At OpenSky, we prioritize data and evidence to ensure our work is a credible, unbiased and reliable resource for policymakers, media and all Nebraskans.
Our primers aim to provide an overview of the issues important to creating fair and just outcomes for everyone.
“A Healthy Nebraska,” updated in 2023, provides an overview of Medicaid and CHIP funding in Nebraska.
“Taking Ownership,” released in 2023, explores the history of property taxes in Nebraska with information on the valuation process, how revenues are distributed and efforts the state has made to lower property taxes.
“Investing In Our Future,” updated in 2025, explores how Nebraska has paid for K-12 education in the past, how it does so now and discusses the perceived inequities of our current system.
“Sustaining the Good Life,” updated in 2025, examines the use and funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in our state.
Keep tabs on policy changes under consideration as the Nebraska Legislature meets each year.
Using census data, OpenSky produced fact sheets showing the diversity among Nebraska’s 49 legislative districts.
OpenSky compiled profiles of Nebraska’s public school districts to help taxpayers to better understand education funding.
Learn about proposal to replace most state and local taxes with a single tax on consumption.
Learn about proposals for taxpayer-funded scholarship programs that threaten funding for public schools.
As the legislature begins Select File debate on the package of bills that become the biennial budget, there remain a lot of hotly debated ideas and plenty of unknowns. When the Legislature began its work in January, they were facing a $432 million budget deficit, setting up an arduous process of seeking to close the […]
11 million Nearly 11 million people live in households that would be at risk of losing at least some food assistance under a proposal under consideration in Congress, according to analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), it imposes harsher work requirements for beneficiaries of the […]
A lot to report this week as the legislature begins to debate the biennial budget and weigh the options ahead for filling a significant budget shortfall. We’ll get right into it! Four things to know about the budget as we move into debate 1. Low spending growth Projected General Fund spending for the coming biennium […]
$396 million The Appropriations Committee released the final budget report earlier this week, setting the stage for the proposal that will be debated by the Legislature starting May 6. The shortfall the body needs to close increased to $396 million after less-than-rosy revenue projections by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board. Two pieces of legislation […]
The Omaha World Herald’s Josh Reyes details several tax policies currently under consideration in the Nebraska Legislature. Read more here.
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Resources At OpenSky, we prioritize data and evidence to ensure our work is a credible, unbiased and reliable resource for policymakers, media and all Nebraskans. Primers Our primers aim to provide an overview of the issues important to creating fair and just outcomes for everyone. Medicaid “A Healthy Nebraska,” updated
