing a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court over Colorado's water usage from the South Platte River. The move marks the latest chapter in a decades-old dispute between the two states, intensified by climate change and mounting water scarcity across the American West. At a news conference Wednesday, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced the lawsuit, accusing Colorado of systematically withholding water that Nebraska is guaranteed under a 1923 interstate compact. "It's crystal clear. Colorado has been holding water back from Nebraska for almost 100 years and getting more and more egregious every single day," Pillen said, pointing to Colorado's rapidly growing population. "So today it's really, really simple: We're here to put our gloves on. We're going to fight like heck. We're going to get every drop of water." U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session... U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk on the House floor ahead of the annual State of the Union address by U.S. President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress at the Capital building on March 7, 2024, in Washington, DC. More Getty Images/AFP According to the lawsuit, Nebraska is being denied up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water that it is legally entitled to. In addition to alleged under-delivery, the suit claims Colorado officials have tried to block Nebraska's efforts to construct the Perkins County Canal, a major infrastructure project designed to divert water from Colorado to Nebraska. The canal would also include a reservoir and would require Nebraska to seize land inside Colorado—an action authorized under the terms of the compact. The water is crucial to Nebraska not only for agricultural production in its southwestern region—an area climate experts predict will become hotter and drier—but also for municipal water supplies in the east. Pillen noted that the city of Lincoln is expected to get 12 percent of its water from the proposed canal. The 1923 compact entitles Nebraska to 120 cubic feet per second of water during the irrigation season (April 1 to Oct. 15) and 500 cubic feet per second in the non-irrigation months. But Hilgers said Colorado has fallen well short of that mark this summer. "Colorado has been shortchanging Nebraska during the irrigation season, allowing only about 75 cubic feet per second of water daily into Nebraska," he said. Hilgers stressed the lawsuit's importance to Nebraska's future: "I think this may be the most consequential lawsuit that this office will be a part of in my generation. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of the South Platte River to the future of the state of Nebraska." Colorado leaders were quick to respond. In a written statement, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the lawsuit "unfortunate" and said Nebraska had failed "to look for reasonable solutions." Colorado Governor Jared Polis also weighed in, describing the claims as "meritless" and denying that Colorado had violated the compact. The South Platte River, which flows from northeastern Colorado into southwestern Nebraska, has been a flashpoint between the states since 2022, when Nebraska announced plans to build the canal. Negotiations over land acquisition and implementation of the compact have stalled since then. "We are at an impasse," Hilgers said. But Weiser countered that Nebraska walked away from diplomacy. "Nebraska's actions will force Colorado water users to build additional new projects to lessen the impact of the proposed Perkins County Canal," he said. "When the dust finally settles, likely over a billion dollars will have been spent — tens of millions of that on litigation alone — and no one in Nebraska or Colorado will be better off." Because the dispute is between two states, the lawsuit was filed directly with the U.S. Supreme Court. Hilgers warned the legal process will be lengthy. "We'll probably have a special master appointed within the next 12 months, and under normal litigation timelines, that's maybe 3 to 5 years before we get a result," he said. However, that won't stop Nebraska from continuing work on permitting and design of the canal during the legal proceedings. Nebraska has a long history of litigation over water rights. In 2002, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas reached a settlement over the Republican River, though disputes persisted and led to additional agreements in 2014. As the climate warms, such legal battles may become more frequent. Dr. Carly Phillips, a research scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said climate change is reshaping the western hydrological cycle. "These patterns are all in the same direction across the board," she said. "The trends are really consistent when it comes to snowpack, stream flow, evaporation and irrigation demand." Higher temperatures are reducing snowpack—the West's main water reservoir—and causing snow to melt earlier, ultimately disrupting stream flows and increasing irrigation needs in agricultural states like Nebraska. This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Nebraska grocers raise concerns about ban on soda, energy drinks from public grocery aid
A customer is rung up by a cashier in a grocery store on July 15, 2022, in Houston, Texas. () LINCOLN — Local grocers sounded alarm bells Tuesday about the potential negative impacts that incoming restrictions to Nebraska's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could have on businesses and the more than 150,000 Nebraskans who use the program. During this year's legislative session, lawmakers passed waivers to SNAP — a government food assistance service some also refer to as food stamps. The updates would remove soda and other energy drinks from the list of SNAP-eligible purchases starting in 2026. Nebraska would be the first state in the nation to ban soda and energy drinks from SNAP purchases. Gov. Jim Pillen has publicly supported the state waivers, referring to the affected drinks as 'junk.' 'There's absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks,' Pillen said at a USDA event in May. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently approved the waivers, and Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services held a hearing Tuesday to hear public comments on the proposed changes. The updates still require approval from DHHS' Office of Economic Assistance, Pillen and the Attorney General before they take effect. USDA approval also comes on the heels of congressional passage of the federal budget reconciliation bill, which will increase work requirements for SNAP participation, requirements not addressed during the state hearing. Only two people spoke at the hearing — representing advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed and the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association — though more organizations submitted written testimony that were not immediately made available to the public. Shannon McCord, vice president of the grocer group's board of directors and operator of a local grocery store in Superior, Nebraska, said the 'state-by-state patchwork approach' to SNAP regulations is confusing to retailers and could do more harm than good. 'Even if the intention is good, these waivers are going to add costs and do real harm to local grocers,' McCord said. The waivers would require grocers to update their payment systems, which McCord described as a 'costly and complex task' that would be significantly harder for small and rural retailers like himself to accomplish. His store in Superior is also near the Kansas border, which does not have the same SNAP restrictions, and he fears the changes could encourage his customers to travel across the border for their groceries. For businesses operating on slim margins like his own, McCord said the restrictions could force owners to make layoffs or other cutbacks, or even close their doors. Additionally, he said it would add shame and stigma to customers who depend on SNAP. 'If (retailers) disappear and we develop a food desert, are we really solving a health problem when customers are only getting food from dollar stores and processed boxed foods?' McCord asked. Madison Castor, law clerk with Nebraska Appleseed, said past attempts at restricting access to SNAP have undermined the program's effectiveness. Rather than imposing restrictions, she claimed that efforts to add incentives to use SNAP benefits on healthier food items like produce have proven more effective at promoting healthier living. By forcing businesses to update their payment systems, Castor feared that would reduce the number of businesses that accept SNAP as payment overall. This would greatly impact the health and livelihoods of Nebraskans who rely on the service. 'SNAP is a vital and temporary lifeline for thousands of Nebraskans,' Castor said. 'Over 150,000 of us count on SNAP to help put food on the table at a time when costs are high and family budgets are tight. These proposed rules seek to implement a SNAP restriction waiver that harms the dignity and autonomy of Nebraskans.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
