Nebraska

February 14, 2007 -- (Lincoln, NE) Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning today announced that museums operated by Kyle Kopitke of Nelson, Neb., will be immediately dissolved and their assets returned to the veterans who donated them under a consent decree approved today in Lancaster County District Court.

“Mr. Kopitke is a professional con-artist who made a living off the sacrifices of Nebraska veterans,” Bruning said. “He can never take advantage of another veteran in Nebraska again.”

Under the decree, Kopitke is prohibited from establishing or managing nonprofit organizations in Nebraska. His existing nonprofit corporations, the National Korean War Museum in Edgar and the Vietnam War National Museum in Nelson, are immediately dissolved, and the corporate assets will be transferred to the care of court-appointed custodians. All war artifacts and memorabilia will be returned to those veterans who donated the items or their families. Kopitke also admitted violating the Nebraska Nonprofit Corporation Act, the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and the Consumer Protection Act.    » read more »

February 12, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman announced that The Pew Charitable Trusts organization has selected Nebraska to be part of a pilot project aimed at developing policies and community corrections programs that better serve residents by protecting public safety, holding offenders accountable and helping control the costs of correctional services.

“Nebraska’s prison population is projected to grow in the coming years, and the concept we’ve embraced through community corrections is that there are better solutions to this challenge than to simply build another maximum-security prison,” Gov. Heineman said. “We have invested significant resources in our community corrections program in recent years, and this project will provide an opportunity to look more closely at our corrections system and utilize the expertise of our partners in this new venture to review our policies and make appropriate changes that can help offset the need for more prisons in our state.”    » read more »

February 8, 2007 -- (Lincoln, NE) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning announced today that the state of Nebraska has recovered $1.8 million from pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering-Plough Corporation to settle allegations that it improperly marketed and distributed several of its products. These actions caused overpayments by Nebraska Medicaid.

“This office won’t stand by while companies manipulate the drug market for personal gain at the expense of taxpayers,” Bruning said.

Schering, a pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Pennsylvania, faced allegations that it offered lower rebates to Medicaid for the allergy drug Claritin and for the Potassium supplement K-Dur than it offered to certain private insurance companies. The company also allegedly improperly marketed a medication called Temodar, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a certain type of brain cancer. Schering allegedly marketed it as a treatment for other types of brain cancer and caused Medicaid to pay for improper prescriptions. Finally, Schering allegedly paid kickbacks to doctors to induce them to prescribe hepatitis drugs PEG-Intron and Rebetron and bladder cancer medication Intron-A, although lower-cost alternatives were available. Losses to Medicaid programs throughout the United States were in excess of $80 million.    » read more »

February 6, 2007 -- (Lincoln, NE) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and Lincoln Postal Inspector Kerry Kowalski today unveiled an Identity Theft Repair Kit to guide victims through the process of repairing their credit as part of National Consumer Protection Week.

“Identity theft is crippling to its victims, both financially and emotionally,” Bruning said. “This repair kit gives consumers peace of mind and a road map for minimizing the damage to their good name and credit.”

The Identity Theft Repair Kit offers consumers who are victims of identity theft a step-by-step guide to repairing their credit. It also reviews a consumer’s rights and liability under Nebraska and federal laws, and offers tips for protecting personal information in the future.    » read more »

February 1, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning announced today that Douglas County District Court Judge Patrick Mullen has ordered California Alternative High School (CAHS) and Principal Daniel Gossai to pay a total of $6,250 in restitution to 18 Nebraska consumers and $18,000 in civil penalties to Nebraska for violating Nebraska’s consumer protection laws in a fraudulent education scheme.

“This scam artist took advantage of consumers who were trying to better their lives. Instead, they paid hundreds of dollars for a worthless piece of paper,” Bruning said. “This ruling makes it clear that Nebraska won’t stand by while consumers are being robbed of their hard-earned money.”    » read more »

January 31, 2007 -- GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the approval of a request by the State of Nebraska to add two additional counties to the disaster area resulting from the ice storms late last year. Deuel County and Butler County were added today to the list of 57 counties already eligible to receive federal disaster assistance.

As with the other counties impacted by the recent storms, both Deuel and Butler Counties will now be eligible to apply for funds from the Public Assistance program in Categories A and B. These two categories provide funds to reimburse local municipalities for debris removal and emergency measures put in place as a result of the disaster. Examples of emergency measures include increased security costs or search and rescue operations as a direct result of the disaster.    » read more »

January 31, 2007 -- (Lincoln, NE) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning today presented $60,000 in environmental settlement funds to Blair High School to build a greenhouse for the school’s agribusiness program.

“Education is our best line of defense against pollution,” Bruning said. “When we combine our lessons learned with cutting-edge educational opportunities like the greenhouse project, we ensure a healthy future for Nebraska.”    » read more »

January 31, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman testified before the members of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee today on LB 331, the Governor’s proposal for income tax relief, which also includes the repeal of Nebraska’s estate and construction labor sales taxes.

“The fact that we are here discussing tax relief is good news for Nebraska taxpayers,” Gov. Heineman said. “Clearly one of the themes of this legislative session will be tax relief. Today, I am asking you to support fundamental income tax reform so we can reshape our tax system for the future.”    » read more »

January 24, 2007 -- Lincoln, NE--- Nebraska State Sen. Annette Dubas (District 34) and a coalition of nearly thirty State Senators in coordination with Governor Dave Heineman and the Rural Response Network came together today to stress the need for individual aid via donations and continued assistance to the residents of the 57 counties affected by the December ice storms in central and western Nebraska. Senators representing each county included in the federal disaster declaration signed by President George W. Bush attended the event held today at the State Capitol in Lincoln to show their support for the private outreach effort.

Said Senator Dubas, “I am very concerned about the rural areas and the people and communities who are dealing with the extensive ongoing costs of the December ice storms. I have heard accounts of generators costing between $200-300 per day. I have exhausted all avenues in a humble attempt to provide direct relief through a government entity to those in need. It simply cannot be done. But, I believe that the people of the state of Nebraska will come together and help those in need at this time. I have appealed to the Governor and my colleagues to raise the level of awareness about this ongoing situation, and I am very pleased with their overwhelming response to assist in this effort.”    » read more »

January 24, 2007 -- GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- Today the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the expansion of the Public Assistance program for 48 counties in Nebraska. This change allows local communities to apply for funds to repair, replace or reconstruct permanent public facilities damaged by the recent ice storms. FEMA will pay 75 percent of the costs of eligible projects and state and local agencies will share the remainder.

"We are committed to a full recovery in Nebraska," Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Bolch said today in Grand Island. "Providing added funds now should make those permanent repairs a reality."    » read more »

January 23, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman expressed strong support for the President's call during his State of the Union address for an increase in the use of ethanol in the nation's gasoline supply. Gov. Heineman is chairman of the Governors' Ethanol Coalition (GEC).

"The President announced a bold commitment to expand the use of ethanol, which has the potential to transform America's transportation system and reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil," Gov. Heineman said. "The President's call for increasing the production of alternative fuels is right in line with the recommendations of the Governors' Ethanol Coalition. We are pleased to see the President supports a significant increase in the use of renewable fuels, and our nation will benefit from prompt attention to this issue.

"Here in Nebraska, we are in the midst of a significant expansion of our biofuels industry. Over the next two years, our state will see our ethanol production capacity double to more than 1.2 billion gallons a year, and with the number of potential plants on the horizon, we hope to maintain and enhance our position as a major source for the ethanol produced in this country. Ethanol benefits everyone, particularly the residents of our small, rural communities, by providing unparalleled opportunities for job creation and by taking advantage of the corn and other grains grown in our state."    » read more »

January 18, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) -- Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman announced that he plans to lead a trade delegation of Nebraska agriculture and economic development representatives to Cuba in the spring. The visit will be from Sunday to Wednesday, March 25-28.

“This trip presents an opportunity to pursue the negotiations and business agreements needed to fulfill the $30 million trade agreement Lieutenant Governor Sheehy helped our state secure earlier this year, while continuing to build on the relationship we’ve established with Cuba’s trade representatives and its people,” Gov. Heineman said.

Cuba has already made purchases to fulfill the first $30 million memorandum of understanding (MOU) the Governor signed during his first trip to Cuba in August 2005. Last April, Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy led a delegation that resulted in an additional $30 million MOU. MOUs are an agreement to purchase goods, but are not actual sales contracts.    » read more »

January 11, 2007 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) -- Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature today, focusing his efforts on reshaping Nebraska’s status as a high-tax state through proposals aimed at achieving income tax reform, providing record levels of property tax relief and sensibly restraining state spending. The Governor’s budget recommendations for the FY 2007-2009 biennium reflect those priorities, while making strategic investments in key areas.

“Today, I am asking all Nebraskans to join with me in putting an emphasis on lowering taxes and restraining government spending in order to secure a more prosperous future for the next generation of Nebraskans,” Gov. Heineman said. “I am asking all Nebraskans to sacrifice today for the long-term best interests of our state.”    » read more »

January 5, 2006 -- (Lincoln, Neb.) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning today unveiled his legislative package for the upcoming 2007 legislative session.

Bruning’s 2007 legislative package includes four bills. The first protects children from exploitation and all Nebraskans from cyberstalking and harassment over electronic devices. The second protects victims of sex offenses during criminal investigations. The third protects transparency in government by requiring education for public officials on the open meetings and public records statutes. The fourth bill clarifies grand jury statutes by detailing what information remains secret in grand jury proceedings and what should be available to the public.

Under the cyberstalking bill, offenders over 18 who knowingly send sexually explicit language and material to victims under 16 could be charged with a class IV felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Currently, such an offense is a class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.    » read more »

January 7, 2007 -- Lincoln, Neb. -- Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman tonight received word from President George W. Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the President has approved Gov. Heineman's request for an expedited disaster declaration for parts of Nebraska damaged by recent severe winter storms.

"I want to personally thank President Bush and his disaster response team at FEMA for moving so quickly to approve our request for a federal disaster declaration," the Governor said. "Much of central Nebraska remains without power or powered by alternative means, and this assistance to the public entities trying to accelerate the recovery efforts in our communities is welcome and warranted under these difficult circumstances."

The Governor's request included damage from winter storms beginning Dec. 19 and ending Jan. 2. The President approved federal emergency funding for emergency protective action and debris removal in all 57 counties included in the Governor's request. Those counties are Adams, Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Brown, Buffalo, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Clay, Custer, Dawson, Dixon, Dundy, Fillmore, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Madison, Merrick, Morrill, Nance, Nuckolls, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Polk, Red Willow, Rock, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Valley, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler and York.    » read more »