LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers ended the 2025 legislative session Monday, celebrating a balanced budget achieved over a major projected deficit and the passage of more than 200 bills.

Speaker John Arch of La Vista, marking the end to the 89-day session, thanked his colleagues for their work, and centered them on what he has already identified as the “biggest challenge” for 2026, the same as in 2025: the state budget.

He said fiscal numbers often change in the two-year budget cycle, and “there is considerable uncertainty in the world that could make accurately predicting our fiscal future more difficult.”

Lawmakers are projected to end the next two fiscal years, through mid-2027, at a $4.15 million surplus. Lawmakers are facing a projected $129.1 million hole in the following two fiscal ye

See Full Page