# Nebraska LB608: Change insurance provisions relating to firefighters and include correctional officers, youth detention officers, certain disabled persons, and their children in the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act Nebraska LB608, Change insurance provisions relating to firefighters and include correctional officers, youth detention officers, certain disabled persons, and their children in the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act, is a 109th Legislature 1st and 2nd Sessions legislature bill sponsored by Eliot Bostar; status signed, last action 2025-06-04 (Approved by Governor on June 4, 2025); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB608-109 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Nebraska LB608 - State: Nebraska - Session: 109th Legislature 1st and 2nd Sessions - Title: Change insurance provisions relating to firefighters and include correctional officers, youth detention officers, certain disabled persons, and their children in the First Responder Recruitment and Retention Act - Status: signed - Chamber: legislature - Introduced: 2025-01-22 - Last action: 2025-06-04, Approved by Governor on June 4, 2025 - Sponsor: Eliot Bostar - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Revenue Committee - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 9 (248 yes, 99 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Free in-state tuition for responders and kids: benefit, high. Eligible first responders and certain disabled former responders get 100% of remaining resident tuition waived for an associate or bachelor’s degree at Nebraska state universities, state colleges, or community colleges. Qualifying children of these responders can also get a waiver. Both tracks last… - Stronger health insurance protection for firefighters: benefit, low. More full‑time career firefighters are now covered by the rule that stops employers from canceling health insurance after a serious line‑of‑duty injury or death. The protection now includes paid departments that provide fire protection to federal military bases. - Residency and paperwork rules for waivers: mixed, high. A qualifying child who uses a tuition waiver must live in Nebraska for five years after using it and file a Nebraska tax return each year to prove residency. If the child does not file or leaves Nebraska, the school can require repayment of the waived tuition. These duties end if the child becomes… - New tuition help for corrections and youth officers: mixed, medium. The law now treats correctional officers and youth detention officers, certain disabled former officers, and their children as eligible for the First Responder tuition waivers. Their waivers start July 1, 2027, and at first they can use them only at a state university. Starting July 1, 2028, the st… - Old first responder statutes repealed: mixed, low. The law removes older state law sections that the new First Responder rules replace. This updates and consolidates the legal text and does not add new money or benefits by itself. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Eliot Bostar, Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-30 | legislature | Final Reading | pass | 36 | 12 | | | 2025-05-08 | legislature | Vote | fail | 29 | 5 | 15 | | 2025-05-08 | legislature | Vote | fail | 0 | 41 | 8 | | 2025-05-08 | legislature | Vote | fail | 41 | 0 | 8 | | 2025-04-24 | legislature | Vote | fail | 35 | 0 | 14 | | 2025-04-24 | legislature | Vote | fail | 33 | 0 | 16 | | | legislature | Vote | fail | 33 | 0 | 16 | | | legislature | Vote | fail | 0 | 41 | 8 | | | legislature | Vote | fail | 41 | 0 | 8 | ## Actions (37) - 2025-06-04: Approved by Governor on June 4, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-05-30: Presented to Governor on May 30, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-05-30: President/Speaker signed (legislature) - 2025-05-30: Passed on Final Reading 36-12*-1 (legislature) - 2025-05-30: Dispensing of reading at large approved (legislature) - 2025-05-30: Cavanaugh, M. FA194 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-30: Cavanaugh, M. FA193 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-12: Placed on Final Reading (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, M. FA194 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, M. FA193 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Hallstrom AM1356 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Hallstrom AM1356 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Wordekemper AM1129 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. FA192 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. MO236 withdrawn (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. MO236 Reconsider the vote taken on MO234 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. MO234 failed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. MO234 Bracket until June 9, 2025 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Cavanaugh, J. FA192 to AM1129 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Motion to overrule Chair prevailed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Motion to overrule Chair pending (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Chair ruled AM1129 not germane (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Wordekemper AM1129 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Bostar AM1347 adopted (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Bostar AM1347 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Enrollment and Review ER59 adopted (legislature) - 2025-04-29: Enrollment and Review ER59 filed (legislature) - 2025-04-29: Placed on Select File with ER59 (legislature) - 2025-04-24: Advanced to Enrollment and Review Initial (legislature) - 2025-04-24: Revenue AM904 adopted (legislature) - 2025-04-10: Revenue AM904 filed (legislature) - 2025-04-10: Placed on General File with AM904 (legislature) - 2025-03-13: Wordekemper priority bill (legislature) - 2025-01-28: Notice of hearing for February 05, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-01-24: Referred to Revenue Committee (legislature) - 2025-01-22: Date of introduction (legislature) ## Bill text - Introduced, 2025-01-22: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB608.pdf) - Enrolled / Slip Law: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Slip/LB608.pdf) - Final / Enacted: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Final/LB608.pdf) ## Related bills - LB468: Change provisions relating to inheritance taxes, change certain fee and tax provisions, and eliminate a sales tax exemption relating to data centers (failed) - LB13: Require the Department of Health and Human Services to file a state plan amendment relating to child care (failed) - LB677: Change provisions of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act and provide for regulation of medical cannabis (failed) - LB170: Eliminate the sales tax exemptions for candy and soft drinks (failed) - LB646: Provide an exemption from brand inspections and change fees under the Livestock Brand Act (failed) - LB714: Change provisions relating to motor vehicle taxes and fees (failed) ## Sources - [Introduced (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB608.pdf) - [Enrolled / Slip Law (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Slip/LB608.pdf) - [Final / Enacted (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Final/LB608.pdf) ## Related - [LB468: Change provisions relating to inheritance taxes, change certain fee and tax pro…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB468-109) - [LB13: Require the Department of Health and Human Services to file a state plan amendm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB13-109) - [LB677: Change provisions of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act and provide f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB677-109) - [LB170: Eliminate the sales tax exemptions for candy and soft drinks](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB170-109) - [LB646: Provide an exemption from brand inspections and change fees under the Livestock…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB646-109) - [LB714: Change provisions relating to motor vehicle taxes and fees](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB714-109) - [Nebraska bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/nebraska/bills) - [Nebraska state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/nebraska) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB608-109 (as of 2026-10-17).