Senators adopt amendments requiring biannual reports from Omaha Housing Authority and allow city code enforcement options

Senator Mickey McKinney sponsored and opened floor debate on amendments to LB287 seeking to clarify oversight and reporting requirements for housing authorities in cities of the metropolitan class.

McKinney said AM990 (first offered) was negotiated with the Omaha Housing Authority and the city of Omaha to clarify complaint and reporting requirements. Under AM990 a housing authority for a city of the metropolitan class must submit a report every six months to the city and to the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee. The report must include information on pest control management activities during the six‑month period, the number of eviction filings during the period, the number and nature of complaints or grievances filed, current vacancy rates, and relevant updates from meetings and agencies. Senator McKinney said the six‑month cadence was chosen because issues related to housing and pest control can evolve quickly and more frequent reporting would help the Legislature and city respond faster than an annual report.

Senators discussed whether the city would have enforcement duties; McKinney and other supporters clarified the bill does not obligate the city to pay for mitigation or give the city unilateral power to enforce changes inside the housing authority, but it allows the city to use existing code‑enforcement tools if it chooses to do so and to receive the reports. Senator John Kavanaugh noted the amendments were a negotiated compromise and urged colleagues to support AM990 so the Legislature would receive regular oversight information.

The body adopted AM990 (voice and recorded votes recorded on the floor). The clerk announced the vote as recorded in the transcript: “34 ayes, no nays on the adoption of the amendment.”

After AM990, McKinney offered AM961 requiring any housing authority in a city of the metropolitan class to comply with a city’s rental inspection and registration ordinance, and to cooperate with code enforcement and inspections if cities adopt such ordinances. McKinney said the amendment was a compromise reached with the City of Omaha and the Omaha Housing Authority and was intended to help ensure consistent standards and enable the city and the housing authority to coordinate on remediation steps when problems arise.

AM961 was adopted by the Legislature; the clerk recorded the vote in the transcript as “33 ayes, no nays.” Following those two adopted amendments, Senator McKinney moved to advance LB287 to E & R for engrossing; the bill was advanced on the floor (advancement recorded in the transcript; no roll call tally for the advancement was provided in the transcript excerpt).

Why it matters: LB287 and its adopted amendments add reporting and coordination requirements for housing authorities in metropolitan cities, most notably the Omaha Housing Authority. The changes are designed to improve oversight and timeliness of information to both local officials and the Legislature on pest control, evictions, grievances and vacancy data. The transcript shows the amendments were negotiated with the city and housing authority and passed with recorded affirmative votes.

What the amendments do (short): - AM990: Requires the housing authority for a city of the metropolitan class to submit semiannual reports to the city and the Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee including pest mitigation actions, eviction filings, complaints/grievances, and vacancy rates. - AM961: Requires housing authorities in cities of the metropolitan class to comply with city rental inspection and registration ordinances and to submit to any resulting city code enforcement/inspection process if the city adopts such an ordinance.

Next steps: LB287, as amended, advanced to E & R for engrossing. Sponsors indicated ongoing coordination with local stakeholders would continue as implementation proceeds.