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Ponca Tribe seeks state construction dollars for Chief Standing Bear Museum; bill filed to appropriate up to $7M per year
Summary
Sen. Barry DeKay introduced LB491 to appropriate up to $7 million in FY26 and $7 million in FY27 to the Museum Construction and Maintenance Fund for a Chief Standing Bear Museum and Visitor Center. Ponca Tribe leaders and backers described design work, a $35 million total project estimate and prior state appropriations for exhibits.
Senator Barry DeKay opened a hearing for LB491, a bill to appropriate up to $7,000,000 in the 2025–26 fiscal year and up to $7,000,000 in 2026–27 into the Museum Construction and Maintenance Fund for construction of a Chief Standing Bear Museum and Visitor Center.
Representatives of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska said the museum will honor Chief Standing Bear and serve as a cultural and educational destination in northeast Nebraska near Niobrara. Courtney Chavez, CEO of tribal affairs for the Ponca Tribe, described the project's goals and told the committee the exhibit package and a model are already available for public viewing. Chavez said the concept has evolved from a $15 million vision to a current schematic design cost estimate of about $35 million, and the Ponca Tribe is pursuing additional fundraising, a prior Shakopee Nation planning grant, federal grant opportunities and grant management through Nebraska Game and Parks.
Ponca Chairwoman Candace Schmidt and others outlined planned amenities including exhibit space, an event and community area, a theater, a recording studio, a community kitchen and spaces for language and cultural preservation. The tribe said it seeks state funding as part of a multi‑source financing plan; the commission's Museum Construction and Maintenance Fund already holds $750,000 appropriated for exhibit fabrication and interpretation.
Historical and civic supporters — including Judy Gashkibosch of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and author/testifier Joe Starita — placed Chief Standing Bear in historical context and urged committee support. Testimony described existing memorials (statue in Statuary Hall, a state capitol sculpture) and an upcoming feature film that will raise public interest. The Ponca tribe requested the committee consider the appropriation and said it will continue fundraising and federal grant efforts to reach the overall budget.
Ending: Senator DeKay said he would remain to close. The committee took testimony from proponents; no opponents or neutral testifiers appeared during the hearing and no committee vote was recorded.
