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LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 559
Introduced by Blood, 3.
Read first time January 17, 2023
Committee: Government, Military and Veterans Affairs
1 A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to political accountability and disclosure; to
2 amend section 49-1493, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, and
3 section 49-1496, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2022; to
4 require an elected official of a city of the first class to file a
5 statement of financial interests; to provide for electronic filing
6 of statements of financial interests; and to repeal the original
7 sections.
8 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
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1 Section 1. Section 49-1493, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
2 amended to read:
3 49-1493 The individuals listed in subdivisions (1) through (13) of
4 this section shall file with the commission a statement of financial
5 interests as provided in sections 49-1496 and 49-1497 for the preceding
6 calendar year on or before March 1 of each year in which such individual
7 holds such a position. An individual who leaves office shall, within
8 thirty days after leaving office, file a statement covering the period
9 since the previous statement was filed. Disclosure of the interest named
10 in sections 49-1496 to 49-1498 shall be made by:
11 (1) An individual holding a state executive office as provided in
12 Article IV of the Constitution of Nebraska, including the Governor,
13 Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor of Public Accounts,
14 State Treasurer, Attorney General, Tax Commissioner, and heads of such
15 other executive departments as set forth in the Constitution or as may be
16 established by law;
17 (2) An individual holding the office of Commissioner of Education,
18 member of the State Board of Education, member of the Board of Regents of
19 the University of Nebraska with the exception of student members, or
20 member of the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education;
21 (3) A member of the Board of Parole;
22 (4) A member of the Public Service Commission;
23 (5) A member of the Legislature;
24 (6) A member of the board of directors or an officer of a district
25 organized under the provisions of Chapter 70;
26 (7) A member of any board or commission of the state or any county
27 which examines or licenses a business or which determines rates for or
28 otherwise regulates a business;
29 (8) A member of a land-use planning commission, zoning commission,
30 or authority of the state or any county with a population of more than
31 one hundred thousand inhabitants;
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1 (9) An elected official of a city of the primary or metropolitan
2 class, a city of the primary class, or a city of the first class;
3 (10) An elected county official;
4 (11) A member of the Nebraska Environmental Trust Board;
5 (12) An individual employed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in
6 the position of Head Football Coach, Men's Basketball Coach, or Women's
7 Basketball Coach; and
8 (13) An official or employee of the state designated by rules and
9 regulations of the commission who is responsible for taking or
10 recommending official action of a nonministerial nature with regard to:
11 (a) Contracting or procurement;
12 (b) Administering or monitoring grants or subsidies;
13 (c) Land-use planning or zoning;
14 (d) Inspecting, licensing, regulating, or auditing any person; or
15 (e) Any similar action.
16 Sec. 2. Section 49-1496, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement,
17 2022, is amended to read:
18 49-1496 (1) The statement of financial interests filed pursuant to
19 sections 49-1493 to 49-14,104 shall be filed electronically in a manner
20 on a form prescribed by the commission, except that the commission may by
21 rule and regulation provide for exemptions to the requirement to file
22 electronically.
23 (2) Individuals required to file under sections 49-1493 to 49-1495
24 shall file the following information for themselves:
25 (a) The name and address of and the nature of association with any
26 business with which the individual was associated;
27 (b) The name and address of any entity in which a position of
28 trustee was held;
29 (c) The name, address, and nature of business of a person or
30 government body from whom any income in the value of one thousand dollars
31 or more was received and the nature of the services rendered, except that
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1 the identification of patrons, customers, patients, or clients of such
2 person from which employment income was received is not required;
3 (d) A description, but not the value, of the following, if the fair
4 market value thereof exceeded one thousand dollars:
5 (i) The nature and location of all real property in the state,
6 except any such real property used as a residence of the individual;
7 (ii) The depository of checking and savings accounts;
8 (iii) The issuer of stocks, bonds, and government securities; and
9 (iv) A description of all other property owned or held for the
10 production of income, except property owned or used by a business with
11 which the individual was associated;
12 (e) The name and address of each creditor to whom the value of one
13 thousand dollars or more was owed or guaranteed by the individual or a
14 member of the individual's immediate family, except for the following:
15 (i) Accounts payable;
16 (ii) Debts arising out of retail installment transactions;
17 (iii) Loans made by financial institutions in the ordinary course of
18 business;
19 (iv) Loans from a relative; and
20 (v) Land contracts that have been properly recorded with the county
21 clerk or the register of deeds;
22 (f) The name, address, and occupation or nature of business of any
23 person from whom a gift in the value of more than one hundred dollars was
24 received, a description of the gift and the circumstances of the gift,
25 and the monetary value category of the gift, based on a good faith
26 estimate by the individual, reported in the following categories:
27 (i) $100.01 - $200;
28 (ii) $200.01 - $500;
29 (iii) $500.01 - $1,000; and
30 (iv) $1,000.01 or more; and
31 (g) Such other information as the individual or the commission deems
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1 necessary, after notice and hearing, to carry out the purposes of the
2 Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.
3 Sec. 3. Original section 49-1493, Reissue Revised Statutes of
4 Nebraska, and section 49-1496, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement,
5 2022, are repealed.
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Statutes affected: Introduced: 49-1493, 49-1496