LB 287 — Provide for regulation of housing authorities by ordinance, change provisions relating to sanitary and improvement districts, and provide requirements relating to bed bugs under the Nebraska Housing Agency Act

and to care for and control and to name and rename streets, avenues, parks, and squares within the city;

-3- LB287 LB287 2025 (15) To require weeds and worthless vegetation growing upon any lot or piece of ground within the city or its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction to be cut and destroyed so as to abate any nuisance occasioned by such vegetation;

to prohibit and control the throwing, depositing, or accumulation of litter on any lot or piece of ground within the city or its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction;

to require the removal of such litter so as to abate any nuisance occasioned thereby.

If the owner fails to cut and destroy weeds and worthless vegetation or remove litter, or both, after notice as required by ordinance, the city may assess the cost of such destruction or removal upon the lots or lands as a special assessment.

The required notice may be by publication in the official newspaper of the city and may be directed in general terms to the owners of lots and lands affected without naming such owners;

(16) To prohibit and regulate the running at large or the herding or driving of domestic animals, such as hogs, cattle, horses, sheep, goats, fowls, or animals of any kind or description within the corporate limits;

to provide for the impounding of all animals running at large, herded, or driven contrary to such prohibition and regulations;

and to provide for the forfeiture and sale of animals impounded to pay the expense of taking up, caring for, and selling such impounded animals, including the cost of advertising and fees of officers;

(17) To regulate the transportation of articles through the streets and to prevent injuries to the streets from overloaded vehicles;

(18) To prevent or regulate any amusement or practice having a tendency to annoy persons passing in the streets or on the sidewalks;

and to regulate the use of vehicles propelled by steam, gas, electricity, or other motive power, operated on the streets of the city;

(19) To regulate or prohibit the transportation and keeping of gunpowder, oils, and other combustible and explosive articles;

(20) To regulate, license, or prohibit the sale of domestic animals -4- LB287 LB287 2025 or of goods, wares, and merchandise at public auction on the streets, alleys, highways, or any public ground within the city;

(21) To regulate and prevent the use of streets, sidewalks, and public grounds for signs, posts, awnings, awning posts, scales, or other like purposes;

and to regulate and prohibit the exhibition or carrying or conveying of banners, placards, advertisements, or the distribution or posting of advertisements or handbills in the streets or public grounds or upon the sidewalks;

(22) To provide for the punishment of persons disturbing the peace by noise, intoxication, drunkenness, or fighting, or otherwise violating the public peace by indecent or disorderly conduct or by lewd and lascivious behavior;

(23) To provide for the punishment of vagrants, tramps, street beggars, prostitutes, disturbers of the peace, pickpockets, gamblers, burglars, thieves, persons who practice any game, trick, or device with intent to swindle, and trespassers upon private property;

(24) To prohibit, restrain, and suppress houses of prostitution, opium joints, gambling houses, prize fighting, dog fighting, cock fighting, and other disorderly houses and practices, all games and gambling, and all kinds of indecencies;

to regulate and license or prohibit the keeping and use of billiard tables, bowling alleys, shooting galleries except as provided in the Nebraska Shooting Range Protection Act, and other similar places of amusement;

and to prohibit and suppress all lotteries and gift enterprises of all kinds under whatsoever name carried on, except that nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to apply to bingo, lotteries, lotteries by the sale of pickle cards, or raffles conducted in accordance with the Nebraska Bingo Act, the Nebraska Lottery and Raffle Act, the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act, the Nebraska Small Lottery and Raffle Act, or the State Lottery Act;

(25) To make and enforce all police regulations for the good government, general welfare, health, safety, and security of the city and -5- LB287 LB287 2025 the citizens of the city in addition to the police powers expressly granted by law;

in the exercise of the police power, to pass all needful and proper ordinances and impose fines, forfeitures, and penalties for the violation of any ordinance;

to provide for the recovery, collection, and enforcement of such fines;

and in default of payment to provide for confinement in the city or county prison or other place of confinement as may be provided by ordinance;

(26) To prevent immoderate driving on the street;

(27) To establish and maintain public libraries, art galleries, and museums and to provide the necessary grounds or buildings for such libraries, galleries, and museums;

to purchase books, papers, maps, manuscripts, works of art, and objects of natural or of scientific curiosity and instruction for such libraries, galleries, and museums;

to receive donations and bequests of money or property for such libraries, galleries, and museums in trust or otherwise;

and to pass necessary bylaws and regulations for the protection and government of such libraries, art galleries, and museums;

(28) To erect, designate, establish, maintain, and regulate hospitals, houses of correction, jails, station houses, fire engine houses, asphalt repair plants, and other necessary buildings;

to erect, designate, establish, maintain, and regulate plants for the removal, disposal, or recycling of garbage and refuse or to make contracts for garbage and refuse removal, disposal, or recycling, or all of the same;

and to charge equitable fees for such removal, disposal, or recycling, or all of the same, except as provided by law.

The fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be credited to a single fund to be used exclusively by the city for the removal, disposal, or recycling of garbage and refuse, or all of the same, including any costs incurred for collecting the fee.

Before any contract for such removal, disposal, or recycling is let, the city council shall make specifications for such contract, bids shall be advertised for as now provided by law, and the -6- LB287 LB287 2025 contract shall be let to the lowest and best bidder, who shall furnish bond to the city conditioned upon his or her carrying out the terms of the contract, the bond to be approved by the city council.

Nothing in this section, and no contract or regulation made by the city council, shall be so construed as to prohibit any person, firm, or corporation engaged in any business in which garbage or refuse accumulates as a byproduct from selling, recycling, or otherwise disposing of his, her, or its garbage or refuse or hauling such garbage or refuse through the streets and alleys under such uniform and reasonable regulations as the city council may by ordinance prescribe for the removal and hauling of garbage or refuse;

(29) To erect and establish market houses and market places and to provide for the erection of all other useful and necessary buildings for the use of the city and for the protection and safety of all property owned by the city.

Such market houses, market places, and buildings may be located on any street, alley, or public ground or on land purchased for such purpose;

(30) To prohibit the establishment of additional cemeteries within the limits of the city;

to regulate the registration of births and deaths;

to direct the keeping and returning of bills of mortality;

and to impose penalties on physicians, sextons, and others for any default in the premises;

(31) To provide for the inspection of steam boilers, electric light appliances, pipefittings, and plumbings;

to regulate their erection and construction;

to appoint inspectors;

and to declare their powers and duties, except as otherwise provided by law;

(32) To enact a fire code and regulate the erection of all buildings and other structures within the corporate limits;

to provide for the removal of any buildings or structures or additions to buildings or structures erected contrary to such code or regulations and to provide for the removal of dangerous buildings;

but no such code or regulation -7- LB287 LB287 2025 shall be suspended or modified by resolution, nor shall exceptions be made by ordinance or resolution in favor of any person, firm, or corporation or concerning any particular lot or building;

to direct that when any building has been damaged by fire, decay, or otherwise, to the extent of fifty percent of the value of a similar new building above the foundation, shall be torn down or removed;

to prescribe the manner of ascertaining such damages and to assess the cost of removal of any building erected or existing contrary to such code or regulations against the lot or real estate upon which such building or structure is located or shall be erected or to collect such costs from the owner of any such building or structure;

and to enforce the collection of such costs by civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction;

(33) To regulate the construction, use, and maintenance of party walls, to prescribe and regulate the thickness, strength, and manner of constructing stone, brick, wood, or other buildings and the size and shape of brick and other material placed in such buildings;

to prescribe and regulate the construction and arrangement of fire escapes and the placing of iron and metallic shutters and doors in or on such fire escapes;

to provide for the inspection of elevators;

to prescribe, regulate, and provide for the inspection of all plumbing, pipefitting, or sewer connections in all houses or buildings now or hereafter erected;

to regulate the size, number, and manner of construction of halls, doors, stairways, seats, aisles, and passageways of theaters and buildings of a public character, whether now built or hereafter to be built, so that there may be convenient, safe, and speedy exit in case of fire;

to prevent the dangerous construction and condition of chimneys, fireplaces, hearths, stoves, stovepipes, ovens, boilers, and heating appliances used in or about any building and to cause such appliances to be removed or placed in safe condition when they are considered dangerous;

to prevent the deposit of ashes in unsafe places and to cause such buildings and enclosures as may be in a dangerous state to be put in a safe condition;

-8- LB287 LB287 2025 to prevent the disposing of and delivery or use in any building or other structure of unsuitable building material within the city limits and provide for the inspection of building materials;

to provide for the abatement of dense volumes of smoke;

to regulate the construction of areaways, stairways, and vaults and to regulate partition fences;

and to enforce proper heating and ventilation of buildings used for schools or other buildings where large numbers of persons are liable to congregate;

(34) To regulate levees, depots and depot grounds, and places for storing freight and goods and to provide for and regulate the laying of tracks and the passage of railways through the streets, alleys, and public grounds of the city;

(35) To require the lighting of any railway within the city and to fix and determine the number, size, and style of all fixtures and apparatus necessary for such lighting and the points of location for such lampposts.

If any company owning or operating such railways shall fail to comply with such requirements, the city council may cause such lighting to be done and may assess the expense of such lighting against such company.

Such expense shall constitute a lien upon any real estate belonging to such company and lying within such city and may be collected in the same manner as taxes for general purposes;

(36) To provide for necessary publicity and to appropriate money for the purpose of advertising the resources and advantages of the city;

(37) To erect, establish, and maintain offstreet parking areas on publicly owned property located beneath any elevated segment of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways or portion thereof, or public property title to which is in the city on May 12, 1971, or property owned by the city and used in conjunction with and incidental to city-operated facilities;

and to regulate parking on such property by time limitation devices or by lease;

(38) To acquire, by the exercise of the power of eminent domain or otherwise, lease, purchase, construct, own, maintain, operate, or -9- LB287 LB287 2025 contract for the operation of public passenger transportation systems, excluding taxicabs, transportation network companies and railroad systems, including all property and facilities required for such public passenger transportation systems, within and without the limits of the city;

to redeem such property from prior encumbrance in order to protect or preserve the interest of the city in such property;

to exercise all powers granted by the Constitution of Nebraska and laws of the State of Nebraska or exercised by or pursuant to a home rule charter adopted pursuant thereto, including, but not limited to, receiving and accepting from the government of the United States or any agency thereof, from the State of Nebraska or any subdivision thereof, and from any person or corporation donations, devises, gifts, bequests, loans, or grants for or in aid of the acquisition, operation, and maintenance of such public passenger transportation systems;

to administer, hold, use, and apply such donations, devises, gifts, bequests, loans, or grants for the purposes for which such donations, devises, gifts, bequests, loans, or grants may have been made;

to negotiate with employees and enter into contracts of employment;

to employ by contract or otherwise individuals singularly or collectively;

to enter into agreements authorized under the Interlocal Cooperation Act or the Joint Public Agency Act;

to contract with an operating and management company for the purpose of operating, servicing, and maintaining any public passenger transportation systems the city shall acquire;

and to exercise such other and further powers as may be necessary, incident, or appropriate to the powers of the city;

and (39) In addition to powers conferred elsewhere in the laws of the state, to implement and enforce an air pollution control program within the corporate limits of the city under subdivision (23) of section 81-1504 or subsection (1) of section 81-1528, which program shall be consistent with the federal Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C.

7401 et seq.

Such powers shall include without limitation those involving injunctive relief, civil penalties, criminal fines, and burden of proof.

-10- LB287 LB287 2025 Nothing in this section shall preclude the control of air pollution by resolution, ordinance, or regulation not in actual conflict with state air pollution control regulations;

and .

(40) To require any housing authority in a city of the metropolitan class to comply with any city rental inspection and registration ordinance, code enforcement, and inspection of residential rental properties.

Sec.

2.

Section 31-735, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, is amended to read:

31-735 (1) On the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September which is at least fifteen months after the judgment of the district court creating a sanitary and improvement district and on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September each two years thereafter, the board of trustees shall cause a special election to be held, at which election a board of trustees shall be elected.

The board of trustees shall have five members except as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

Each member elected to the board of trustees shall be elected to a term of two years and shall hold office until such member's successor is elected and qualified.

Any person desiring to file for the office of trustee may file for such office with the election commissioner, or county clerk in counties having no election commissioner, of the county in which the greater proportion in area of the district is located not later than fifty days before the election.

If such person will serve on the board of trustees as a designated representative of a limited partnership, general partnership, limited liability company, public, private, or municipal corporation, estate, or trust which owns real estate in the district, the filing shall indicate that fact and shall include appropriate documentation evidencing such fact.

No filing fee shall be required.

A person filing for the office of trustee to be elected at the election held four years after the first election of trustees and each election thereafter shall designate whether such person is a candidate for -11- LB287 LB287 2025 election by the resident owners of such district or a candidate for election by all of the owners of real estate located in the district.

If a person filing for the office of trustee is a designated representative of a limited partnership, a general partnership, a limited liability company, a public, private, or municipal corporation, an estate, or a trust which owns real estate in the district, the name of such entity shall accompany the name of the candidate on the ballot in the following form:

(Name of candidate) to represent (name of entity) as a member of the board.

The name of each candidate shall appear on only one ballot.

The name of a person may be written in and voted for as a candidate for the office of trustee, and such write-in candidate may be elected to the office of trustee.

A write-in candidate for the office of trustee who will serve as a designated representative of a limited partnership, a general partnership, a limited liability company, a public, private, or municipal corporation, an estate, or a trust which owns real estate in the district shall not be elected to the office of trustee unless (a) each vote is accompanied by the name of the entity which the candidate will represent and (b) within ten days after the date of the election the candidate provides the election commissioner or county clerk with appropriate documentation evidencing the candidate's representation of the entity.

Votes cast which do not carry such accompanying designation shall not be counted.

A trustee shall be an owner of real estate located in the district or shall be a person designated to serve as a representative on the board of trustees if the real estate is owned by a limited partnership, a general partnership, a limited liability company, a public, private, or municipal corporation, an estate, or a trust.

Notice of the date of the election shall be mailed by the clerk of the district not later than sixty-five days prior to the election to each person who is entitled to vote at the election for trustees whose property ownership or lease giving a right to vote is of record on the records of the register of -12- LB287 LB287 2025 deeds as of a date designated by the election commissioner or county clerk, which date shall be not more than eighty days prior to the election.

(2)(a) For any sanitary and improvement district, a person whose ownership or right to vote becomes of record or is received after the date specified pursuant to subsection (1) of this section may vote when such person establishes the right to vote to the satisfaction of the election board.

At the first election and at the election held two years after the first election, any person may cast one vote for each trustee for each acre of unplatted land or fraction thereof and one vote for each platted lot which such person may own in the district.

(b) This subdivision applies to a district until the board of trustees amends its articles of association pursuant to subdivision (2) (d) of this section.

At the elections election held four years and six years after the first election of trustees, two members of the board of trustees shall be elected by the legal property owners resident within such sanitary and improvement district and three members shall be elected by all of the owners of real estate located in the district pursuant to this section.

Every resident property owner may cast one vote for a candidate for each office of trustee to be filled by election of resident property owners only.

Such resident property owners may also each cast one vote for each acre of unplatted land or fraction thereof and for each platted lot owned within the district for a candidate for each office of trustee to be filled by election of all property owners.

For each office of trustee to be filled by election of all property owners of the district, every legal property owner not resident within such sanitary and improvement district may cast one vote for each acre of unplatted land or fraction thereof and one vote for each platted lot which such legal property owner owns in the district.

At the election held eight six years after the first election of trustees and at each election thereafter, three members of the board of trustees shall be elected by -13- LB287 LB287 2025 the legal property owners resident within such sanitary and improvement district and two members shall be elected by all of the owners of real estate located in the district pursuant to this section.

If there are not any legal property owners resident within such district or if not less than ninety percent of the area of the district is owned for other than residential uses, the five members shall be elected by the legal property owners of all property within such district as provided in this section.

(c) Any public, private, or municipal corporation owning any land or lot in the district may vote at an election the same as an individual.

If more than fifty percent of the homes in any sanitary and improvement district are used as a second, seasonal, or recreational residence, the owners of such property shall be considered legal property owners resident within such district for purposes of electing trustees.

For purposes of voting for trustees, each condominium apartment under a condominium property regime established prior to January 1, 1984, under the Condominium Property Act or established after January 1, 1984, under the Nebraska Condominium Act shall be deemed to be a platted lot and the lessee or the owner of the lessee's interest, under any lease for an initial term of not less than twenty years which requires the lessee to pay taxes and special assessments levied on the leased property, shall be deemed to be the owner of the property so leased and entitled to cast the vote of such property.

When ownership of a platted lot or unplatted land is held jointly by two or more persons, whether as joint tenants, tenants in common, limited partners, members of a limited liability company, or any other form of joint ownership, only one person shall be entitled to cast the vote of such property.

The executor, administrator, guardian, or trustee of any person or estate interested shall have the right to vote.

No corporation, estate, or irrevocable trust shall be deemed to be a resident owner for purposes of voting for trustees.

Should two or more persons or officials claim the right to vote on the same tract, the election board shall determine the party entitled to vote.

Such board -14- LB287 LB287 2025 shall select one of their number chairperson and one of their number clerk.

In case of a vacancy on such board, the remaining trustees shall fill the vacancy on such board until the next election.

(d) For any sanitary and improvement district which has been in existence for at least ten years, which has less than seventy property owners entitled to vote for trustees, which has at least two resident property owners, and in which less than ten percent of the area of the district is owned for other than residential uses, the board of trustees may amend its articles of association as provided in section 31-740.01 to provide for a reduction in the number of trustees on the board from five members to three members to be effective at the beginning of the term of office for the board of trustees elected at the next election.

At the next election and at each election thereafter, two members of the board of trustees shall be elected by the legal property owners resident within such sanitary and improvement district and one member shall be elected by all of the owners of real estate located in the district pursuant to this section.

Every resident property owner may cast one vote for a candidate for each office of trustee to be filled by election of resident property owners only.

Such resident property owners may also each cast one vote for each acre of unplatted land or fraction thereof and for each platted lot owned within the district for a candidate for the office of trustee to be filled by election of all property owners.

For the office of trustee to be filled by election of all property owners of the district, every legal property owner not resident within such sanitary and improvement district may cast one vote for each acre of unplatted land or fraction thereof and one vote for each platted lot which such legal property owner owns in the district.

(3) The election commissioner or county clerk shall hold any election required by subsection (1) of this section by sealed mail ballot by notifying the board of trustees on or before July 1 of a given year.

The election commissioner or county clerk shall, at least twenty days -15- LB287 LB287 2025 prior to the election, mail a ballot and return envelope to each person who is entitled to vote at the election and whose property ownership or lease giving a right to vote is of record with the register of deeds as of the date designated by the election commissioner or county clerk, which date shall not be more than eighty days prior to the election.

The ballot and return envelope shall include:

(a) The names and addresses of the candidates;

(b) room for write-in candidates;

and (c) instructions on how to vote and return the ballot.

Such ballots shall be returned in the return envelope to the election commissioner or county clerk no later than 5 p.m.

on the date set for the election.

If the ballot is not returned in the return envelope, such ballot shall not be counted.

If more than one ballot is included in the same return envelope, such ballots shall not be counted and shall be reinserted into the return envelope which shall be resealed and marked rejected.

Sec.

3.

Section 31-752, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended to read:

31-752 (1) The board of trustees or the administrator shall not assess real property that is (a) not assessable or (b) not included within the corporate boundaries of the district for any of the improvements that are constructed or installed outside of the corporate boundaries of the district, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section.

(2) The board of trustees or the administrator shall not assess real property that has not been specially benefited by any public improvements constructed or installed by the district that are located outside of the corporate boundaries of the district.

(3) In cases where (a) real property is not assessable or (b) real property located outside the corporate boundaries of the district has been specially benefited by the improvements constructed or installed by the district outside of the corporate boundaries of the district cause to be assessed for any of the improvements herein provided, property by law -16- LB287 LB287 2025 not assessable, or property not included within the district defined in the preliminary resolution, and shall not assess property not benefited;

Provided, in cases when such exempt property has been specially benefited by the improvements, the owner of such property shall pay the district a sum equivalent to the amount the property has been specially benefited, which amount may be recovered by the district in an action against the property owner.

If the parties do not agree as to the amount of the special benefits, the amount may be determined by the district court in an action brought by the district for such purpose.

(4) The board of trustees or the administrator may determine find that any part or all of such public improvements made are of general benefit to the district, in which case the board or administrator shall have the power to except that the board or administrator shall levy special assessments on all lots, parcels, or pieces of real estate specially benefited to the extent that any such public improvements constructed or installed by the district confer of the special benefits to such real property.

The cost of such improvements installed or constructed outside of the corporate boundaries of the district may shall be paid from the taxes assessments levied against all the real property within the corporate boundaries of in the district, in the manner provided by section 31-755, or may be paid from unappropriated money in its general fund, or may be paid from the collection of special assessments levied against all lots, parcels, or pieces of real property located outside of the corporate boundaries of the district to the extent of the special benefit conferred.

The cost of the improvements shall draw interest and shall be payable in the same manner as special assessments levied against all real property located within the corporate boundaries of the district in accordance with section 31-753 at the rate of six percent per annum from the date of acceptance thereof by the board or administrator until warrants are issued in payment of the contract price.

Sec.

4.

Section 71-1572, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, -17- LB287 LB287 2025 2024, is amended to read:

71-1572 Sections 71-1572 to 71-15,170 and section 6 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the Nebraska Housing Agency Act.

Sec.

5.

Section 71-15,169, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, is amended to read:

71-15,169 (1) For purposes of this section:

(a) Bed bug means a member of the Cimicidae family of parasitic insects;

and (b) Pest control professional means a person licensed as a commercial applicator under the Pesticide Act.

(2) A housing agency for a city of the metropolitan class shall have the following responsibilities relating to bed bugs:

(a) Prior to renting a dwelling unit, the agency shall visually inspect the unit for any evidence of the presence of bed bugs, which may be indicated by observation of a living bed bug, bed bug carapace, eggs or egg casings, or brownish or blood spotting on linens, mattresses, or furniture;

(b) The agency shall not show, rent, or lease to a prospective tenant any vacant dwelling unit that the agency knows or reasonably suspects has a current bed bug infestation;

(c) Prior to renting a dwelling unit, the agency shall disclose to a prospective tenant if an adjacent unit or units are currently infested with or are being treated for bed bugs;

and (d) The agency shall be responsible for the costs of investigating and remediating any bed bug infestation.

(3) A housing agency for a city of the metropolitan class shall establish a complaint process.

Any resident of an agency property may file a complaint by any of the following means:

(a) A complaint form filled out online on the housing agency's website;

(b) A telephone call made to a housing agency;

or -18- LB287 LB287 2025 (c) A complaint form filled out in person.

Such complaint form shall be made available at designated offices.

(4) (2) The complaint form, whether completed by the complainant online, in-person, or by a housing agency employee answering a telephone call complaint, shall include the following information:

(a) The name of the complainant;

(b) Contact information including the telephone number, email address, and mailing address of the complainant;

(c) The nature of the complaint, including, but not limited to, whether a maintenance issue, a discrimination claim, or a rent dispute;

and (d) Relevant dates.

(5) (3) Notice of the right to file a complaint up until the time of an eviction shall be included on both the online and printed complaint form.

(6) (4) The complainant may provide any supporting documentation with the complaint, including, but not limited to, photographs or digital images, receipts, and correspondence.

(7) (5) Upon receipt of the complaint, the agency shall send an acknowledgment to the complainant by email or regular first-class mail within five business days.

Each complaint shall be assigned a unique case number for tracking purposes.

(8)(a) (6) The agency shall conduct a thorough investigation of the complaint, including, but not limited to, interviewing relevant parties, inspecting property and relevant documents, and reviewing applicable laws and regulations.

(b) Throughout the investigation, the agency shall provide the complainant with regular updates on the status of the complaint by email, telephone, or regular first-class mail.

(c) The agency shall provide tenants with reasonable notice in advance of entering a dwelling unit for purposes of investigating -19- LB287 LB287 2025 complaints, including for inspection, bed bug remediation, or monitoring in connection with a bed bug complaint.

(9)(a) For any complaint involving an actual or suspected bed bug infestation:

(i) The agency shall perform an inspection or obtain investigatory services from a pest control professional within ten days after receiving the complaint.

The inspection or investigatory services shall include any unit directly adjacent to, above, or below the dwelling unit or common area from which the original complaint came;

and (ii) Upon a determination of a bed bug infestation, the agency shall:

(A) Provide all tenants of units affected by the complaint with notice of the agency's or pest control professional's determination in connection with such unit within ten days after such determination is made;

(B) Obtain and provide remedial services from a pest control professional within twenty-one days after receipt of the complaint;

and (C) Maintain a written record of the complaint and any control measures provided, including any report of chemicals applied and other remedies provided by the pest control professional.

Such records shall be maintained for two years.

(b) For all other complaints:

(i) (7) The agency housing authority shall resolve the complaint within fourteen days after receipt of the complaint.

If additional time is required, the complainant shall be notified and provided with an updated timeline;

and .

Throughout the investigation, the agency shall provide the complainant with regular updates on the status of the complaint by email, telephone, or regular first-class mail.

(ii) (8) The agency shall notify the complainant of the resolution of the complaint in writing within five business days after such resolution.

The notice shall include (A) (a) a summary of the -20- LB287 LB287 2025 investigation findings, (B) (b) the action taken to address the complaint, (C) (c) any remedies or compensation provided, (D) (d) information on how to file a complaint with the political subdivision responsible for code enforcement, if applicable, and (E) (e) information about the city's complaint process if the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution of the complaint.

(10) (9) The agency shall invite the complainant to provide feedback on the complainant's experience with the complaint process, including suggestions for improvement.

(11) (10) The agency shall monitor complaint trends, analyze root causes, and report on complaint resolution statistics regularly to identify areas for improvement.

The agency shall submit a report to the commissioners at every board meeting detailing (a) the number of complaints filed, (b) the nature of such complaints, (c) the status of completed and pending inspections, and (d) the number of unfilled inspector positions within the housing agency.

The report shall also be made available to the public on the agency's website and at the agency's office.

(12) (11) The agency shall inform persons applying for housing about the complaint process during the resident application process and inform residents about the complaint process (a) annually, (b) at the time a complaint is filed, and (c) by posting on the agency's website and on any public boards in any common housing spaces.

Sec.

6.

 A housing agency for a city of the metropolitan class shall submit a report every six months to such city of the metropolitan class and to the Urban Affairs Committee of the Legislature.

The report shall include:

(1) Information regarding any pest control management activities undertaken during the six-month period covered by the report;

(2) The number of eviction filings during the six-month period covered by the report;

-21- LB287 LB287 2025 (3) The number and nature of complaints or grievances filed during the six-month period covered by the report and their resolutions;

(4) Current vacancy rates;

and (5) Any relevant updates from meetings of the agency's board of commissioners.

Sec.

7.

Sections 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9 of this act become operative three calendar months after the adjournment of this legislative session.

The other sections of this act become operative on their effective date.

Sec.

8.

Original section 31-752, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, and section 31-735, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, are repealed.

Sec.

9.

Original sections 14-102, 71-1572, and 71-15,169, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024, are repealed.

Sec.

10.

Since an emergency exists, this act takes effect when passed and approved according to law.

-22-