[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6297781,"mediaKeyId","2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf","parentId",2506767,"title","Nebraska Public Media requests $850,000 to complete KUON transmitter upgrade and seeks operating increases","audioSeconds",400,"startMs",833000,"endMs",1233000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf&start=833&end=1233","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf/thumbnail_833000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6297781/Nebraska/Nebraska-Public-Media-requests-850000-to-complete-KUON-transmitter-upgrade-and-seeks-operating-increases","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297781-a1edc37c889b7ce0a59dd72a3c4e18e4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141776&Signature=kxuYfwW5Mt0ETr0IMSMaTuKl-RfV~pJq7f7-XVz4RgOCsjAKqCegeZx1sNXpHmpxEu9~ldN6NalIpco6hMv4PKQ86CFA6U1xpKaf37rVNTswRE8pdL3Px6lcZehcIg7XSL1-NtNzyvFurxrxiMDbU69IraO85ymkTa8HXmyQJhJtT2acV4ZZeGgqyyf5vNyyUxozzKJgQiob2g4J3pRC6OtEq-L9upezjjBzGQYhil8vk~k2zQX5WEYw~4YsibexVZuET-7DDXv87MbUcO7A~4GfZs1qkh018VpAJTa3vP6z0lccv3Z07m353IzOuYf8qW7YO2uaVikjOxe1yinfBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nebraska Legislature","date","2025-03-04T00:00:00Z","article","Stacy Decker, general manager of Nebraska Public Media (also identified as the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission), asked the Appropriations Committee for funds to cover operating cost increases and to complete a capital construction project to transition KUON TV from VHF to UHF. Decker said the station’s approved 2023 capital allocation of $800,000 began the transmission replacement and the commission now requests an additional $850,000 in fiscal 2026 to finish the KUON transmitter and antenna work. “Your support is what enables us to tell Nebraska stories through trusted programming in news, sports, education, and culture,” Decker said.

Decker outlined multiple operating requests: increased DAS assessments and insurance (estimated $74,000 in 2026 and $22,500 in 2027), maintenance and technical supply funding (she asked to restore part of an original $50,000 request), additional operating support for four planned rural full-power radio stations (McCook, Broken Bow, Fall City and Columbus) and continued equipment replacement funding to keep pace with broadcast technology changes. She said the rural radio sites will fill gaps in FM coverage and support emergency alerts.

On the KUON capital project, Decker said the VHF-to-UHF transition will improve reception, position Nebraska Public Media for the industry’s ATSC 3.0 standard and enhance long-term reliability; installation was scheduled for the coming fall, she said. Decker warned that if the requested capital funding is not provided the transmitter project would be put on hold despite the station having ordered a new transmitter.

Committee members asked whether services the commission provides to the Legislature and to state public-safety broadcasters (for example, gavel-to-gavel legislative coverage and NOAA/Amber Alert-related transmitters) would be affected by operating shortfalls. Decker said those contracts would not necessarily be affected by the operating requests she outlined. She also confirmed the insurance increases are assessed through the Department of Administrative Services (DAS).

Ending: Decker closed by thanking the committee for prior support and offering her CFO to answer follow-up questions. No opponents testified on Agency 47 that day.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Committee - 3/4/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Stacy Decker, general manager of Nebraska Public Media, told the Appropriations Committee the organization needs additional biennial funding for utilities, maintenance and a capital project to replace KUON TV's VHF antenna with a UHF system and to prepare for the ATSC 3.0 broadcast transition.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NE, Nebraska","taxId",77675,"location","Nebraska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6297786,"Adjutant General tells Appropriations committee governor’s budget meets Nebraska Military Department needs",623,193000,816000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf&start=193&end=816","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf/thumbnail_193000.jpg","/articles/6297786/Nebraska/Adjutant-General-tells-Appropriations-committee-governors-budget-meets-Nebraska-Military-Department-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297786-b2341149fb2b0771951f3879974d51f9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141776&Signature=V1-EPTlSrj3xb1-nwbeIrbIypLGYCOJEBwd41y7U2ePifBAQAmicH1x6CxnwltT~pGt-3fwxx4eHHObX5pErSly8y0Q7rpYqtEQtaT0NOBkAhHTeiKq1YUbj7VDz80VVjyJC2nAV9aR3yiu5Z1T~4~wkNSUdTqYc17IbwuNewz~Hnjrz4m8yRUVpxV-Bm3aMk2QzFK4Vgf1lsmv9cMYEao3NEd0S6pFJyrEuhthWd9g7c-78jwhbZ1nF5-C-ZPVlFXraxzN0tHJNl2ahEgkenfj9hNlY31Ie7KBq1bENn~SIPHVLxawxQ5WqMhPZ7pmrMgJPrWDg0JMUJojSZCYNPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Major General Craig Strong, the Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard and Director of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that the governor’s biennium recommendation for the Nebraska Military Department “is sufficient and meets our needs.” He said the department is made up of the Nebraska Army National Guard, the Nebraska Air National Guard and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The department relies on federal funding for more than 90% of its budget, Strong said, with the remaining roughly 10% funded by the state to cover construction, salaries and other items not eligible for federal reimbursement. “Funding for NEMA is a mixture of federal grants and state contributions,” he said, adding that the blended funding gives the agency flexibility to respond to emergencies \"before, during, and after\" incidents.

The committee pressed Strong on personnel levels. Strong said the Air National Guard is near full strength — “about 100%, almost 99% strength” — while the Army National Guard is closer to 90% strength. He described recruiting progress year to date and said the force has experienced strong enlistment months recently: “We’ve enlisted approximately 150 soldiers…which is approximately 92% of our goal.” He also warned that an elevated retiree cohort is a near-term concern, noting roughly 22% of the force will be retirement-eligible in the next year.

Committee members asked about payroll, state active duty and interstate support. Strong said federal payrolls for Guard members are processed through federal systems, while state active duty pay (for events such as tornado response) is processed by the state; he reported no significant state payroll issues in 2024. He described mutual-aid mechanisms such as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) for interstate requests and noted that reimbursements may flow between states depending on the mission.

Strong also described outreach and recruiting incentives, telling the committee that tuition assistance — and removal of a prior cap on that program — is a major recruitment tool and that “we have a record number of individuals…utilizing the program for college tuition assistance.” He closed by thanking members for prior support and offering to answer follow-up questions; the committee received no agency opponents or additional testimony for Agency 31 that day.

Ending: The Appropriations Committee concluded testimony for Agency 31 after questions on staffing, state active duty procedures and recruiting incentives. No formal action or vote was taken at the hearing.","Major General Craig Strong, the Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard and Director of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that the governor’s biennium recommendation for the Nebraska Military Department “is sufficient and meets our needs.”",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6297771,"Lawmakers hear bipartisan push to fund statewide radios for volunteer fire departments (LB25, LB62)",0,2658000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf&start=2658&end=2658","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf/thumbnail_2658000.jpg","/articles/6297771/Nebraska/Lawmakers-hear-bipartisan-push-to-fund-statewide-radios-for-volunteer-fire-departments-LB25-LB62","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297771-6e06fbf8139425b63632d715606f8252/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141776&Signature=M481W0ItiR9Y2EywtfxwJt~Y7Gij4fdC8cBuXIvypzECpfS54fVqkgML6ou57XqgyMhSi3RoFSKzfcrW~etUDFOruvBXjzPBNVljgFnh7xM5vIZ73g1U-vB~YQ8Nz8F93QVUV9FtzTqD8pqtqItVkdcv-6ImBDHlw2L3HOx4rCgwprPQIiaukPOVIIbWnp9FOl9-hZNTSEkHg~IUjw3QlQnOgKj8759GZa1~swlw60nb089gHkBdmq58CXctnRT~oCAINjBZR3MbpRLwnoQaEOZMec4IMOK1jgoiJtlNiR5kyP0XeYsh9zHMOSjAW17xJb2QfxVthwvNLqae1sqedg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators Beau Ballard and Tom Brandt asked the Appropriations Committee to fund equipment and grants to improve radio interoperability for Nebraska’s volunteer fire departments. Ballard introduced LB25, a 1:1 local matching grant proposal to help counties and fire districts buy and install radios and related equipment. Brandt’s LB62 would appropriate $19 million from the General Fund for fiscal 2025–26 to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to expand the Statewide Radio System (SRS) kits to volunteer departments.

Senator Ballard said the bills respond to practical safety failures. “The bill mitigates interoperable operational issues and appropriates additional dollars to Nebraska public safety communication system and bolsters local investments through the establishment of a 1 to 1 matching grant program,” Ballard told the committee. Several volunteer chiefs and emergency responders described incidents in which communications were ineffective: Linwood Rural Fire Chief Joel Cerny said an April 2022 field fire response involving departments from four counties became “a disaster, as each of the counties were using a different frequency.” Dan Ripley, a volunteer EMT, said the Broken Bow fires showed how an interoperable system “allowed agencies to communicate,” and that mismatched equipment has real consequences: “Time is muscle,” he testified about cardiac and traumatic medical calls.

Officials and association representatives described the funded kit the state has distributed: a typical kit includes a vehicular/mobile radio, a vehicular repeater (to link hand-portable radios to the statewide system) and portable radios. OCIO manager Dave Colllett said each portable radio costs about $8,000–$9,000 and a full kit previously distributed runs about $25,000; vehicular repeaters allow lower-power portables to connect in areas where portable radios alone have insufficient coverage. Testimony and county officials emphasized that some areas remain dead zones because of tower coverage gaps; several neutral testifiers from Merrick and Central City said a kit will not function if local tower coverage is inadequate.

Proponents described prior funding rounds: the Legislature appropriated $5 million in 2023 and $2 million in 2024 and those initial distributions reached more than 175 departments, proponents said, but demand outpaced available funds. Lancaster County witnesses said the county used $500,000 in ARPA funds to buy equipment and commissioned a local study that estimated Lancaster-only upgrade costs ranging from about $1.48 million to $9.15 million depending on scope.

Several volunteer organizations and county officials urged passage to close a statewide safety gap; OCIO staff offered technical clarifications in a neutral capacity. No opponents testified.

Ending: Committee members asked technical and coverage questions; sponsors and proponents said funding would prioritize interoperability and training. The committee took no floor action at the hearing.","Senators Beau Ballard and Tom Brandt and multiple volunteer chiefs urged the Appropriations Committee to fund radios and matching grants so volunteer fire departments can join the statewide radio system. Testimony described dangerous mutual-aid incidents in which responders could not communicate because departments used different frequencies; kit",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6297776,"DAS director seeks $40 million for OSOB sale process, $500,000 for fleet and pledges efficiency review",283,1522000,1805000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf&start=1522&end=1805","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2506767-e8a17549db277ebbceb590b9ac822ddf/thumbnail_1522000.jpg","/articles/6297776/Nebraska/DAS-director-seeks-40-million-for-OSOB-sale-process-500000-for-fleet-and-pledges-efficiency-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297776-2189897c282187af77142dcbe9374b22/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141776&Signature=Mf9LMbSmgpAFjiuXvSRqHegLjzX8tVx26Ifoc~uka0WEaaqI9qF-vJ14PTrSnmN0DItEENQNjbZMP7LymvewqSxQuepxXn9ykpwpcJBTId2IkTMFJ1lAVjLhl4iN5rCkwzW5IghwizHuLAdksz4HnJ7AuAzv-rlwIsH49a7jyiBzsFqq3cJDjPQusdJ4ojLhRY-M9YrBpCB72EDi9Yjp3W~VSmehiQg6AIQ0rb1nGhWZwPYRsMiSnAGtMKVzGnKPHEaKlutxfWbkTCmwefJERBDyIYYxjDEFjVzwBS8aTtpgYKrisomk0b1Ggl5vJUl5~TX9oJ0l9OteZMIVxx8~Vw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lee Will, director of the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), testified to the Appropriations Committee in support of the governor’s budget recommendations and outlined several large agency requests. Will described a requested $40,000,000 revolving fund appropriation to support real-estate transactions around the proposed sale of the Omaha State Office Building (OSOB) and relocation of 13 state agency occupants. He said OSOB has estimated deferred maintenance of roughly $10 million to $20 million and that the appropriation would be used to pursue a sale and identify replacement office space.

Will also explained a $500,000 requested revolving fund increase for the DAS Transportation Services Bureau (TSB) to cover rising operational costs — fuel, insurance, repairs and higher vehicle acquisition costs driven by manufacturers’ shift away from sedan models. He reported the state has roughly 4,300 vehicles and about 17,000 state employees and said DAS plans a fleet-utilization study to “right-size” the pool of vehicles.

Will reviewed recent state-auditor findings and said some large dollar items reported in the annual comprehensive financial report were clerical classifications rather than fiscal weakness, noting a $1.96 billion classification error and another $283 million federal fund classification issue. “I would say this is in no way a reflection or testament of the state's financial position. It was frankly a, clerical error,” Will told the committee; he said DAS resolved roughly 77% of repeat audit findings and intends to push toward 100% resolution.

On procurement and administrative reforms, Will described efforts to return more workers to office space, reduce mail-route costs, adopt value-based procurement metrics and reexamine IT and rate structures (including $1.1 million annual Workday-related costs that had previously been covered by COVID funding). Committee members asked about details of operating-expense line items; Will offered to provide a detailed breakout of allocation codes.

Ending: Will closed by offering to answer additional questions and to provide follow-up documentation; the committee accepted DAS testimony and heard a short proponent statement from the Capitol Commission.","Lee Will, director of the Department of Administrative Services, told the Appropriations Committee the agency requests a $40 million revolving fund appropriation to support sale/relocation work for the Omaha State Office Building and a $500,000 increase for Transportation Services Bureau operations; he summarized steps to reduce repeated audit","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Nebraska Public Media requests $850,000 to complete KUON transmitter upgrade and seeks operating increases

Adjutant General tells Appropriations committee governor’s budget meets Nebraska Military Department needs

Lawmakers hear bipartisan push to fund statewide radios for volunteer fire departments (LB25, LB62)

DAS director seeks $40 million for OSOB sale process, $500,000 for fleet and pledges efficiency review