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Nebraska committee hears bill to let counties move permanent records off microfilm and onto modern durable media
Summary
At a Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, Sen. Rita Sanders introduced LB919 to allow counties to use modern, searchable durable media (for example PDF/A and secure electronic storage) instead of microfilm for permanent public records; NACO witnesses cited scarcity and rising cost of microfilm.
Sen. Rita Sanders opened the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee hearing and introduced LB919, saying the bill — carried at NACO's request — would let government officials use alternatives to microfilm for preserving permanent public records while keeping requirements that those records be durable, accurate and complete.
Supporters told senators microfilm is increasingly scarce and expensive. "Just to give you an idea, we were able to order a 100 rolls. The cost was $67.50 for 1 roll," Candace Meredith, who testified for the Nebraska Association of County Officials, said. Meredith said many counties already create searchable PDF-based copies for day-to-day use, but microfilm or another second, secured copy is still required by statute.
Meredith and Sen. Sanders emphasized that the bill does not remove the permanence or security requirement; it allows jurisdictions to adopt an "accessible durable medium" that improves public access and searchability while preserving legal integrity. Meredith told the committee that History Nebraska and the secretary of state have discussed the change and that some bill language should be clarified (she asked the committee to confirm the intended phrase "accessible durable medium").
Committee members asked about technical choices and security controls — including PDF/A format, cloud versus on-site storage, redundancy and whether courts' records processes overlap — and supporters said those details remain to be worked out. The bill's intent, they said, is to align statute with how counties actually manage records today while maintaining audit trails and retention schedules.
The committee closed the hearing on LB919 after taking testimony and recorded online positions at the time of the hearing (4 proponents, 0 opponents, 0 neutral).
