<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/11/04/ballot-measure-fundraising-nears-40-million-ahead-of-nebraska-2024-election/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Nebraskans are facing one of the most expensive elections in state history, including about $38 million raised and at least $32 million spent on campaigns involving six ballot measures.

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/secretary-of-state-celebrates-local-election-officials-in-finalizing-nebraskas-fall-2024-ballot/">Five campaigns</a>&nbsp;have measures on the ballot, with the most expensive being the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/23/gov-pillen-abortion-rights-campaign-clash-over-ectopic-pregnancies-miscarriages-and-abortion/">conflicting measures</a>&nbsp;over whether to amend the Nebraska Constitution related to abortion. The three other efforts revolve around&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/28/parents-patients-make-final-push-for-nebraskans-to-support-medical-cannabis/">medical cannabis</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/25/more-than-200-businesses-back-nebraska-paid-sick-leave-ballot-measure/">paid sick leave</a>&nbsp;and whether voters should repeal a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/29/lawmakers-public-school-advocates-spar-over-ads-against-using-state-funds-for-ne-private-schools/">recent state law</a>&nbsp;that provides&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/iowa-wisconsin-national-educators-urge-nebraskans-to-repeal-state-support-to-private-schools/">state funds</a>&nbsp;to offset&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">private K-12 school attendance costs</a>.

Funds were also raised for two other campaigns, related to abortion (<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/03/competing-abortion-petitions-turn-in-signatures-seeking-nebraska-ballot-access/">Choose Life Now</a>) and taxes (<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/03/epic-consumption-tax-nebraska-petition-falls-short-will-have-to-find-another-way/">EPIC Option</a>), that didn’t collect enough signatures for the ballot.

As of&nbsp; Oct. 21, the five campaigns reported having a total of $2.21 million cash on hand. About $6.9 million came in just the past two weeks. Final campaign filings are due Jan. 14.

Among the ballot issues, abortion tops the fundraising and spending charts, with the two dueling campaigns accounting for a combined $25.74 million raised and $21.69 million spent by Friday.

The Protect Our Rights abortion-rights group behind&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/protect-the-right-to-abortion-constitutional-amendment/">Initiative Measure 439</a>, is seeking to expand access to abortion up until the point of fetal viability as determined by a patient’s treating health care practitioner. The current scientific standard for viability is at about 22-24 weeks.&nbsp;

The group had raised $13.75 million and spent at least $10.46 million by Friday, receiving nearly $1.96 million in the past two weeks. About $38,000 was non-monetary donations, such as staff time or advertising.

The Protect Women and Children abortion-restrictions group behind&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/protect-women-and-children-constitutional-amendment/">Initiative Measure 434</a>&nbsp;is seeking to prohibit most abortions after the first trimester, with exceptions language for sexual assault, incest and the life of the mother. The Legislature would be allowed to restrict abortion in the first trimester further.

The group had raised $12 million and spent at least $11.23 million by Friday, receiving $3.91 million in the past two weeks. About $3.58 million was in non-monetary donations, largely advertising bought by Regent Jim Scheer of Norfolk ($3.25 million), He is running unopposed to a seat he was appointed to by Gov. Jim Pillen, the previous regent for that district.

Tanya Storer of Whitman, who is seeking a north-central Nebraska legislative seat against Tony Tangwall of Whitney, has also given about&nbsp;$145,000&nbsp;in non-monetary donations to Protect Women and Children.

The two abortion-related campaigns have differed greatly in how they get their funds.

The abortion-rights campaign has gotten a large amount of funds from out-of-state so-called “dark money” groups that don’t disclose their donors.

Meanwhile, the abortion-restrictions campaign has largely relied upon Nebraska billionaires, including U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and his mother, Marlene Ricketts, as well as Tom and Shawn Peed, with Sandhills Global.

The top donors to Protect Our Rights, the abortion-rights amendment, are former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who donated $1.5 million in October, and Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, who personally financed $900,000 in donations.

The top group donations came from The Fairness Project, based in Washington, D.C.,&nbsp; which gave $1.84 million, and Planned Parenthood through its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-advocates-nebraska/about-us" target="_blank">Nebraska-based nonprofit</a>&nbsp;and national “Action Fund,” at $1.6 million. Other top groups include the D.C.-based&nbsp;<a href="https://newventurefund.org/" target="_blank">New Venture Fund</a>, ($1 million); the ACLU of Nebraska ($975,000);&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thinkbigamerica.com/" target="_blank">Think Big America</a>, founded by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ($850,000); and Nebraska Appleseed’s Action Fund ($702,000).

The Fairness Project donated to various ballot measure campaigns in Nebraska’s past three elections: to increase Nebraska’s minimum wage, curb predatory payday lending and expand Medicaid.&nbsp;

The group does not disclose its donors, but its website states that its focus is on running progressive policies&nbsp;in red states. New Venture Fund is managed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/" target="_blank">Arabella Advisors</a>, which was founded by a former Clinton administration appointee. It oversees a hub of other left-leaning nonprofits that have received donations from billionaire George Soros in the past.

John Yoakum, a member of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, and Ashlei Spivey, a legislative candidate and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ibeblackgirl.com/" target="_blank">I Be Black Girl</a>&nbsp;that supports Protect Our Rights, are also sponsoring ads for Protect Our Rights.

State law doesn’t preclude this method of ad buying, and federal campaign spending rules give candidates discounted airtime compared to ballot initiatives.

The top donors to Protect Women and Children, which is backing the abortion-restrictions amendment, are Marlene Ricketts, at $4 million; Pete Ricketts, at $1.115 million; and the Peeds, at $1 million each.

A new political action committee, “Common Sense Nebraska,” which was formed Oct. 14, has helped raise funds for the campaign. Marlene Ricketts gave the group $3.5 million, and the Wisconsin-based nonprofit Catholic Vote gave $830,000.

The group distributed $687,000 to Beatrice Regent Rob Schafer’s re-election campaign committee, but not for his University of Nebraska race. Instead, Schafer used the funds to purchase ads for the abortion-restrictions campaign.&nbsp;

That was the same model for Storer and the $3.25 million from Scheer, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. He created his regents committee Oct. 24.

Former Regent Howard Hawks of Omaha also provided a $25,000 donation in the past two weeks to the abortion restrictions campaign.

Pillen, who also supports the abortion-restrictions initiative, provided $645. He has a war chest of campaign funds but, as of Oct. 21, he hadn’t disbursed more than a handful of donations to support or fight against ballot measures or candidates this year.

The ballot issue prompting the next largest contributions is&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/private-education-scholarship-partial-referendum/">Referendum Measure 435</a>, which seeks to repeal a law allowing an annual $10 million appropriation to the State Treasurer’s Office to distribute funds to families to help pay tuition at nonpublic K-12 schools, through Legislative Bill 1402.

LB 1402, passed this year, is the second bill facing a repeal by the Support Our Schools campaign, with roots in the Nebraska State Education Association, which represents teachers. The group also fought LB 753 in 2023, before its sponsor, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, used LB 1402 to repeal its predecessor.

LB 753 created an annual $25 million tax credit program to raise funds for scholarships for students attending private schools. About $10 million was raised in 2024 before the law went away, so $15 million will go back to the state.

Now Support Our Schools is opposing the replacement bill, LB 1402.

In total, Support Our Schools has raised $7.42 million and spent $5.91 million in the past year and a half opposing both laws, according to campaign filings through Friday. That includes a $750,000 donation from the National Education Association made during the past two weeks.

Support Our Schools raised $1.84 million and spent $1.81 million by January 2024 to oppose the LB 753 tax credit-scholarship law.

This year, Support Our Schools raised $5.58 million and spent at least $4.09 million by Friday to oppose LB 1402.&nbsp;

Support Our Schools’ major sources of funding are the National Education Association ($4.33 million) and Nebraska State Education Association ($1.72 million).&nbsp;

Other top donors include the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.openskypolicy.org/" target="_blank">OpenSky Police Institute</a>&nbsp;and “Vote For Schools,” a group for which little information is available. It is run by Dunixi Guereca, a legislative candidate and executive director of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.standforschools.org/" target="_blank">Stand For Schools</a>, which also donated thousands to the repeal efforts.

New Venture Fund gave the campaign $99,000, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopewellfund.org/" target="_blank">Hopewell Fund</a>, another nonprofit under Arabella Advisors, gave $90,000. The Colorado Education Association gave $2,500 and the Maine Education Association gave $1,000 to Support Our Schools.

Support Our Schools’ first repeal effort, against LB 753, faced opposition from Keep Kids First, a formal committee with ties to Linehan and the national&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federationforchildren.org/" target="_blank">American Federation for Children</a>, founded by former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

By Friday, that committee had raised and spent a total of $1.52 million, but a majority was to oppose the 2023 repeal effort.

Keep Kids First raised $1.45 million and spent $1.41 million in 2023, to defend LB 753. In contrast, the committee raised $72,000 and spent $111,000 so far in 2024, in support of LB 1402.

Keep Kids First’s top donors were American Federation For Children ($561,500), Pillen ($100,000), Shawn and Tom Peed ($75,000 each) and Sen. Pete Ricketts ($25,000).

Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/paid-sick-leave/">Initiative Measure 436</a>, seeks to require businesses with 20 or fewer employees to fund at least five paid sick days each year for full-time employees. Larger businesses would need to annually fund at least seven sick days per full-time employee. An hour of sick leave would be earned after every 30 hours worked.

The paid sick leave campaign raised a total of $3.2 million, the majority in 2023, and spent at least $3.08 million by Friday. Nearly all funds raised came from organizations; $460 came from individuals.

By December 2023, the D.C.-based&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixteenthirtyfund.org/" target="_blank">Sixteen Thirty Fund</a>&nbsp;had donated $1.92 million. Like the New Venture Fund, it is managed by Arabella Advisors and doesn’t disclose its donors.&nbsp;

The campaign has also received $350,000 from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/" target="_blank">Open Society Policy Center</a>, a principal financial arm founded by Soros, and about $280,000 from The Fairness Project.

The largest local donating group is&nbsp;<a href="https://neappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Nebraska Appleseed</a>&nbsp;—&nbsp;a local nonprofit focused on child welfare, immigration, health care and poverty — at about $472,000.&nbsp;

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/nebraska-medical-cannabis-patient-protection-act/">Initiative Measures 437</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/nebraska-medical-cannabis-regulation-act/">438</a>, would allow up to five ounces of medical cannabis with a written recommendation from a health care practitioner while creating a Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee and regulate the new law. This is the third straight election cycle for the campaign.

By Friday, the campaign reported the smallest financial contributions of all others on the ballot, with $1.55 million raised and at least $1.53 million spent.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskafamilies.org/" target="_blank">Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis</a>&nbsp;nonprofit is the largest donor, at $717,000. Other top donors were&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/orgs/933047993/details/9744933" target="_blank">Growing the Good Life</a>, a local nonprofit ($222,600); the Wyoming-based&nbsp;<a href="https://www.westernfuturesfund.org/" target="_blank">Western Futures Fund</a>&nbsp;($200,000); and the New Venture Fund ($100,000).

Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis has been around for almost a decade and has supported numerous legislative attempts involving medical marijuana. It financially supported Growing the Good Life, which in turn donated to Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.

Little information is available about the Western Futures Fund. Its website says it “strengthens civil society and promotes responsible leadership in the Western United States.”

Protect Our Rights (abortion-rights amendment)

Protect Women and Children (abortion restrictions amendment)

Support Our Schools (opposing state funds for private school scholarships)

Keep Kids First (opposing Support Our Schools)

EPIC Option (to replace all state taxes with a consumption tax and exempt groceries)

No New Taxes (opposing EPIC Option)

Choose Life Now (an abortion-restrictions “personhood” amendment)

Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, through Oct. 21

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730730514963.jpeg" alt=" A woman signs a Support Our Schools petition in Omaha. July 8, 2024. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption> A woman signs a Support Our Schools petition in Omaha. July 8, 2024. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/11/04/ballot-measure-fundraising-nears-40-million-ahead-of-nebraska-2024-election/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Nebraskans are facing one of the most expensive elections in state history, including about $38 million raised and at least $32 million spent on campaigns involving six ballot measures.<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/13/secretary-of-state-celebrates-local-election-officials-in-finalizing-nebraskas-fall-2024-ballot/">Five campaigns</a>&nbsp;have measures on the ballot, with the most expensive being the&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/23/gov-pillen-abortion-rights-campaign-clash-over-ectopic-pregnancies-miscarriages-and-abortion/">conflicting measures</a>&nbsp;over whether to amend the Nebraska Constitution related to abortion. The three other efforts revolve around&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/28/parents-patients-make-final-push-for-nebraskans-to-support-medical-cannabis/">medical cannabis</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/09/25/more-than-200-businesses-back-nebraska-paid-sick-leave-ballot-measure/">paid sick leave</a>&nbsp;and whether voters should repeal a&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/29/lawmakers-public-school-advocates-spar-over-ads-against-using-state-funds-for-ne-private-schools/">recent state law</a>&nbsp;that provides&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/iowa-wisconsin-national-educators-urge-nebraskans-to-repeal-state-support-to-private-schools/">state funds</a>&nbsp;to offset&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">private K-12 school attendance costs</a>.Funds were also raised for two other campaigns, related to abortion (<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/03/competing-abortion-petitions-turn-in-signatures-seeking-nebraska-ballot-access/">Choose Life Now</a>) and taxes (<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/07/03/epic-consumption-tax-nebraska-petition-falls-short-will-have-to-find-another-way/">EPIC Option</a>), that didn’t collect enough signatures for the ballot.As of&nbsp; Oct. 21, the five campaigns reported having a total of $2.21 million cash on hand. About $6.9 million came in just the past two weeks. Final campaign filings are due Jan. 14.<h2>Abortion tops campaign finances</h2>Among the ballot issues, abortion tops the fundraising and spending charts, with the two dueling campaigns accounting for a combined $25.74 million raised and $21.69 million spent by Friday.The Protect Our Rights abortion-rights group behind&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/protect-the-right-to-abortion-constitutional-amendment/">Initiative Measure 439</a>, is seeking to expand access to abortion up until the point of fetal viability as determined by a patient’s treating health care practitioner. The current scientific standard for viability is at about 22-24 weeks.&nbsp;The group had raised $13.75 million and spent at least $10.46 million by Friday, receiving nearly $1.96 million in the past two weeks. About $38,000 was non-monetary donations, such as staff time or advertising.The Protect Women and Children abortion-restrictions group behind&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/protect-women-and-children-constitutional-amendment/">Initiative Measure 434</a>&nbsp;is seeking to prohibit most abortions after the first trimester, with exceptions language for sexual assault, incest and the life of the mother. The Legislature would be allowed to restrict abortion in the first trimester further.The group had raised $12 million and spent at least $11.23 million by Friday, receiving $3.91 million in the past two weeks. About $3.58 million was in non-monetary donations, largely advertising bought by Regent Jim Scheer of Norfolk ($3.25 million), He is running unopposed to a seat he was appointed to by Gov. Jim Pillen, the previous regent for that district.Tanya Storer of Whitman, who is seeking a north-central Nebraska legislative seat against Tony Tangwall of Whitney, has also given about&nbsp;$145,000&nbsp;in non-monetary donations to Protect Women and Children.The two abortion-related campaigns have differed greatly in how they get their funds.The abortion-rights campaign has gotten a large amount of funds from out-of-state so-called “dark money” groups that don’t disclose their donors.Meanwhile, the abortion-restrictions campaign has largely relied upon Nebraska billionaires, including U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and his mother, Marlene Ricketts, as well as Tom and Shawn Peed, with Sandhills Global.<h2>Protect Our Rights</h2>The top donors to Protect Our Rights, the abortion-rights amendment, are former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who donated $1.5 million in October, and Regent Barbara Weitz of Omaha, who personally financed $900,000 in donations.The top group donations came from The Fairness Project, based in Washington, D.C.,&nbsp; which gave $1.84 million, and Planned Parenthood through its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-advocates-nebraska/about-us" target="_blank">Nebraska-based nonprofit</a>&nbsp;and national “Action Fund,” at $1.6 million. Other top groups include the D.C.-based&nbsp;<a href="https://newventurefund.org/" target="_blank">New Venture Fund</a>, ($1 million); the ACLU of Nebraska ($975,000);&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thinkbigamerica.com/" target="_blank">Think Big America</a>, founded by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ($850,000); and Nebraska Appleseed’s Action Fund ($702,000).The Fairness Project donated to various ballot measure campaigns in Nebraska’s past three elections: to increase Nebraska’s minimum wage, curb predatory payday lending and expand Medicaid.&nbsp;The group does not disclose its donors, but its website states that its focus is on running progressive policies&nbsp;in red states. New Venture Fund is managed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/" target="_blank">Arabella Advisors</a>, which was founded by a former Clinton administration appointee. It oversees a hub of other left-leaning nonprofits that have received donations from billionaire George Soros in the past.John Yoakum, a member of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, and Ashlei Spivey, a legislative candidate and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ibeblackgirl.com/" target="_blank">I Be Black Girl</a>&nbsp;that supports Protect Our Rights, are also sponsoring ads for Protect Our Rights.State law doesn’t preclude this method of ad buying, and federal campaign spending rules give candidates discounted airtime compared to ballot initiatives.<h2>Protect Women and Children</h2>The top donors to Protect Women and Children, which is backing the abortion-restrictions amendment, are Marlene Ricketts, at $4 million; Pete Ricketts, at $1.115 million; and the Peeds, at $1 million each.A new political action committee, “Common Sense Nebraska,” which was formed Oct. 14, has helped raise funds for the campaign. Marlene Ricketts gave the group $3.5 million, and the Wisconsin-based nonprofit Catholic Vote gave $830,000.The group distributed $687,000 to Beatrice Regent Rob Schafer’s re-election campaign committee, but not for his University of Nebraska race. Instead, Schafer used the funds to purchase ads for the abortion-restrictions campaign.&nbsp;That was the same model for Storer and the $3.25 million from Scheer, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. He created his regents committee Oct. 24.Former Regent Howard Hawks of Omaha also provided a $25,000 donation in the past two weeks to the abortion restrictions campaign.Pillen, who also supports the abortion-restrictions initiative, provided $645. He has a war chest of campaign funds but, as of Oct. 21, he hadn’t disbursed more than a handful of donations to support or fight against ballot measures or candidates this year.<h2>Support Our Schools/Keep Kids First</h2>The ballot issue prompting the next largest contributions is&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/private-education-scholarship-partial-referendum/">Referendum Measure 435</a>, which seeks to repeal a law allowing an annual $10 million appropriation to the State Treasurer’s Office to distribute funds to families to help pay tuition at nonpublic K-12 schools, through Legislative Bill 1402.LB 1402, passed this year, is the second bill facing a repeal by the Support Our Schools campaign, with roots in the Nebraska State Education Association, which represents teachers. The group also fought LB 753 in 2023, before its sponsor, State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, used LB 1402 to repeal its predecessor.LB 753 created an annual $25 million tax credit program to raise funds for scholarships for students attending private schools. About $10 million was raised in 2024 before the law went away, so $15 million will go back to the state.Now Support Our Schools is opposing the replacement bill, LB 1402.In total, Support Our Schools has raised $7.42 million and spent $5.91 million in the past year and a half opposing both laws, according to campaign filings through Friday. That includes a $750,000 donation from the National Education Association made during the past two weeks.Support Our Schools raised $1.84 million and spent $1.81 million by January 2024 to oppose the LB 753 tax credit-scholarship law.This year, Support Our Schools raised $5.58 million and spent at least $4.09 million by Friday to oppose LB 1402.&nbsp;Support Our Schools’ major sources of funding are the National Education Association ($4.33 million) and Nebraska State Education Association ($1.72 million).&nbsp;Other top donors include the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.openskypolicy.org/" target="_blank">OpenSky Police Institute</a>&nbsp;and “Vote For Schools,” a group for which little information is available. It is run by Dunixi Guereca, a legislative candidate and executive director of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.standforschools.org/" target="_blank">Stand For Schools</a>, which also donated thousands to the repeal efforts.New Venture Fund gave the campaign $99,000, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopewellfund.org/" target="_blank">Hopewell Fund</a>, another nonprofit under Arabella Advisors, gave $90,000. The Colorado Education Association gave $2,500 and the Maine Education Association gave $1,000 to Support Our Schools.Support Our Schools’ first repeal effort, against LB 753, faced opposition from Keep Kids First, a formal committee with ties to Linehan and the national&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federationforchildren.org/" target="_blank">American Federation for Children</a>, founded by former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.By Friday, that committee had raised and spent a total of $1.52 million, but a majority was to oppose the 2023 repeal effort.Keep Kids First raised $1.45 million and spent $1.41 million in 2023, to defend LB 753. In contrast, the committee raised $72,000 and spent $111,000 so far in 2024, in support of LB 1402.Keep Kids First’s top donors were American Federation For Children ($561,500), Pillen ($100,000), Shawn and Tom Peed ($75,000 each) and Sen. Pete Ricketts ($25,000).<h2>Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans</h2>Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/paid-sick-leave/">Initiative Measure 436</a>, seeks to require businesses with 20 or fewer employees to fund at least five paid sick days each year for full-time employees. Larger businesses would need to annually fund at least seven sick days per full-time employee. An hour of sick leave would be earned after every 30 hours worked.The paid sick leave campaign raised a total of $3.2 million, the majority in 2023, and spent at least $3.08 million by Friday. Nearly all funds raised came from organizations; $460 came from individuals.By December 2023, the D.C.-based&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixteenthirtyfund.org/" target="_blank">Sixteen Thirty Fund</a>&nbsp;had donated $1.92 million. Like the New Venture Fund, it is managed by Arabella Advisors and doesn’t disclose its donors.&nbsp;The campaign has also received $350,000 from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/" target="_blank">Open Society Policy Center</a>, a principal financial arm founded by Soros, and about $280,000 from The Fairness Project.The largest local donating group is&nbsp;<a href="https://neappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Nebraska Appleseed</a>&nbsp;—&nbsp;a local nonprofit focused on child welfare, immigration, health care and poverty — at about $472,000.&nbsp;<h2>Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana</h2>Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana,&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/nebraska-medical-cannabis-patient-protection-act/">Initiative Measures 437</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/nebraska-medical-cannabis-regulation-act/">438</a>, would allow up to five ounces of medical cannabis with a written recommendation from a health care practitioner while creating a Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission to oversee and regulate the new law. This is the third straight election cycle for the campaign.By Friday, the campaign reported the smallest financial contributions of all others on the ballot, with $1.55 million raised and at least $1.53 million spent.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskafamilies.org/" target="_blank">Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis</a>&nbsp;nonprofit is the largest donor, at $717,000. Other top donors were&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/orgs/933047993/details/9744933" target="_blank">Growing the Good Life</a>, a local nonprofit ($222,600); the Wyoming-based&nbsp;<a href="https://www.westernfuturesfund.org/" target="_blank">Western Futures Fund</a>&nbsp;($200,000); and the New Venture Fund ($100,000).Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis has been around for almost a decade and has supported numerous legislative attempts involving medical marijuana. It financially supported Growing the Good Life, which in turn donated to Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.Little information is available about the Western Futures Fund. Its website says it “strengthens civil society and promotes responsible leadership in the Western United States.”<h2>Ballot measure campaign finance, 2023-24</h2>Protect Our Rights (abortion-rights amendment)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $11.79 million</li><li>Spent: $10.42 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $1.06 million</li>
 </ul>Protect Women and Children (abortion restrictions amendment)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $8.08 million</li><li>Spent: $7.64 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $439,000</li>
 </ul>Support Our Schools (opposing state funds for private school scholarships)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $6.47 million</li><li>Spent: $5.90 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $572,000</li>
 </ul>Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans<ul>
 <li>Raised: $3.20 million</li><li>Spent: $3.08 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $116,000</li>
 </ul>Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana<ul>
 <li>Raised: $1.51 million</li><li>Spent: $1.49 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $24,000</li>
 </ul>Keep Kids First (opposing Support Our Schools)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $1.52 million</li><li>Spent: $1.52 million</li><li>Cash on hand: $2,800</li>
 </ul>EPIC Option (to replace all state taxes with a consumption tax and exempt groceries)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $185,000</li><li>Spent: $120,000</li><li>Cash on hand: $65,000</li>
 </ul>No New Taxes (opposing EPIC Option)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $101,000</li><li>Spent: $78,000</li><li>Cash on hand: $23,000</li>
 </ul>Choose Life Now (an abortion-restrictions “personhood” amendment)<ul>
 <li>Raised: $27,000</li><li>Spent: $26,000</li><li>Cash on hand: $1,400</li>
 </ul>Source: Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, through Oct. 21

Ballot measure fundraising nears $40 million ahead of Nebraska 2024 election

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>

WASHINGTON — As the last weekend before Tuesday’s presidential election approaches, voters who want more insight on where the candidates stand on major policy issues can get up to speed through a States Newsroom Washington Bureau series.

In these 10 articles, States Newsroom reported on the policy positions taken by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, ranging from education to taxes to Social Security and Medicare.

After the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats made restoring access to reproductive care a core campaign issue.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/reproductive-rights-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story

The U.S. Supreme Court has been mired in controversy, from several ethics scandals to calls from Democrats to expand the number of justices on the court.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/reforms-us-supreme-court-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story

One policy issue that Trump has made central to his campaign is immigration. At his campaign rallies across the country he’s promised mass deportations of millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization.

Harris has mainly stated that she would revive a bipartisan congressional agreement when it comes to addressing U.S. immigration policy.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immigration-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story

Addressing the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become an increasingly important job for the incoming president and Congress for the next decade.

Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/social-security-and-medicare-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here</a>&nbsp;for the story

As several states like North Carolina and Tennessee recover from Category 4 Hurricane Helene, climate change has taken up little attention in the 2024 presidential race, despite its wide-ranging effects.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/energy-and-climate-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here&nbsp;</a>for the story

While housing is typically handled at the local level, both presidential candidates want to tackle the housing crisis at the federal level.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/housing-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story

On the campaign trail, education policies have rarely been in the spotlight, though the candidates’ policies on K-12 and higher education widely differ.

Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/education-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here for the&nbsp;</a>story

A 2017 tax law crafted under the Trump administration is set to expire next year, meaning whichever candidate wins the White House will either overhaul the previous law or extend it.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/taxes-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story

Both candidates agree that gun violence is a problem, but that’s the end of where Harris and Trump are in concurrence.

Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/guns-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here</a>&nbsp;for story

Regardless of who wins the White House, the next president will have several international crises to address. That includes the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to retreat from Ukraine and U.S-China trade relations.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/foreign-policy-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here for the story</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726020929820.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>WASHINGTON — As the last weekend before Tuesday’s presidential election approaches, voters who want more insight on where the candidates stand on major policy issues can get up to speed through a States Newsroom Washington Bureau series.In these 10 articles, States Newsroom reported on the policy positions taken by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, ranging from education to taxes to Social Security and Medicare.They are:<h2>Reproductive Rights</h2>After the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats made restoring access to reproductive care a core campaign issue.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/reproductive-rights-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>U.S. Supreme Court reform</h2>The U.S. Supreme Court has been mired in controversy, from several ethics scandals to calls from Democrats to expand the number of justices on the court.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/reforms-us-supreme-court-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>Immigration</h2>One policy issue that Trump has made central to his campaign is immigration. At his campaign rallies across the country he’s promised mass deportations of millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization.Harris has mainly stated that she would revive a bipartisan congressional agreement when it comes to addressing U.S. immigration policy.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/immigration-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>Social Security and Medicare</h2>Addressing the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become an increasingly important job for the incoming president and Congress for the next decade.Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/social-security-and-medicare-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>Climate and Energy</h2>As several states like North Carolina and Tennessee recover from Category 4 Hurricane Helene, climate change has taken up little attention in the 2024 presidential race, despite its wide-ranging effects.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/energy-and-climate-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here&nbsp;</a>for the story<h2>Housing</h2>While housing is typically handled at the local level, both presidential candidates want to tackle the housing crisis at the federal level.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/housing-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>Education</h2>On the campaign trail, education policies have rarely been in the spotlight, though the candidates’ policies on K-12 and higher education widely differ.Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/education-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here for the&nbsp;</a>story<h2>Taxes</h2>A 2017 tax law crafted under the Trump administration is set to expire next year, meaning whichever candidate wins the White House will either overhaul the previous law or extend it.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/taxes-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for the story<h2>Guns</h2>Both candidates agree that gun violence is a problem, but that’s the end of where Harris and Trump are in concurrence.Click<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/guns-where-do-trump-and-harris-stand" target="_blank">&nbsp;here</a>&nbsp;for story<h2>Foreign Policy</h2>Regardless of who wins the White House, the next president will have several international crises to address. That includes the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to retreat from Ukraine and U.S-China trade relations.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/foreign-policy-where-do-harris-and-trump-stand" target="_blank">here for the story</a>

Where do Harris and Trump stand on 10 major policy issues?

MISSOULA — A man who conspired to hunt and kill bald and golden eagles and hawks on the Flathead Indian Reservation to sell on the black market was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $777,250 restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Travis John Branson, 49, of Cusick, Washington, and formerly of the Flathead Reservation, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law. The Lacey Act also prohibits any person from making or submitting any false record, account, label for or identification of wildlife that has been or was intended to be transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court ordered Branson to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.

“The bald eagle, adopted as America’s national symbol in 1782, represents our country’s core ideals of freedom, strength, and justice. Once on the brink of extinction, eagles recovered only because of conservation efforts by the American people and federal laws protecting them. None of that mattered to Travis Branson. Instead, Branson went on self-described ‘killing sprees’ for thousands of eagles and hawks, butchered them, and sold the parts and feathers for profit on the black market. He knew he was committing felonies and even joked his cost to kill them was the price of a bullet. But his conduct was no laughing matter. With today’s sentence, the cost to Branson was more than a bunch of bullets – he forfeited the very freedom the bald eagle symbolizes,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“The unlawful killing of these majestic birds violates federal law and is a profound offense against our nation's cherished natural heritage,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Travis Branson's blatant disregard for the law and the sanctity of these protected species highlights the urgent need for stringent enforcement and greater public awareness regarding wildlife trafficking. His actions are particularly egregious, considering the significant number of bald and golden eagles he killed for personal profit, and such behavior will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect America's wildlife and hold accountable all who are engaged in these illicit activities.”

“We are going to feel the impacts of the Flathead Reservation’s raptor loss for years to come,” said Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chairman Mike Dolson. “We hope this helps put a stop to illegal poaching on our homelands and gives these birds a chance to recover. Eagles are not only a treasured and important part of the Reservation’s ecosystem, but they also have a profound place in CSKT cultural and spiritual practices.”

In court documents, the government alleged that from about January 2015 until about March 2021, Branson and others hunted and killed eagles on the Flathead Reservation. Branson then sold the eagles on the black market across the United States and elsewhere. Brandon traveled from Washington to the Flathead Reservation, where he met co-defendant, Simon Paul. Branson and Paul would then shoot, transport and ship bald and golden eagles for future black-market sales. Co-defendant Paul remains a fugitive.

The government sought restitution values of $5,000 per eagle and $1,750 per hawk.

The government estimated that from 2009 until 2021, Branson made between $180,000 and $360,000 by selling eagles feathers and parts for profit on the black market.

The government’s investigation showed that Branson and others killed approximately 3,600 birds during the conspiracy. At least 118 eagles and 107 hawks killed were directly traceable to Branson and documented through his own text messages. Branson had taken up to nine eagles at a time. The photograph below shows nine sets of feathers, with one set stacked on top of the other in the upper left corner.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730492674717.png" alt="Photo courtesy U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana</figcaption>
 </figure>MISSOULA — A man who conspired to hunt and kill bald and golden eagles and hawks on the Flathead Indian Reservation to sell on the black market was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $777,250 restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.The defendant, Travis John Branson, 49, of Cusick, Washington, and formerly of the Flathead Reservation, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law. The Lacey Act also prohibits any person from making or submitting any false record, account, label for or identification of wildlife that has been or was intended to be transported in interstate or foreign commerce.U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The court ordered Branson to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.“The bald eagle, adopted as America’s national symbol in 1782, represents our country’s core ideals of freedom, strength, and justice. Once on the brink of extinction, eagles recovered only because of conservation efforts by the American people and federal laws protecting them. None of that mattered to Travis Branson. Instead, Branson went on self-described ‘killing sprees’ for thousands of eagles and hawks, butchered them, and sold the parts and feathers for profit on the black market. He knew he was committing felonies and even joked his cost to kill them was the price of a bullet. But his conduct was no laughing matter. With today’s sentence, the cost to Branson was more than a bunch of bullets – he forfeited the very freedom the bald eagle symbolizes,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The unlawful killing of these majestic birds violates federal law and is a profound offense against our nation's cherished natural heritage,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Travis Branson's blatant disregard for the law and the sanctity of these protected species highlights the urgent need for stringent enforcement and greater public awareness regarding wildlife trafficking. His actions are particularly egregious, considering the significant number of bald and golden eagles he killed for personal profit, and such behavior will not be tolerated. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect America's wildlife and hold accountable all who are engaged in these illicit activities.”“We are going to feel the impacts of the Flathead Reservation’s raptor loss for years to come,” said Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Chairman Mike Dolson. “We hope this helps put a stop to illegal poaching on our homelands and gives these birds a chance to recover. Eagles are not only a treasured and important part of the Reservation’s ecosystem, but they also have a profound place in CSKT cultural and spiritual practices.”In court documents, the government alleged that from about January 2015 until about March 2021, Branson and others hunted and killed eagles on the Flathead Reservation. Branson then sold the eagles on the black market across the United States and elsewhere. Brandon traveled from Washington to the Flathead Reservation, where he met co-defendant, Simon Paul. Branson and Paul would then shoot, transport and ship bald and golden eagles for future black-market sales. Co-defendant Paul remains a fugitive.The government sought restitution values of $5,000 per eagle and $1,750 per hawk.The government estimated that from 2009 until 2021, Branson made between $180,000 and $360,000 by selling eagles feathers and parts for profit on the black market.The government’s investigation showed that Branson and others killed approximately 3,600 birds during the conspiracy. At least 118 eagles and 107 hawks killed were directly traceable to Branson and documented through his own text messages. Branson had taken up to nine eagles at a time. The photograph below shows nine sets of feathers, with one set stacked on top of the other in the upper left corner.

Man who killed hundreds of eagles and sold them is going to prison

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unmc-selected-as-one-of-10-new-regional-public-health-centers-for-cdc/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — The University of Nebraska Medical Center is one of 10 regional centers across the United States selected to start a program to help communities prepare for and respond to public health threats.

The recognition and five-year funding commitment from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unmc-gets-federal-grant-to-lead-effort-to-design-better-response-to-national-health-disasters/">follow an earlier grant</a>&nbsp;in which UNMC led development of a new national planning approach to large-scale health crises.

The first annual installment of the grant is about $640,000, said Rachel Lookadoo, principal investigator who also is an assistant professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health.

She said that UNMC did not know early on it would be tapped for the follow-up implementation efforts, and it is thrilled to see its application among those selected as a Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response.

UNMC announced Thursday it will administer the center for Region Seven of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

“The goal of this center will be to help create a more interconnected regional approach to responding to some of the public health emergency threats that are particularly concerning to our region,” said Lookadoo.

She sees the center being more involved with communities ahead of an actual emergency, enhancing their ability to respond.

For example, Lookadoo said, the center’s staff, working with an advisory committee, will prepare towns and populations for how to respond to extreme weather events. It will identify new and innovative ways to grow and mobilize a public health workforce.&nbsp;

It will also work on ways to improve community trust in public health.

Lauren Sauer, another principal investigator, said preparedness efforts already are strong in the region but can be strengthened. Sauer is an associate professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health and associate director of research at the Global Center for Health Security.

“We’ll work to ensure that our preparedness activities are not siloed,” she said.

One of the key goals of this contract, she said, is to improve regional coordination and improve a nationwide dialogue on evidence-based practices.

Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unmc-selected-as-one-of-10-new-regional-public-health-centers-for-cdc/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — The University of Nebraska Medical Center is one of 10 regional centers across the United States selected to start a program to help communities prepare for and respond to public health threats.The recognition and five-year funding commitment from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/unmc-gets-federal-grant-to-lead-effort-to-design-better-response-to-national-health-disasters/">follow an earlier grant</a>&nbsp;in which UNMC led development of a new national planning approach to large-scale health crises.The first annual installment of the grant is about $640,000, said Rachel Lookadoo, principal investigator who also is an assistant professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health.She said that UNMC did not know early on it would be tapped for the follow-up implementation efforts, and it is thrilled to see its application among those selected as a Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response.UNMC announced Thursday it will administer the center for Region Seven of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.<h2>Regional centers</h2><ul>
 <li>UNMC</li><li>Harvard University</li><li>Columbia University</li><li>Johns Hopkins University</li><li>University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill</li><li>University of Minnesota</li><li>Tulane University</li><li>University of Utah</li><li>University of California San Francisco</li><li>University of Washington</li>
 </ul>UNMC announced Thursday it will administer the center for Region Seven of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.“The goal of this center will be to help create a more interconnected regional approach to responding to some of the public health emergency threats that are particularly concerning to our region,” said Lookadoo.She sees the center being more involved with communities ahead of an actual emergency, enhancing their ability to respond.For example, Lookadoo said, the center’s staff, working with an advisory committee, will prepare towns and populations for how to respond to extreme weather events. It will identify new and innovative ways to grow and mobilize a public health workforce.&nbsp;It will also work on ways to improve community trust in public health.Lauren Sauer, another principal investigator, said preparedness efforts already are strong in the region but can be strengthened. Sauer is an associate professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health and associate director of research at the Global Center for Health Security.“We’ll work to ensure that our preparedness activities are not siloed,” she said.One of the key goals of this contract, she said, is to improve regional coordination and improve a nationwide dialogue on evidence-based practices.

UNMC selected as one of 10 new regional public health centers for CDC

Lincoln, NE – There will be an overall increase of 5.49% in premiums next year for the medical and dental insurance plans used by nearly every Nebraska school district, following action by the Educators Health Alliance (EHA) Board of Directors. The EHA is a consortium of three statewide public school groups that manages the plan. All medical insurance rates and dental insurance rates for active employees and retirees will increase 5.49% from the 2024-25 rate level.

“While our medical claims have increased in the most recent months, we are comfortable approving a rate increase below some of the industry surveys we have seen,” said Trish Guinan, EHA Board Chair and NSEA Executive Director. “Given the rate of inflation over the last few years, we are pleased we’ve been able to maintain our streak of more than 20 years without a double-digit increase in rates, and to average an increase of 4.77% for the last decade.”

Guinan said the one benefit change made for 2025-26 is an increase in the out-of-pocket maximums.

“We believe it is important to minimize the change in benefits to our members. While we were able to maintain our deductible offerings for the sixth plan year in a row, we did make a change to the out-of-pocket maximums in order to reduce the rate increase,” said Guinan.

The successful rollout of the alternate network product offering to all districts in areas of the state where network competition exists will be continued in the 2025-26 plan year.

Guinan said the single-digit increase in premium rates is made possible due to several factors, including:

“The EHA Board has taken some strategic actions to manage our claim costs, especially with respect to the expansion of a diabetes claim management program to pre-diabetics and the launch of a new program to manage musculoskeletal claims,” said Beth Kernes Krause, EHA Vice Chair and Auburn Public Schools Board of Education member.

“The EHA Board takes its responsibility for plan oversight very seriously,” said Dr. Michael Dulaney, executive director of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators. “We believe the rate and benefit decisions reached for the 2025-26 plan year will allow the EHA to continue to provide a quality, affordable health insurance plan well into the future.”

“The EHA Board understands the financial concerns of our members as well as the fiscal constraints facing school districts,” said Colby Coash, associate executive director of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. “With 90,000 members in the plan, EHA has the largest risk pool in the state, which allows more predictability and stability in rates. This benefits both districts and individuals and their families.”

The Educators Health Alliance is a non-profit corporation that was created to procure quality, affordable healthcare insurance for Nebraska educational employees. The rates set by the EHA Board are for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) healthcare plan used by more than 400 public school districts and affiliate groups in the state. The plan is governed by a 12-member board representing the Nebraska Association of School Boards, the Nebraska Council of School Administrators, and the Nebraska State Education Association. More than 90,000 Nebraskans are covered by the plan, making it the largest health plan in the state.

Find more information at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ehaplan.org/">https://www.ehaplan.org/</a>

Educators Health AllianceLincoln, NE – There will be an overall increase of 5.49% in premiums next year for the medical and dental insurance plans used by nearly every Nebraska school district, following action by the Educators Health Alliance (EHA) Board of Directors. The EHA is a consortium of three statewide public school groups that manages the plan. All medical insurance rates and dental insurance rates for active employees and retirees will increase 5.49% from the 2024-25 rate level.“While our medical claims have increased in the most recent months, we are comfortable approving a rate increase below some of the industry surveys we have seen,” said Trish Guinan, EHA Board Chair and NSEA Executive Director. “Given the rate of inflation over the last few years, we are pleased we’ve been able to maintain our streak of more than 20 years without a double-digit increase in rates, and to average an increase of 4.77% for the last decade.”Guinan said the one benefit change made for 2025-26 is an increase in the out-of-pocket maximums.“We believe it is important to minimize the change in benefits to our members. While we were able to maintain our deductible offerings for the sixth plan year in a row, we did make a change to the out-of-pocket maximums in order to reduce the rate increase,” said Guinan.The successful rollout of the alternate network product offering to all districts in areas of the state where network competition exists will be continued in the 2025-26 plan year.Guinan said the single-digit increase in premium rates is made possible due to several factors, including:<ul>
 <li>The implementation of several new programs to manage pharmacy costs;</li><li>Programs designed to assist in the management of chronic and emerging diseases; and</li><li>Holding the line on health and administrative cost increases.</li>
 </ul>“The EHA Board has taken some strategic actions to manage our claim costs, especially with respect to the expansion of a diabetes claim management program to pre-diabetics and the launch of a new program to manage musculoskeletal claims,” said Beth Kernes Krause, EHA Vice Chair and Auburn Public Schools Board of Education member.“The EHA Board takes its responsibility for plan oversight very seriously,” said Dr. Michael Dulaney, executive director of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators. “We believe the rate and benefit decisions reached for the 2025-26 plan year will allow the EHA to continue to provide a quality, affordable health insurance plan well into the future.”“The EHA Board understands the financial concerns of our members as well as the fiscal constraints facing school districts,” said Colby Coash, associate executive director of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. “With 90,000 members in the plan, EHA has the largest risk pool in the state, which allows more predictability and stability in rates. This benefits both districts and individuals and their families.”The Educators Health Alliance is a non-profit corporation that was created to procure quality, affordable healthcare insurance for Nebraska educational employees. The rates set by the EHA Board are for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) healthcare plan used by more than 400 public school districts and affiliate groups in the state. The plan is governed by a 12-member board representing the Nebraska Association of School Boards, the Nebraska Council of School Administrators, and the Nebraska State Education Association. More than 90,000 Nebraskans are covered by the plan, making it the largest health plan in the state.Find more information at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ehaplan.org/">https://www.ehaplan.org/</a>

 Educators Health Alliance Sets 2025-26 School Year Rates

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/paid-petition-circulator-with-troubled-past-takes-the-stand-in-nebraska-medical-cannabis-trial/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;A paid circulator for the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign took the stand in a civil case Thursday in favor of efforts to toss allegedly “fraudulent” or “malfeasant” petition signatures.

It was the second day in the trial challenging signatures in two medical cannabis ballot measures. Testimony continued Thursday from John “Jake” Brennan, a fraud investigator in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Jennifer Henning, a paid petition circulator from Omaha for the petitions to&nbsp;<a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2024/2024%20Ballot%20Measures%20Pamphlet.pdf" target="_blank">legalize and regulate medical cannabis</a>, testified later in the day.

Regardless of the outcome of the trial, which continues Friday, Nebraskans are voting&nbsp; on the measures, which appear on the general election ballot.

The lawsuit alleges the campaign didn’t collect the necessary&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/23/breaking-down-petition-signatures-for-nebraska-2024-ballot-measures/">86,499 signatures</a>&nbsp;for ballot access because of alleged&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/08/medical-cannabis-sponsors-push-back-on-nebraska-officials-claims-of-fraud-and-malfeasance/">notary malfeasance</a>&nbsp;or circulator fraud.

Henning, a commercial and residential property inspector, told Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong that she illegally signed off on 18 signatures for the campaign from Seward County that she did not personally collect. She alleged she then passed them off to ballot sponsor Crista Eggers, who Henning alleged illegally notarized those invalid signatures.

“The only communication I had with her was through text message, and she was asking me about these petitions that I dropped the previous week,” Henning testified.

Attorneys in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, who are representing Secretary of State Bob Evnen in the lawsuit, walked through at least 10 petition pages with Henning that she said she circulated but that Eggers signed about 11 days after Henning dropped them off.

On Tuesday, officials with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office said petition circulators must&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/29/trial-begins-in-case-against-nebraskas-medical-cannabis-ballot-measures/">affirm they collected the signatures</a>&nbsp;on the petition sheets in the physical presence of a notary, who must notarize that form in the circulator’s presence.

Henning said she joined the campaign in 2022 to support her children, particularly her son who she said is profoundly disabled and has a variety of symptoms, including severe behaviors and epileptic seizures.

Before civil and criminal investigators reached out to Henning earlier this month, she testified, she never knew of the circulator-notary requirement and said she’d also dropped off petition sheets to at least two other notaries or incorrectly signed her oath at her kitchen table.&nbsp;

“I thought I was doing Crista a favor,” Henning said. “I would have never put myself in that position had I known that.”

Henning said she has been “ostracized” from the campaign and alleged Eggers instructed campaign workers to delete related text messages.

Eggers, a prospective witness in the case, started the campaign to help her young son, who also has severe seizures.

Attorney Alex Arkfeld, representing the petition sponsors, homed in on Henning’s past interactions with Nebraska courts, including two felony convictions involving fraudulent insurance fraud of more than $5,000. Henning pleaded guilty to those charges in 2022. She is currently on probation and continuing to repay thousands of dollars to the defrauded companies.

Henning said the two fraud counts came after her insurance company wouldn’t cover a feeding tube formula her son needed, which cost $3,000 per month. She said that her son also needed a wheelchair, and on top of home issues involving a septic tank, her family was in severe debt.

“I made really, really bad decisions that I’m embarrassed by, I’m ashamed of,” Henning said. “I’ve taken accountability. I’m on probation. I have rebuilt my life.”

Arkfeld noted earlier interactions Henning had in Nebraska courts where she submitted forged or fraudulent documents and was sanctioned by Douglas County District Judge James Masteller in a 2020 for taking photos of privileged attorney documents in a case against Children’s Hospital and later uploading them to Facebook.

Masteller cited at least three other infractions involving various courts&nbsp; in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He wrote that Henning “has an extensive history of perpetrating fraud and engaging in misconduct in court proceedings.”

“I’ve done a lot of horrible things, and I know you want to keep hitting on those,” Henning said. “I’m not on trial.”

Henning said she walks in daily fear of getting a parking or speeding ticket because of the conditions of her probation.

Arkfeld asked repeatedly whether Henning was offered any benefit in exchange for testifying, she said “no” and said she understood she could be charged at any time.

“You can tear my credibility, you can tear my character down,” Henning continued. “I’m not proud of anything that I did in my past, but every day I wake up and put one foot forward, and I try to be as honest and good as I can and make my children and myself and my husband proud.”

Arkfeld played a 15-minute recording that Henning submitted to Evnen’s attorneys Wednesday night, of a campaign phone call led by Eggers shortly after the Sept. 12 lawsuit was filed and after the measures were certified Sept. 13.

In the recording, Eggers said the campaign didn’t need to worry about the lawsuit and could be thankful of the efforts of those on the call in getting the petition measures onto the ballot.

“Our campaign is filled with integrity, and from Day One we’ve always been fighting for November 5. That’s been our fight all along,” Eggers said in the recording. “… I want us to continue being strong and being absolutely committed to November 5 as the day Nebraskans get the chance to vote on this.”

Under questioning, Henning confirmed that Eggers never instructed anyone to violate the law or act unethically during the recorded call.

Henning, under questioning by Justin Hall with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, alleged that in another meeting, Eggers had instructed campaign workers to violate the law, but she did not produce a recording of such a discussion.&nbsp;

Early Thursday, Brennan, a certified fraud investigator, testified that his investigation included circulators who had a signature rejection rate higher than 50%.&nbsp;

He confirmed he did not talk to the notaries alleged to have committed malfeasance, which he outlined as:

Among those more general errors was crossing out an inaccurate notary stamp or signature, which sometimes incorrectly came from the circulator. On some of the examples shown in court, campaign workers had affixed a corrected stamp or a signature from a different notary.

David Wilson Jr., associate general counsel for the Secretary of State’s Office and director of licensing, including for notaries, testified Tuesday that crossing out bad notarizations is part of the guidance from Wilson’s office, but not the law. Wilson did note that the notary is attached to the circulator’s oath, so a second, new circulator’s signature might also be required.

Of 1,110 signatures directly identified as malfeasant, 706 were for the campaign’s legalization petition&nbsp; and 394 were for the regulatory petition.

Attorney Daniel Gutman, representing the ballot sponsors, said the AG’s Office is then extending those hundreds of signatures to tens of thousands more — the office is alleging &nbsp;49,187 “tainted” signatures on the legalization petition and 30,610 “tainted” signatures on the regulatory petition.

Evnen previously certified nearly 90,000 signatures on both measures.

Brennan said his investigatory process was about the totality of evidence and circumstances. He noted, for example, that notaries must be state licensed, but circulators do not.

“When I was looking at these, it would be a culmination of errors,” Brennan said of his process. “When you see things like multiple instances of missing a notary stamp, multiple instances of self notarization, those types of things come together.”

Brennan, responding to&nbsp; questions from Deputy Solicitor General Zach Viglianco, said he could “certainly” draw inferences on the number of times someone had problems and that if someone engages in some sort of intentional wrongful conduct, it calls into question other conduct they engage in.

“Is that something that happens in your experience as a fraud investigator?” Viglianco asked.

When Gutman asked whether Brennan had investigated Henning’s past, Brennan said he found online “only what was in the paper” and had not looked into Henning’s other legal history.

The trial continues at 8 a.m. Friday, If&nbsp; needed, it could extend to Monday. The trial was originally scheduled for a maximum of three days. Election Day is Tuesday.

Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/paid-petition-circulator-with-troubled-past-takes-the-stand-in-nebraska-medical-cannabis-trial/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;A paid circulator for the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign took the stand in a civil case Thursday in favor of efforts to toss allegedly “fraudulent” or “malfeasant” petition signatures.It was the second day in the trial challenging signatures in two medical cannabis ballot measures. Testimony continued Thursday from John “Jake” Brennan, a fraud investigator in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Jennifer Henning, a paid petition circulator from Omaha for the petitions to&nbsp;<a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2024/2024%20Ballot%20Measures%20Pamphlet.pdf" target="_blank">legalize and regulate medical cannabis</a>, testified later in the day.Regardless of the outcome of the trial, which continues Friday, Nebraskans are voting&nbsp; on the measures, which appear on the general election ballot.The lawsuit alleges the campaign didn’t collect the necessary&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/23/breaking-down-petition-signatures-for-nebraska-2024-ballot-measures/">86,499 signatures</a>&nbsp;for ballot access because of alleged&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/08/medical-cannabis-sponsors-push-back-on-nebraska-officials-claims-of-fraud-and-malfeasance/">notary malfeasance</a>&nbsp;or circulator fraud.<h2>First circulator takes the stand</h2>Henning, a commercial and residential property inspector, told Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong that she illegally signed off on 18 signatures for the campaign from Seward County that she did not personally collect. She alleged she then passed them off to ballot sponsor Crista Eggers, who Henning alleged illegally notarized those invalid signatures.“The only communication I had with her was through text message, and she was asking me about these petitions that I dropped the previous week,” Henning testified.Attorneys in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, who are representing Secretary of State Bob Evnen in the lawsuit, walked through at least 10 petition pages with Henning that she said she circulated but that Eggers signed about 11 days after Henning dropped them off.On Tuesday, officials with the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office said petition circulators must&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/29/trial-begins-in-case-against-nebraskas-medical-cannabis-ballot-measures/">affirm they collected the signatures</a>&nbsp;on the petition sheets in the physical presence of a notary, who must notarize that form in the circulator’s presence.Henning said she joined the campaign in 2022 to support her children, particularly her son who she said is profoundly disabled and has a variety of symptoms, including severe behaviors and epileptic seizures.Before civil and criminal investigators reached out to Henning earlier this month, she testified, she never knew of the circulator-notary requirement and said she’d also dropped off petition sheets to at least two other notaries or incorrectly signed her oath at her kitchen table.&nbsp;“I thought I was doing Crista a favor,” Henning said. “I would have never put myself in that position had I known that.”Henning said she has been “ostracized” from the campaign and alleged Eggers instructed campaign workers to delete related text messages.Eggers, a prospective witness in the case, started the campaign to help her young son, who also has severe seizures.<h2>‘I’m not on trial’</h2>Attorney Alex Arkfeld, representing the petition sponsors, homed in on Henning’s past interactions with Nebraska courts, including two felony convictions involving fraudulent insurance fraud of more than $5,000. Henning pleaded guilty to those charges in 2022. She is currently on probation and continuing to repay thousands of dollars to the defrauded companies.Henning said the two fraud counts came after her insurance company wouldn’t cover a feeding tube formula her son needed, which cost $3,000 per month. She said that her son also needed a wheelchair, and on top of home issues involving a septic tank, her family was in severe debt.“I made really, really bad decisions that I’m embarrassed by, I’m ashamed of,” Henning said. “I’ve taken accountability. I’m on probation. I have rebuilt my life.”Arkfeld noted earlier interactions Henning had in Nebraska courts where she submitted forged or fraudulent documents and was sanctioned by Douglas County District Judge James Masteller in a 2020 for taking photos of privileged attorney documents in a case against Children’s Hospital and later uploading them to Facebook.Masteller cited at least three other infractions involving various courts&nbsp; in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He wrote that Henning “has an extensive history of perpetrating fraud and engaging in misconduct in court proceedings.”“I’ve done a lot of horrible things, and I know you want to keep hitting on those,” Henning said. “I’m not on trial.”Henning said she walks in daily fear of getting a parking or speeding ticket because of the conditions of her probation.<h2>A campaign ‘filled with integrity’</h2>Arkfeld asked repeatedly whether Henning was offered any benefit in exchange for testifying, she said “no” and said she understood she could be charged at any time.“You can tear my credibility, you can tear my character down,” Henning continued. “I’m not proud of anything that I did in my past, but every day I wake up and put one foot forward, and I try to be as honest and good as I can and make my children and myself and my husband proud.”Arkfeld played a 15-minute recording that Henning submitted to Evnen’s attorneys Wednesday night, of a campaign phone call led by Eggers shortly after the Sept. 12 lawsuit was filed and after the measures were certified Sept. 13.In the recording, Eggers said the campaign didn’t need to worry about the lawsuit and could be thankful of the efforts of those on the call in getting the petition measures onto the ballot.“Our campaign is filled with integrity, and from Day One we’ve always been fighting for November 5. That’s been our fight all along,” Eggers said in the recording. “… I want us to continue being strong and being absolutely committed to November 5 as the day Nebraskans get the chance to vote on this.”Under questioning, Henning confirmed that Eggers never instructed anyone to violate the law or act unethically during the recorded call.Henning, under questioning by Justin Hall with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, alleged that in another meeting, Eggers had instructed campaign workers to violate the law, but she did not produce a recording of such a discussion.&nbsp;<h2>‘A culmination of errors’</h2>Early Thursday, Brennan, a certified fraud investigator, testified that his investigation included circulators who had a signature rejection rate higher than 50%.&nbsp;He confirmed he did not talk to the notaries alleged to have committed malfeasance, which he outlined as:<ul>
 <li>Having no notary signature (nine signatures).</li><li>No notary stamp (57 signatures).</li><li>A notarization not completed&nbsp; in the presence of the circulator (583 signatures).</li><li>A notarization without a circulator’s signature (110 signatures).</li><li>Self-notarization (235 signatures).</li><li>Some other “notarial errors” (107 signatures).</li>
 </ul>Among those more general errors was crossing out an inaccurate notary stamp or signature, which sometimes incorrectly came from the circulator. On some of the examples shown in court, campaign workers had affixed a corrected stamp or a signature from a different notary.David Wilson Jr., associate general counsel for the Secretary of State’s Office and director of licensing, including for notaries, testified Tuesday that crossing out bad notarizations is part of the guidance from Wilson’s office, but not the law. Wilson did note that the notary is attached to the circulator’s oath, so a second, new circulator’s signature might also be required.Of 1,110 signatures directly identified as malfeasant, 706 were for the campaign’s legalization petition&nbsp; and 394 were for the regulatory petition.Attorney Daniel Gutman, representing the ballot sponsors, said the AG’s Office is then extending those hundreds of signatures to tens of thousands more — the office is alleging &nbsp;49,187 “tainted” signatures on the legalization petition and 30,610 “tainted” signatures on the regulatory petition.Evnen previously certified nearly 90,000 signatures on both measures.Brennan said his investigatory process was about the totality of evidence and circumstances. He noted, for example, that notaries must be state licensed, but circulators do not.“When I was looking at these, it would be a culmination of errors,” Brennan said of his process. “When you see things like multiple instances of missing a notary stamp, multiple instances of self notarization, those types of things come together.”<h2>Experience as a fraud investigator</h2>Brennan, responding to&nbsp; questions from Deputy Solicitor General Zach Viglianco, said he could “certainly” draw inferences on the number of times someone had problems and that if someone engages in some sort of intentional wrongful conduct, it calls into question other conduct they engage in.“Is that something that happens in your experience as a fraud investigator?” Viglianco asked.“Yes,” Brennan responded.When Gutman asked whether Brennan had investigated Henning’s past, Brennan said he found online “only what was in the paper” and had not looked into Henning’s other legal history.The trial continues at 8 a.m. Friday, If&nbsp; needed, it could extend to Monday. The trial was originally scheduled for a maximum of three days. Election Day is Tuesday.

Paid petition circulator with troubled past takes the stand in Nebraska medical cannabis trial

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Alex Ogunshakin, age 41, a Nigerian citizen, was sentenced on October 31, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Senior United States District John M. Gerrard sentenced Ogunshakin to a total of 45 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ogunshakin’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release and is subject to removal from the United States.

From sometime no later than January 2015, continuing to the September 2016, Ogunshakin participated in a scheme to defraud U.S. based businesses. As a part of the scheme, Ogunshakin and other individuals participated in a business e-mail compromise scheme in which co-conspirators used compromised e-mail accounts to send spoofed e-mails to thousands of business employees who handled accounting, to include authorizing and sending wire transfers. A spoofed e-mail is one in which the e-mail appears to be originating from a sender other than who is truly the sender. Co-conspirators spoofed e-mail addressed to pose as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or other business executives and would direct recipients of the e-mail to complete wire transfers. The business employee, thinking the wire transfer request was legitimate, would comply with the wire transfer and send money to a location providing in wiring instructions. Ogunshakin and other co-conspirators provided bank account information to the co-conspirators who sent the spoofed e-mails to the business executives.

In February 2015 and May 2015, two Nebraska based businesses were targeted by the scheme. The investigation into the scheme revealed over 70 U.S. based business were victimized and the loss amount exceed $6 million, with attempted losses exceeding $30 million.&nbsp;

Ogunshakin and the co-conspirators committed the offense from outside the United States, mostly from Nigeria.&nbsp; At the request of the United States, Nigerian authorities arrested Ogunshakin for the purpose of his extradition in October 2020, a court in Nigeria found him extraditable in July 2023, and Nigerian authorities extradited him to the United States in September 2023.&nbsp; The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Ogunshakin in coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Abuja, Nigeria’s Office of the Attorney General and Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Ogunshakin’s co-conspirator, Adewale Akinloye, was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment in February 2019. Co-conspirators Richard Uzuh, Felix Okpoh, and Nnamdi Benson all remain at large. Co-conspirator Abiola Kayode’s extradition proceedings are ongoing.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

United States Attorney OfficeUnited States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Alex Ogunshakin, age 41, a Nigerian citizen, was sentenced on October 31, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Senior United States District John M. Gerrard sentenced Ogunshakin to a total of 45 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ogunshakin’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release and is subject to removal from the United States.From sometime no later than January 2015, continuing to the September 2016, Ogunshakin participated in a scheme to defraud U.S. based businesses. As a part of the scheme, Ogunshakin and other individuals participated in a business e-mail compromise scheme in which co-conspirators used compromised e-mail accounts to send spoofed e-mails to thousands of business employees who handled accounting, to include authorizing and sending wire transfers. A spoofed e-mail is one in which the e-mail appears to be originating from a sender other than who is truly the sender. Co-conspirators spoofed e-mail addressed to pose as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or other business executives and would direct recipients of the e-mail to complete wire transfers. The business employee, thinking the wire transfer request was legitimate, would comply with the wire transfer and send money to a location providing in wiring instructions. Ogunshakin and other co-conspirators provided bank account information to the co-conspirators who sent the spoofed e-mails to the business executives.In February 2015 and May 2015, two Nebraska based businesses were targeted by the scheme. The investigation into the scheme revealed over 70 U.S. based business were victimized and the loss amount exceed $6 million, with attempted losses exceeding $30 million.&nbsp;Ogunshakin and the co-conspirators committed the offense from outside the United States, mostly from Nigeria.&nbsp; At the request of the United States, Nigerian authorities arrested Ogunshakin for the purpose of his extradition in October 2020, a court in Nigeria found him extraditable in July 2023, and Nigerian authorities extradited him to the United States in September 2023.&nbsp; The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Ogunshakin in coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Abuja, Nigeria’s Office of the Attorney General and Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.Ogunshakin’s co-conspirator, Adewale Akinloye, was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment in February 2019. Co-conspirators Richard Uzuh, Felix Okpoh, and Nnamdi Benson all remain at large. Co-conspirator Abiola Kayode’s extradition proceedings are ongoing.&nbsp;&nbsp;This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 Nigerian National Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN —&nbsp;Christina Chvala of Omaha remembers feeling trapped last year when learning she couldn’t financially help both of her daughters attend the private schools of their choice.

Chvala’s younger daughter, Lela, now a seventh-grader, had already been in private school, but increased tuition complicated her continued attendance. And Chvala’s older daughter, Olu, now a high school freshman, had her sights on Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all girl, Catholic college-preparatory high school.

“I had no idea how I was going to figure it out, and I had no more hours in the day for another job,” Chvala said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do and I was going to be faced with kind of that ‘Sophie’s Choice’ of OK, whose education do I take away?”

Chvala has been a single mother for over 10 years. She had met with a financial adviser, cut back on groceries and essentials and tried to find funding, but supporting both Olu and Lela seemed out of reach.

“And then I got that email, and I just started crying,” Chvala said when she learned both her daughters would receive “<a href="https://revenue.nebraska.gov/businesses/opportunity-scholarship-act#:~:text=The%20scholarships%20are%20funded%20by,2024%2C%202025%2C%20and%202026." target="_blank">opportunity scholarships</a>.” “I knew that I didn’t have to have that awful conversation. I knew that I could then be the bringer of hope.

“It’s so small to some people, but for our little family, it’s life-changing,” Chvala said, describing the scholarships as “a breath of fresh air” and “a wind in our sails.”

Chvala is one of three mothers interviewed by the Nebraska Examiner who urged Nebraskans to vote to “retain” on&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/private-education-scholarship-partial-referendum/">Referendum Measure 435</a>&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/2024-elections" target="_blank">Nov. 5 ballot</a>&nbsp;to preserve the main section of the state’s latest “school choice” law.

The three families have a total of nine children receiving “opportunity scholarships” under Legislative Bill 753, passed in 2023 under the leadership of State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn. The first-of-its-kind Nebraska program was designed as a $25 million annual tax credit encouraging donations for scholarships to private K-12 schools.

A total of $2.6 million in scholarships was distributed, the average at $1,723, to 1,515 students for the 2024-25 school year.

The remaining contributions will be sent to students for next school year or to transfer students, according to a spokesperson for the Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska scholarship-granting organization, the largest in Nebraska.

The organization received 965 tax credit contributions, totaling $9.53 million, ranging from $50 to $100,000. The average contribution was $9,800.

That program will officially end after Thursday. Linehan led the effort to end the program in favor of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55486" target="_blank">LB 1402</a>, a direct appropriation to the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, at a cost of $10 million a year. Nebraska State Treasurer Tom Briese is set to award all scholarship funds to 4,000 families on Thursday, too.

If voters repealed LB 1402, any unspent funds would return to the State of Nebraska, as would any unclaimed tax credits, up to the $25 million limit under the previous law. Linehan is in her final year in the Legislature because of term limits.

Katie Zach of Lincoln said the scholarships mean hope and opportunity for four of six of her children who are receiving funds under LB 753 to attend private school. Zach is a stay-at-home mom. Her children range in age from 6 months to 9 years old Her husband, John, is a private school teacher and coach.

Zach said her family’s income is right around the poverty line so any small disruption could be disastrous.

“A small thing like the refrigerator going down, which just happened, already tips us over,” Zach said. “That kind of relief makes a huge difference.”

‘Thank goodness there are people out there who care that those kinds of things make a difference,’” Zach said of the scholarship funds.

Public school advocates have said the state should not offset attendance costs for private schools, many of which are religious, because they are held to different standards than public schools and could pose threats to future public school funding if the program costs increase.

Zach said the question isn’t whether the schools involved are public or private but about better education for all children. She said her family didn’t have a true “choice” because of their finances.

“At the end of the day, it’s every family wanting to have the same chance at or the same ability to use the right tool for them,” Zach said. “It’s not about public-private. It’s about lower-income families being able to give their kids a shot.”

Opponents of the programs note that public schools must follow nondiscrimination laws and accept all students, regardless of any special needs. But for Ann Rief, a mother near St. Paul, Nebraska, that wasn’t the case for her son Azraeyl.

“That’s not the whole truth, because we were turned away, and that was because our son had some special needs,” Rief said.

The Riefs, who have two sons in high school, served as foster parents to Azraeyl before finalizing his adoption in July. They wanted to send him to the same school his older brothers attended, but Azraeyl was on an individualized education plan.

Zach Wendling<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/10/31/families-urge-nebraskans-to-retain-state-support-to-private-schools/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN —&nbsp;Christina Chvala of Omaha remembers feeling trapped last year when learning she couldn’t financially help both of her daughters attend the private schools of their choice.Chvala’s younger daughter, Lela, now a seventh-grader, had already been in private school, but increased tuition complicated her continued attendance. And Chvala’s older daughter, Olu, now a high school freshman, had her sights on Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all girl, Catholic college-preparatory high school.“I had no idea how I was going to figure it out, and I had no more hours in the day for another job,” Chvala said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do and I was going to be faced with kind of that ‘Sophie’s Choice’ of OK, whose education do I take away?”Chvala has been a single mother for over 10 years. She had met with a financial adviser, cut back on groceries and essentials and tried to find funding, but supporting both Olu and Lela seemed out of reach.“And then I got that email, and I just started crying,” Chvala said when she learned both her daughters would receive “<a href="https://revenue.nebraska.gov/businesses/opportunity-scholarship-act#:~:text=The%20scholarships%20are%20funded%20by,2024%2C%202025%2C%20and%202026." target="_blank">opportunity scholarships</a>.” “I knew that I didn’t have to have that awful conversation. I knew that I could then be the bringer of hope.“It’s so small to some people, but for our little family, it’s life-changing,” Chvala said, describing the scholarships as “a breath of fresh air” and “a wind in our sails.”<h2>Millions in scholarships distributed</h2>Chvala is one of three mothers interviewed by the Nebraska Examiner who urged Nebraskans to vote to “retain” on&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/ballot-measures/private-education-scholarship-partial-referendum/">Referendum Measure 435</a>&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/2024-elections" target="_blank">Nov. 5 ballot</a>&nbsp;to preserve the main section of the state’s latest “school choice” law.The three families have a total of nine children receiving “opportunity scholarships” under Legislative Bill 753, passed in 2023 under the leadership of State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn. The first-of-its-kind Nebraska program was designed as a $25 million annual tax credit encouraging donations for scholarships to private K-12 schools.A total of $2.6 million in scholarships was distributed, the average at $1,723, to 1,515 students for the 2024-25 school year.The remaining contributions will be sent to students for next school year or to transfer students, according to a spokesperson for the Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska scholarship-granting organization, the largest in Nebraska.The organization received 965 tax credit contributions, totaling $9.53 million, ranging from $50 to $100,000. The average contribution was $9,800.That program will officially end after Thursday. Linehan led the effort to end the program in favor of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=55486" target="_blank">LB 1402</a>, a direct appropriation to the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, at a cost of $10 million a year. Nebraska State Treasurer Tom Briese is set to award all scholarship funds to 4,000 families on Thursday, too.If voters repealed LB 1402, any unspent funds would return to the State of Nebraska, as would any unclaimed tax credits, up to the $25 million limit under the previous law. Linehan is in her final year in the Legislature because of term limits.<h2>‘It’s not about public-private’</h2>Katie Zach of Lincoln said the scholarships mean hope and opportunity for four of six of her children who are receiving funds under LB 753 to attend private school. Zach is a stay-at-home mom. Her children range in age from 6 months to 9 years old Her husband, John, is a private school teacher and coach.Zach said her family’s income is right around the poverty line so any small disruption could be disastrous.“A small thing like the refrigerator going down, which just happened, already tips us over,” Zach said. “That kind of relief makes a huge difference.”‘Thank goodness there are people out there who care that those kinds of things make a difference,’” Zach said of the scholarship funds.Public school advocates have said the state should not offset attendance costs for private schools, many of which are religious, because they are held to different standards than public schools and could pose threats to future public school funding if the program costs increase.Zach said the question isn’t whether the schools involved are public or private but about better education for all children. She said her family didn’t have a true “choice” because of their finances.“At the end of the day, it’s every family wanting to have the same chance at or the same ability to use the right tool for them,” Zach said. “It’s not about public-private. It’s about lower-income families being able to give their kids a shot.”<h2>‘A slap in the face’</h2>Opponents of the programs note that public schools must follow nondiscrimination laws and accept all students, regardless of any special needs. But for Ann Rief, a mother near St. Paul, Nebraska, that wasn’t the case for her son Azraeyl.“That’s not the whole truth, because we were turned away, and that was because our son had some special needs,” Rief said.The Riefs, who have two sons in high school, served as foster parents to Azraeyl before finalizing his adoption in July. They wanted to send him to the same school his older brothers attended, but Azraeyl was on an individualized education plan.Rief said the local school district&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/PDF/Agencies/Education__Department_of/846_20240830-102307.pdf" target="_blank">didn’t have the resources needed to help</a>.“It felt kind of like a slap in the face,” said Rief, whose family&nbsp;<a href="https://www.education.ne.gov/fos/enrollment-option-application-instructions-faqs/" target="_blank">no longer lived in that district’s boundaries</a>. “Here we are, solid family, wanting to send him back to the place where our boys had a good experience and the public school setting that’s close to our house. And then to be told ‘no,’ it was hard, discouraging, disappointing.”Azraeyl went to kindergarten one year later and is now thriving and catching up, Rief said. She said her family chose the school because it would attend to Azraeyl’s “whole person,” including faith, which is important to the family, and diversity, to support Azraeyl, who is African American and “trying to find how he fits.”Rief said she couldn’t help but think of other students, who might come from a trauma background, who are in foster care or who come from minority communities and might benefit from a different environment but can’t because of financial limitations.“Having these scholarships in place to allow, whether it’s the foster parents or the guardians or the parents, to make that choice is really huge for those kids and their future,” Rief said.Chvala and Zach said the prospects that the program might go away is heart-breaking to think about and said parents question their life choices when they can’t provide for their children.<h2>‘I’ll do anything for my kids’</h2>Chvala said her older daughter worked hard to receive an academic scholarship to Duchesne, and the family thought it&nbsp;could be a place she could thrive after Olu’s past experiences with racism and sexism.Olu was worrying about whether she needed to find a job or work in the summer at 14 years old to help pay for her education, which her mother said would have taken away from her passion as a lacrosse player, which could help with college.Linehan has frequently said that she’s never believed that if Nebraskans understood that they’re “taking hope” from children and parents that they would vote to repeal the program.If they do, Linehan said she thinks the legislation will return in part because she believes Gov. Jim Pillen is “in the fight for the long run” and the thousands of families who lose scholarships will demand answers and change.Leaders for the Support our Schools campaign to repeal LB 1402 — Tim Royers of the Nebraska State Education Association and Jenni Benson, leader of the campaign —&nbsp;have said they’re not to blame for taking the scholarships away because Linehan voluntarily got rid of&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=50326" target="_blank">LB 753</a>&nbsp;to get around its referendum, already on the 2024 ballot.Asked about LB 1402, Royers and Benson have pointed to a lack of accountability and transparency measures required by private schools and pointed to other states where the programs haven’t been beneficial.Chvala said she can understand and respect where opponents to the laws are coming from and that she knows opponents aren’t saying they value her daughters’ education less. But she said that won’t be the message her daughters hear LB 1402 is defeated.Instead, it will be that their dreams are worth having if only they have money.“I’ll do anything for my kids. It’s really not me that that affects,” Chvala said. “It’s my daughters.