Nebraska LB 1075: Lobbying and Campaign Finance Law Updates

Nebraska Legislative Bill 1075, signed by Gov. Jim Pillen on April 15, 2026, amends several provisions of the state’s lobbying and campaign finance laws. The bill applies late fees to lobbyist principals, tightens restrictions on foreign national contributions, updates political committee reporting requirements, and increases several fee amounts. The bill took effect upon signature.

What Does Nebraska LB 1075 Change?

LB 1075 addresses Nebraska lobbying and campaign finance compliance. Here is a breakdown of each change.

Lobbying Late Filing Fees Now Apply to Principals

Prior Nebraska law required both lobbyists and principals to submit periodic and special lobbying disclosure reports, but late filing fees applied only to lobbyists. LB 1075 closes that gap by extending late filing fees to principals as well.

The updated fee schedule is as follows:

Report Type	Previous Fee	New Fee
Quarterly statements	$25	$50
Disclosure reports (during session)	$100	$200

Stricter Foreign National Restrictions on Ballot Question Committees

LB 1075 imposes new certification and affirmation requirements on ballot question committees regarding foreign national influence.

Registration statements must now certify that no preliminary activity was funded by foreign nationals. Covered preliminary activities include:

• Conducting focus groups
• Drafting proposed language
• Making phone calls

Campaign statements filed by ballot question committees must include an affirmation that:

• No donor is a foreign national, and
• No donor has intentionally received, solicited, or accepted contributions or expenditures from foreign nationals exceeding $100,000 in aggregate in the four-year period before the contribution

Penalties: A ballot question committee that solicits, accepts, or receives a prohibited foreign national contribution, directly or indirectly, will be subject to a fine equal to the amount of the contribution or $100,000, whichever is greater.

Political Committee Contribution Reporting Updates

LB 1075 makes two practical changes to how political committees submit campaign statements and late contribution reports.

Address requirements: Committees may now list either a street address or a post office box number for named contributors. If the contributor is a committee itself, a street address is still required.

Filing methods: Late contribution reports may no longer be submitted by telegraph.

H2- Committee Fee Increases

LB 1075 adjusts several committee-related fees:

Fee Type	Previous Amount	New Amount
Committee registration	$100	$150
Delinquent registration filing fee (standard)	$25	$50
Delinquent registration filing fee (committees formed within 30 days before an election)	$100	$200
updates and delinquent report filing	$25	$50
Delinquent late  contribution reports	$100	$200

Staying Compliant with Nebraska LB 1075

The changes introduced by LB 1075 affect lobbyists, principals, and political committees operating in Nebraska. Organizations should review current filing practices, fee schedules, and any ballot question committee activity to ensure compliance.

For jurisdiction-specific guidance, State and Federal Communications maintains regularly updated online compliance guidebooks covering Nebraska and other states. Hands-on support is also available through the firm’s lobbying compliance consulting services.

FAQ’s

The Nebraska Legislature adjourned its regular session sine die on April 17. Lawmakers passed Legislative Bill 1075, a bill related to campaign finance and lobbying. The bill increases committee registration fees and increases late filing fees for committee registrations, registration updates, reports, and independent expenditure reports. The bill also requires ballot question committees to include in their statements of organization a certification that no preliminary activity was directly or indirectly funded by one or more foreign nationals. The bill allows committee reports disclosing certain contributors to list a post office box address for the contributor, unless the contributor is a committee, and increases late filing fees for lobbyist and principal activity reports. The bill was passed as an emergency and takes effect immediately. This does affect lobbying reporting. An activity report is due 45 days following adjournment on June 1.

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The 107th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on April 20 after 60 days in session.

Due to term limits, 11 senators are leaving the Legislature and an additional two decided not to seek reelection. The term limit senators include Henderson Sen. Curt Friesen, Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann, Venango Sen. Dan Hughes, Seward Sen. Mark Koltermann. Creighton Sen. Tim Gragert and Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop chose not to run for reelection.

During the session, legislation to provide Nebraskans with a record $3.4 billion in tax relief by 2027 passed. Other legislation related to lobbying and campaign finance that would have prohibited a school board of an education service unit from authorizing a lobbyist to act on its behalf without a current contract for lobbing services was introduced but not passed.

Lobbying reporting dates are not affected by adjournment. The 2023 session is scheduled to convene January 4.

On August 27, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts called for a special session to begin September 13 for the purposes of redistricting.

New boundaries are expected for state legislative, judicial, and congressional districts.

The does affect lobbyist reporting.

A special lobbying activity report will be due October 15 for expenses over $5,000.

Lobbyists must also file a list of the bills lobbied and the position on each within 45 days after the end of the special session.

The 2021 session of the 107th Nebraska Legislature has adjourned sine die June 10.

Gov. Pete Ricketts addressed lawmakers, who overrode three of his vetoes.

Ricketts praised senators for approving nearly $1.7 billion in property tax relief over the next two years.

The governor said the legislature’s quick and decisive action also empowered state agencies to respond effectively to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Legislature is scheduled to convene in early fall for a special legislative session to complete the 2021 redistricting process.

The 2022 legislature is scheduled to convene January 5.

The 107^th legislative session of the Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die May 27, earlier than anticipated.

During the session, lawmakers passed the state’s two-year budget and approved significant tax reform.

The Legislature is scheduled to convene in early fall for a special legislative session to complete the 2021 redistricting process.

The May sine die adjournment triggers a statement of activity report due July 11, which is 45 days after adjournment sine die of the legislative session.

The Legislature is scheduled to convene in its 2022 session on January 5.

A special session or pause in the Nebraska Legislature is anticipated due to delays in delivering U.S. Census data.

This data is needed for redrawing districts served by state legislators, U.S. congressional representatives, and other elected officials.

Normally, the once-a-decade census is done by October, affording plenty of time for double-checks so that census numbers needed for redistricting can be delivered by April 1.

COVID-19 and other factors delayed the 2020 Census, and now state officials are expecting the census data to be delivered September 30.

This is three months after the regular session of the Legislature is scheduled to end.

A special meeting, session, or some of the 49-member Nebraska Legislature will be special accommodation, will be necessary.

Rather than calling a separate special session, the Legislature could decide to pause its 90-day session before its scheduled end date of June 10.

The session will, then, resume the remainder of the session in the fall.

Delaying the end of the session would also delay the implementation date for many bills until late into the year.

This created a strong argument for ending the regular session and then gaveling in a special session later.

No decision has been made yet because of the uncertainty due to the pandemic.

The second session of the 106^th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on August 13 after 60 legislative days of a session interrupted by COVID-19.

Speaker Jim Scheer suspended the session in mid-March in response to growing safety concerns regarding the global pandemic. After calling lawmakers back into session for three days in late March for the limited purpose of approving emergency funding to combat the pandemic, he suspended the session again.

Senators reconvened July 20 and finished the final 17 days of session in a changed physical environment of plastic barriers and physical distancing guidelines to limit contact between senators, staff, and the media.

The delaying of the session affected lobbyist reporting due dates. Any lobbyists or principals who received or expended more than $5,000 for lobbying purposes during the session must file special reports on September 15, 2020. Additionally, the lobbyist statement of activity is due on September 27, which signifies 45 days after adjournment sine die of the session.

Lawmakers passed 285 bills during the session, including measures to expand access to broadband Internet in rural areas, improve oversight of the state’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers and provide a tax exclusion for military retirement benefit pay.

Scheer is among six senators who are leaving the Legislature due to term limits. The others are Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz, Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford, Omaha Sen. Sara Howard and Omaha Sen. Rick Kolowski.

Chambers, whose legislative career will stand as the longest in state history, was first elected to the Legislature in 1970. He left office in 2008 due to term limits but returned in 2012.

The first session of the 107^th Legislature is scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021.

Lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol July 20 to complete the second session of the 106th Nebraska Legislature.

Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk suspended the session in March due to public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senators returned to a changed physical environment. Changes included limitations on staff access to the legislative chamber and plexiglass barriers between members. Additionally, there was no public access to the balconies.

Among the major proposals remaining on the agenda are a property tax measure, a new business tax incentive program and passage of the state budget.

The 2020 session is scheduled to adjourn on August 13.

The revised session dates affect lobbyist reporting. Special monthly reports must be filed by lobbyists and principals if they receive or spend more than $5,000 for lobbying during any calendar month in which the Legislature is in session.

Special monthly reports are due within 15 days after the end of such calendar month.

Additionally, the lobbyist statement of activity report will be due 45 days after adjournment sine die of the session on September 27.

The Nebraska Legislature temporarily reconvened on Monday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer announced March 20 that senators will meet to authorize emergency funding addressing needs arising from the spread of COVID-19.

The emergency session is scheduled to last three legislative days.

There is no set date for when the 2020 legislative session will officially resume.

This does not immediately affect lobbyist reporting.

Nebraska lawmakers are likely to return to the Capitol on March 23 to approve emergency aid for state agencies that are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaker of the Legislature Jim Scheer indicated he expects to decide whether to temporarily resume the session.

The speaker held a legislative briefing with the Governor’s Office in the afternoon on March 20.

If lawmakers convene on March 23, they would also need to check in on March 24 and March 25 to fulfill the procedural requirements to approve the funding.

The emergency funding would be the only item on the legislative agenda.

Once it is approved, lawmakers would suspend the session again until further notice.

The Nebraska Legislature announced on March 16 that it will temporarily suspend its legislative session due to growing concerns about COVID-19.

The Legislature will not meet as scheduled March 17 and will remain suspended until reconvened by the speaker’s office.

This does not immediately affect lobbyist reporting.

The Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die on May 31.

The legislative session ended on the 84th day, sooner than the scheduled 90-day session.

During the session lawmakers passed a balanced budget, enacted legislation to assist military families, and increased the maximum fine for violations of the Political Accountability and Disclosure Act.

The lobbyist statement of activity is due 45 days after the end of session on July 15.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the appointments of Julie Slama and Andrew La Grone to represent District 1 and District 49, respectively.

Slama will fill the seat vacated by Sen. Dan Watermeier who was elected to the Nebraska Public Service Commission and La Grone will replace Sen. John Murante who was elected state treasurer.

The appointments will complete the terms ending in January 2021 and will be eligible to run for election in November 2020.