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LEGISLATIVE BILL 883
Approved by the Governor April 14, 2026
Introduced by Andersen, 49.
A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to grants for political subdivisions; to amend
sections 13-2703, 13-2704.01, and 13-2705, Reissue Revised Statutes of
Nebraska, and sections 19-1201, 19-1202, and 19-1204, Revised Statutes
Supplement, 2025; to change provisions relating to the Civic and Community
Center Financing Act and the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program; and
to repeal the original sections.
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
Section 1. Section 13-2703, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
13-2703 For purposes of the Civic and Community Center Financing Act:
(1) Applicant means and includes (a) any city or village in this state
that is eligible for a grant of assistance pursuant to section 13-2706 and (b)
any tribal government;
(2) Civic center means a facility that is used to host conventions,
meetings, and cultural events or a library;
(3) Department means the Department of Economic Development;
(4) Eligible facility means any civic center, historic building or
district, public space, or recreation center;
(5) Fund means the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund;
(6) Historic building or district means a property building or district
that is determined by the State Historic Preservation Officer or his or her
designee to be eligible for listing on or currently listed on the National
Register of Historic Places or a property building that is certified as an
individual property or district designated pursuant to a landmark ordinance or
resolution enacted by a city, village, or county, which ordinance or resolution
has been approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer contributing to
the significance of a registered state or national historic district;
(7) Political subdivision means a county, school district, community
college area, or natural resources district;
(8) Public space means property located within the traditional center of a
community, typically comprised of a cohesive core of residential, civic,
religious, and commercial buildings, arranged around a main street and
intersecting streets;
(9) Recreation center means a facility or park used for athletics,
fitness, sport activities, or recreation that is owned by an applicant and is
available for use by the general public with or without charge. Recreation
center does not include any facility that requires a person to purchase a
membership to utilize such facility; and
(10) Tribal government means the officially recognized government of any
Indian tribe, nation, or other organized group or community located in the
state exercising self-government powers and recognized as eligible for services
provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians or
any Indian tribe located in the state and recognized as an Indian tribe by the
state.
Sec. 2. Section 13-2704.01, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
amended to read:
13-2704.01 (1) The department shall use the fund to provide grants of
assistance for the following purposes:
(a) To assist in the construction of new civic centers and recreation
centers or the renovation or expansion of existing civic centers and recreation
centers;
(b) To assist in the preservation, restoration, conversion,
rehabilitation, demolition, or reuse of historic buildings or districts; or
(c) To assist in the construction or upgrade of public spaces, including
the demolition of property substandard and abandoned buildings.
(2) Applications for grants of assistance pursuant to this section shall
be evaluated by the department pursuant to section 13-2707.
Sec. 3. Section 13-2705, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended
to read:
13-2705 The department may conditionally approve grants of assistance from
the fund to eligible and competitive applicants subject to the following limits
and requirements:
(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this section and subsection
(4) of section 13-2706, a grant request shall be in an amount meeting the
following requirements:
(a) For a grant of assistance under section 13-2704.01, at least fifteen
thousand dollars but no more than:
(i) For a city of the primary class or a tribal government, two million
two hundred fifty thousand dollars;
(ii) For a city with a population of at least forty thousand inhabitants
but fewer than one hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most
recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by
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the United States Bureau of the Census, one million one hundred twenty-five
thousand dollars;
(iii) For a city with a population of at least twenty thousand inhabitants
but fewer than forty thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent
federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the
United States Bureau of the Census, seven hundred fifty thousand dollars;
(iv) For a city with a population of at least ten thousand inhabitants but
fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal
decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United
States Bureau of the Census, six hundred thousand dollars; and
(v) For a municipality with a population of fewer than ten thousand
inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the
most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census,
three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars; and
(b) For a grant of assistance under section 13-2704.02, at least three
thousand dollars but no more than fifteen thousand dollars;
(2) Except as provided in subsection (4) of section 13-2706, upon the
balance of the fund reaching three million seven hundred fifty thousand
dollars, and until the balance of the fund falls below one million five hundred
thousand dollars, a grant request shall be in an amount meeting the following
requirements:
(a) For a grant of assistance under section 13-2704.01, at least fifteen
thousand dollars but no more than:
(i) For a city of the primary class or a tribal government, three million
three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars;
(ii) For a city with a population of at least forty thousand inhabitants
but fewer than one hundred thousand inhabitants as determined by the most
recent federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by
the United States Bureau of the Census, one million six hundred eighty-seven
thousand dollars;
(iii) For a city with a population of at least twenty thousand inhabitants
but fewer than forty thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent
federal decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the
United States Bureau of the Census, one million one hundred twenty-five
thousand dollars;
(iv) For a city with a population of at least ten thousand inhabitants but
fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal
decennial census or the most recent revised certified count by the United
States Bureau of the Census, nine hundred thousand dollars; and
(v) For a municipality with a population of fewer than ten thousand
inhabitants as determined by the most recent federal decennial census or the
most recent revised certified count by the United States Bureau of the Census,
five hundred sixty-two thousand dollars; and
(b) For a grant of assistance under section 13-2704.02, at least three
thousand dollars but no more than fifteen thousand dollars;
(3) Assistance from the fund shall not amount to more than fifty percent
of the cost of the project for which a grant is requested;
(4) An applicant shall not be awarded more than one grant of assistance
under section 13-2704.01 and one grant of assistance under section 13-2704.02
in any two-year period;
(5) Any eligible facility for which a grant of assistance under section
13-2704.01 is made shall not be sold for at least five years following the
award of such grant of assistance;
(6) An application for a grant of assistance to assist in the
preservation, restoration, conversion, rehabilitation, demolition, or reuse of
a historic building or district shall include:
(a) A a notification of approval from the State Historic Preservation
Officer that the work proposed in the application conforms to the United States
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties;
or . If the application does not include such notification of approval from the
State Historic Preservation Officer, the department shall not award a grant of
assistance for such application; and
(b) Documentation showing that preservation-based mitigation strategies
have been agreed to by the applicant and the State Historic Preservation
Officer; and
(7) An application for a grant of assistance to a municipality partnering
with a certified creative district as provided in subsection (4) of section
13-2706 shall include a notification of approval from the Nebraska Arts Council
that the work proposed in the application conforms to the council's standards.
If the application does not include such notification of approval from the
Nebraska Arts Council, the department shall not award a grant of assistance for
such application.
Sec. 4. Section 19-1201, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
19-1201 (1) There is hereby established the Revitalize Rural Nebraska
Grant Program. The governing body of a city of the first class, a city of the
second class, or a village may apply, on behalf of the city or village, to the
Department of Water, Energy, and Environment for approval of a dilapidated
commercial property demolition grant for substandard and abandoned commercial
property. The Director of Water, Energy, and Environment shall prescribe the
form and manner of application.
(2) The department shall award the grants annually on a competitive basis
beginning in fiscal year 2023-24 subject to available funds. The department
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shall give priority to applications from cities of the second class and
villages. If there are funds remaining at the end of each grant period, the
department shall consider applications from cities of the first class. A city
or village may apply for more than one grant. The department shall give
preference to new applicants.
(3) There shall be no limit on the amount that can be awarded to each
applicant within the available funding. It is the intent of the Legislature
that if the department does not award all of the available appropriation for
grants under the program, the unobligated amount of the appropriation shall be
reappropriated for the next fiscal year to be awarded during the next grant
period.
Sec. 5. Section 19-1202, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
19-1202 (1) The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment shall award a
grant to a city or village under the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program
based on a completed application that demonstrates:
(a) (1) A substandard and abandoned dilapidated commercial property within
the corporate limits of the city or village is in need of demolition;
(b) (2) The city or village owns the property or is completing the process
prescribed in section 18-1722;
(c) (3) The property has been abandoned or vacant for at least six months
prior to application;
(d) (4) The requirements of subsection (2) of this section have been met
if the property is not listed, or eligible to be listed, on the National
Register of Historic Places; and
(e) (5) The city or village is able to contribute matching funds, whether
in cash or in-kind donations, in the amount of ten percent for a village,
fifteen percent for a city of the second class, and twenty percent for a city
of the first class.
(2) If the State Historic Preservation Officer or his or her designee has
determined that the property is listed, or eligible to be listed, on the
National Register of Historic Places, the application shall also demonstrate
that:
(a) The property has been deemed a substandard and abandoned commercial
property by a certified building professional with the concurrence and approval
of the State Historic Preservation Officer or his or her designee; or
(b) Preservation-based mitigation strategies have been agreed to by the
city or village and the State Historic Preservation Officer.
(3) For purposes of this section:
(a) Certified building professional means a person licensed as a
professional engineer or architect under the Engineers and Architects
Regulation Act or a head official or inspector charged with the enforcement of
fire, health, safety, and building or construction codes of a city or village;
and
(b) Substandard and abandoned commercial property means commercial
property that endangers the public and violates a fire, health, safety, or
building or construction code and that is unoccupiable with no viable plans for
its maintenance or rehabilitation.
Sec. 6. Section 19-1204, Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, is amended to
read:
19-1204 The Revitalize Rural Nebraska Fund is created. The Department of
Water, Energy, and Environment shall use the fund for the Revitalize Rural
Nebraska Grant Program. The fund shall also be used to pay the reasonable and
necessary costs incurred by the State Historic Preservation Officer in carrying
out his or her duties under section 19-1202. The fund shall include transfers
as directed by the Legislature, money from grants returned under section
19-1203, and money from private contributions and other sources provided for
purposes of the program. Any money in the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Fund
available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer
pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds
Investment Act. Any interest earned on the fund shall be used for the program.
Sec. 7. Original sections 13-2703, 13-2704.01, and 13-2705, Reissue
Revised Statutes of Nebraska, and sections 19-1201, 19-1202, and 19-1204,
Revised Statutes Supplement, 2025, are repealed.
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