Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has outlined his top legislative priorities for the upcoming 2025 session, focusing on property tax reform and social issues. Pillen’s agenda includes banning the sale of lab-grown meat, prohibiting transgender K-12 athletes from participating in sports teams or using locker rooms that don’t match their biological sex at birth, and replacing Nebraska’s unique presidential electoral system with a winner-take-all model, a change supported by President-elect Donald Trump. He will also push to overhaul the Tax Equity and Equalization Support Act (TEEOSA), the state’s school funding formula, to address reliance on property taxes.
These priorities reflect familiar themes from Pillen’s administration, which has previously championed property tax cuts and opposed certain social policies. Some of these initiatives, including the electoral system overhaul and restrictions on transgender athletes, failed to pass in 2023 but will be reintroduced with a newly elected Legislature that includes 16 first-time lawmakers and maintains a Republican supermajority. Pillen expressed optimism, saying the new legislative makeup provides an opportunity to “stand up for our values.”
However, critics, including Lincoln Senator George Dungan, have questioned the governor’s focus on cultural issues. Dungan argued that Nebraskans are more concerned with workforce shortages, healthcare access, and school support than the governor’s proposed policies.
Pillen may face challenges in advancing his agenda despite the supermajority. While some lawmakers have been replaced, others who previously opposed his initiatives remain in office. Speaker of the Legislature John Arch emphasized the importance of maintaining civility during debates on contentious topics but expressed confidence in the legislative process.
In addition to social issues, Pillen aims to address the TEEOSA formula, which he says unfairly penalizes school districts experiencing property valuation spikes by cutting state aid and increasing reliance on property taxes. Public schools in Nebraska are primarily funded through property taxes, and reforming the formula has been a long-standing challenge for lawmakers.
Property tax reform could face financial hurdles, with the state entering its next budget cycle facing a $432 million shortfall. Pillen previously attempted to cut Nebraska’s property tax bill by $2 billion in a special session, but lawmakers only passed a $185 million relief package. The governor vowed to continue pursuing more significant relief measures in 2025.
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