Transportation and Telecommunication Committee
February 3, 2025
Committee Chair: Sen. Mike Moser | Bills Heard: 5 | Full Transcript (PDF)
LB97: DMV cleanup and harmonization bill
Introduced by: Sen. John Fredrickson | Testimony: 1 proponents, 0 opponents, 0 neutral | Read bill text (PDF)
DMV advances cleanup bill to streamline motor vehicle operations. LB97 makes technical corrections to align Nebraska statutes with federal regulations, addressing everything from commercial driver's license deferred judgments to amphibious vehicle definitions. The bill protects email and phone numbers as sensitive personal information and allows the DMV to charge fees for out-of-state vehicle inspections.
Why it matters: The changes ensure Nebraska maintains compliance with federal motor vehicle requirements to protect critical federal highway funding while improving administrative efficiency across the state's vehicle registration and licensing systems.
What they're saying: Director Rhonda Lahm testified the bill eliminates outdated language, streamlines processes, and ensures the DMV remains "modern, effective and legally compliant." No opposition was raised.
What's next: The bill received one online proponent comment and no opposition. No vote was taken during the hearing.
Committee sentiment: Supportive: Sen. Tom Brandt, Sen. Dunixi Guereca
Sentiment estimated from questions and comments — not stated positions.
LB398: Annual federal motor vehicle regulations update
Introduced by: Sen. Mike Moser | Testimony: 2 proponents, 0 opponents, 0 neutral | Read bill text (PDF)
Nebraska updates motor vehicle regulations to maintain federal compliance. LB398 aligns state statutes with federal motor vehicle safety, licensing, and commercial driver requirements effective January 1, 2025. The bill incorporates updates to vehicle classifications, medical certification requirements for CDL holders, and creates an annual mechanism for updating federal regulation references.
Why it matters: Maintaining federal compliance ensures Nebraska continues receiving federal highway funding and enables law enforcement to enforce current safety standards on commercial vehicles that impact road safety.
What they're saying: Director Lahm emphasized the bill "ensures Nebraska remains compliant with federal motor vehicle and commercial transportation laws." Lt. Maytum noted NSP conducted over 26,000 roadside inspections in FY2024, identifying thousands of violations that keep roads safer.
What's next: No opposition or neutral testimony was received. No vote was taken during the hearing.
Committee sentiment: Supportive: Sen. Tom Brandt
Sentiment estimated from questions and comments — not stated positions.
LB543: Print-on-demand license plate production and multi-year registration
Introduced by: Sen. Robert Dover | Testimony: 2 proponents, 0 opponents, 1 neutral | Read bill text (PDF)
Nebraska moves to print-on-demand license plates to eliminate waste and boost efficiency. LB543 transitions the state to printing plates only after purchase, beginning with the 2029 plate cycle. The bill allows multi-year registrations, consolidates registration documents and stickers, provides a 30-day grace period for delivery, and eliminates approximately 120,000 wasted plates annually—saving roughly $480,000 at $4 per plate.
Why it matters: The system reduces administrative burden for businesses managing large vehicle fleets, improves fraud prevention by printing license plate numbers on decals, and generates significant cost savings while maintaining law enforcement access to current registration data.
What they're saying: Director Lahm emphasized the system "eliminates the approximately 100,000 or more plates that are wasted at the end of each plate issuance cycle." Adam Feser of the Nebraska Cooperative Council noted 18 surveyed ag cooperatives manage 19,608 vehicles that would benefit from extended registration periods. The Nebraska Association of County Officials testified neutrally, acknowledging efficiencies while noting the loss of the courthouse plate-pickup experience.
What's next: No vote was taken during the hearing. The bill received two online proponent comments and no opposition.
Committee sentiment: Supportive: Sen. Tom Brandt, Sen. Wendy DeBoer, Sen. John Fredrickson, Sen. Mike Moser, Sen. Tom Storer
Sentiment estimated from questions and comments — not stated positions.
LB207: Registration fee for commercial alternative-fuel vehicles over 7,500 pounds
Introduced by: Sen. Brad von Gillern | Testimony: 2 proponents, 1 opponents, 0 neutral | Read bill text (PDF)
Nebraska targets heavy commercial electric vehicles with higher registration fees. LB207 creates a new registration fee for commercially registered alternative-fuel vehicles weighing 7,500 pounds or more, set at three times the standard EV fee (currently $450). The bill specifically exempts apportioned vehicles and does not apply to vehicles using fossil fuels.
Why it matters: As electric vehicles proliferate, states must replace lost gas tax revenue. Heavy commercial EVs—like delivery vans—cause greater road wear than passenger vehicles but currently pay the same registration fee. The bill ensures commercial operators contribute proportionally to road maintenance.
What they're saying: Sen. von Gillern emphasized the bill targets commercial delivery vehicles, not personal EV owners or pickup trucks, noting delivery vans drive 20,000-30,000 miles annually versus 10,000-12,000 for typical passenger vehicles. Katie Wilson of highway contractors supported the bill as extending the gas tax principle—the more you use roads, the more you pay. Mary Vaggalis of Tesla opposed it as discriminatory, noting no other states have similar structures and commercial EVs generate additional revenue through sales tax and charging infrastructure.
What's next: No vote was taken during the hearing. The bill received three online proponent comments and four opponent comments.
Committee sentiment: Supportive: Sen. Tom Storer, Sen. John Fredrickson, Sen. Wendy DeBoer, Sen. Dunixi Guereca, Sen. Mike Moser
Sentiment estimated from questions and comments — not stated positions.
LB114: Update fees for driver and vehicle records
Introduced by: Sen. Mike Moser | Testimony: 1 proponents, 3 opponents, 0 neutral | Read bill text (PDF)
DMV seeks steep fee increases to accelerate driver's license modernization. LB114 would triple driver record fees from $7.50 to $24 and increase monitoring fees 500% from $0.06 to $0.30 per record. The bill generates over $12 million annually, with $11.50 per record going to the General Fund and the remainder to the DMV Cash Fund to fund an expedited driver's license modernization project.
Why it matters: The DMV wants to deploy new technology six years early to avoid $20 million in exponential cost increases. However, the fee increases—among the highest in the nation—will likely raise auto insurance premiums for Nebraskans, as insurance companies pass costs to consumers.
What they're saying: Director Lahm emphasized the modernization saves $20 million and noted Nebraska is currently in the bottom 10% of states for record fees. But opponents pushed back hard: Farmers Mutual testified the increase would cost them $1.485 million annually just for driver records, while neighboring South Dakota charges $5 and North Dakota charges $3. Sen. DeBoer called the General Fund allocation a "quiet tax" and questioned why it exists at all.
By the numbers: Driver record fee increase: $7.50 to $24 (220% increase). Monitoring fee increase: $0.06 to $0.30 (400% increase). Estimated annual revenue: $12 million. Farmers Mutual's estimated annual cost increase: ~$2 million.
What's next: No vote was taken during the hearing. The bill received zero proponent testimony, three opponent testifiers, and five online opponent comments.
Committee sentiment: Supportive: Sen. Dunixi Guereca Skeptical: Sen. John Fredrickson, Sen. Tom Brandt, Sen. Tom Storer Opposed: Sen. Wendy DeBoer
Sentiment estimated from questions and comments — not stated positions.
Session Notes
Committee Chair Mike Moser noted the agenda was rearranged to place the bill expected to generate the most discussion (LB207) at the end so members with other bills could leave early. Sen. Wendy DeBoer served as chair pro tem in the absence of Vice Chair Ballard. Pages for the day were Logan and Alberto. The committee uses a three-minute light system for testimony. No demonstrations of opposition or support are allowed.
Generated by NE Wire Service | Source: Nebraska Legislature Transcribers Office This is an AI-generated summary. Verify all claims against the official transcript.