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LB 708

Change boundaries of certain community college areas

109th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Teresa Ibach

LB 708 redraws six Nebraska community college areas by reassigning counties and precincts, potentially changing student access, funding, and regional governance.

Conrad MO38 failed
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Bill Summary · LB 708

Summary of LB 708 (Nebraska, 109th Legislature, 2025)

Overview

  • Bill: LB 708
  • Title: Change boundaries of certain community college areas
  • Introduced: January 22, 2025
  • Sponsor: Ibach (Introduced first time; relates to Education committee)
  • Status: Conrad MO38 failed (did not advance in the session)
  • Committee: Education

LB 708 proposes to amend Section 85-1504, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, to redefine the six regional community college areas and redraw their boundaries. The goal is to reorganize which counties (and certain voting districts) fall within each community college area.

Key Provisions

  • Repeals and replaces the existing Section 85-1504 to create six defined community college areas and assigns counties (and in some cases, specific voting districts) to each area. The six areas are:

    1. Western Community College Area
      • Counties listed include Sioux, Dawes, Sheridan, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Banner, Kimball, Morrill, Cheyenne, Garden, Deuel, Grant.
      • Also references certain voting districts existing as of July 1, 1975 (e.g., Merriam, Russell, King, Mother Lake, Cody, Barley, Gillaspie) as part of the area.
    2. Mid-Plains Community College Area
      • Counties listed include Cherry (except as otherwise provided in subdivision (1)), Hooker, Thomas, Blaine, Loup, Arthur, McPherson, Logan, Custer, Keith, Lincoln, Perkins, Chase, Hayes, Frontier, Dundy, Hitchcock, Red Willow, and Dawson.
    3. Northeast Community College Area
      • Counties listed include Boyd, Holt, Wheeler, Knox, Cedar, Antelope, Pierce, Madison, Wayne, Stanton, Dixon, Dakota, Thurston, Burt, Cuming.
      • Also includes specific Boone County precincts (North Oakland, South Oakland, Ashland, North Branch, Shell Creek, Midland) as they existed on July 1, 1975.
    4. Central Community College Area (text garbled in the document; intended to define a core central grouping)
      • The document shows a heading that references “Keya” and a broad list of counties, including Valley, Greeley, Platte, Colfax, Sherman, Howard, Nance, Merrick, Polk, Butler, Dawson, Buffalo, Hall, Hamilton, Gosper, Phelps, Kearney, Adams, Clay, Furnas, Harlan, Franklin, Webster, Nuckolls, and all of Boone County (except as provided in subdivision (3)).
      • Note: The precise list in this portion appears corrupted in the text; it is intended to define a central region comprising multiple counties.
    5. Southeast Community College Area
      • Counties listed include Saunders, Cass, Seward, Lancaster, Fillmore, Gage, Saline, Thayer, Jefferson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, and York, Otoe (based on the text’s intended structure; some names are partially garbled).
    6. Metropolitan Community College Area
      • Counties listed: Dodge, Washington, Douglas, and Sarpy.

  • Section 2 of the bill repeals the original Section 85-1504 and replaces it with the new boundary structure described above.

Note: The document’s transcription includes several garbled phrases and typos (e.g., “Mother Lake,” “Keya,” mixed county names). The summary above captures the intended structural change: creation of six areas with updated county boundaries, preserving a six-area framework akin to Nebraska’s established regional college system.

Who is Affected

  • Students and residents within Nebraska’s counties (and selected precincts) would be assigned to a different community college area than under current law.
  • Funding, governance, tuition arrangements, and potential eligibility for programs funded or administered at the regional level could shift according to the new boundaries.
  • Local governments and boards that coordinate with their regional community college, as well as the affected community colleges themselves, would be impacted by boundary changes.

Procedural and Timeline Notes

  • Introduced and referred to the Education Committee on January 22, 2025.
  • The bill was not selected for final passage in this term; status shows “Conrad MO38 failed,” indicating it did not advance through the necessary steps to become law.
  • If pursued in a future session, the bill could be amended to address any boundary ambiguities and align with current demographic and enrollment data.

Summary in Plain Terms

LB 708 seeks to redraw the six Nebraska community college areas’ geographic boundaries, updating which counties (and certain precincts) belong to each regional college. The intended effect is to reorganize service areas for six community colleges, potentially altering student access, funding streams, and regional governance. The measure did not pass in the session in which it was introduced.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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