Nebraska State Government Organization
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NEBRASKA STATE GOVERNMENT 600 Nebraska State Government Organization — Executive Branch1 Executive Agencies2 Not Subject to Governor’s Direct Control (Noncode Agencies) Accounta- * * Blind and * Dairy Deaf and Attorney Colleges, Abstracters bility and Accountancy, Advocacy, Auditor Barber Visually Industrial Hard of Arts General/ Brand Board of Board of Disclosure Board of Commission of Public Examiners, Impaired, Corn Board Development Hearing, Council Justice De- Committee Trustees of Examiners Commission Public on Public Accounts Board of Commission Board, Commission partment State for Nebraska for * * Educational Educational Electrical Education, Engineers & Equal Foster Care Game and Grain Historical Dry Bean Telecom- Board/ Ethanol Geologists, Lands and Opportunity Sorghum Society, Department Architects, Board Advisory Parks Commission 3 Funds, munications Division, Board of of Board of Commission Committee Commission Board State Board of Commission State * Land * Motor Post- * Indian Affairs, Industrial Parole, Surveyors, Landscape Latino Liquor Vehicle Oil & Gas Secondary Commission Relations, Investment Lieutenant Library Board of/ Board of Architects, American Control Industry Conservation Education, on Commission Council Governor Commission Pardons, Coordinating Examiners Board of Commission Commission Licensing Commission of Board of Commission for Board for * * * * * Retirement Tax Power Public Real Estate University Racing Real Estate Board, Public Secretary of Equalization Tourism Treasurer, of Nebraska Wheat Review Service Appraiser Commission Commission Employees State and Review Commission State Board of Board Commission Board Board Commission Regents 1 Source: Governor’s Policy Research Office. 2 Including elected officials’ offices. 3 Includes State Board of Education and commissioner of education (appointed by board). Starred items are offices and agencies established in the Nebraska Constitution. NEBRASKA STATE GOVERNME NT 601 NONCODE AGENCIES Editor’s Note: Noncode agencies are state government agencies not subject to the governor’s direct control. All are full-fledged agencies, meaning they have their own staff, are affiliated with no other agency and appear as a distinct item in the state budget. All statutory references in this section indicate where each agency was created in the Nebraska Constitution, Revised Statutes of Nebraska or both, unless otherwise noted. Appointees to boards, commissions, councils, committees and other state governmental bodies serve until they resign or are replaced after their terms expire. Abstracters Board of Examiners Office Address: The Atrium, 1200 N St., Suite 404, P.O. Box 94944, Lincoln, NE 68509-4944, phone (402) 471-2383, fax (402) 471-6575, email address — mardy. [email protected], website — www.abe.state.ne.us Director: Mardy McCullough Statutory Reference: 76-540 The Abstracters Board of Examiners reviews licensees’ practices under the Abstracters Act. The board regulates the registration and certification of individual abstracters and abstracting companies in the state. The board also supervises continuing education programs, investigates complaints and conducts hearings. The board’s mis- sion is to ensure Nebraska real estate buyers, or those making payments to be secured by property, are fully informed of that property’s legal status. The board has five governor-appointed members, and no member may be appointed to succeed himself or herself. Three members must be registered abstracters working in the business for at least five years, and one member must be a lawyer with a real estate law background. The fifth member represents the public. No more than two members may be from the same county. At least one member must be from a county having a first class city as its largest city, and at least one member must be from a county with a second class city as its largest city. No two board members can have the same employer. Members serve five-year terms. The board meets at least twice each year. Members are reimbursed for expenses and paid $50 per day when conducting board business. Member Position Term Expires Andrew K. Carothers, Beatrice ....................Attorney, 2nd Class City ....................................Nov. 18, 2014 Judith Farmer, Lincoln ..................................Abstracter, 1st Class City ...................................Nov. 18, 2015 Donald Kucera, Lincoln................................At Large................................................................Nov. 18, 2013 Deborah L. Scott, Omaha ............................Abstracter ............................................................ June. 18, 2016 Jason White, Broken Bow .............................Abstracter, 1st Class City ...................................Nov. 18, 2017 Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission Office Address: State Capitol, 11th Floor, P.O. Box 95086, Lincoln, NE 68509- 5086, phone (402) 471-2522, fax (402) 471-6599, email address — frank.daley@nebraska. gov, website — http://nadc.nol.org 602 NEBRASKA STATE GOVERNMENT Executive Director: Frank Daley Statutory Reference: 49-14,105 The 1976 Legislature created the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Com- mission through the enactment of the Nebraska Political Accountability and Disclosure Act. This act became effective July 1, 1977. The commission is an independent state government administrative agency. Under the act, the commission administers and enforces state ethics laws, campaign finance laws and lobbying laws. The commission has the authority to issue advisory opinions, adopt rules and regulations, conduct investigations into possible violations of the act and assess civil penalties against anyone found to have violated the act. The ethics provisions of the act require certain public officials and public employees on state and local levels to file annual statements that disclose their personal financial interests. Written disclosures of potential conflicts of interest must be filed by certain categories of public officials and public employees. The ethics provisions of the act also regulate the hiring or employment of immediate family members, prohibit the use of a public position for personal financial gain and prohibit the use of government resources, property, personnel or funds for nongovernmental purposes. The lobbying provisions of the act require those attempting to influence the actions of the Legislature on behalf of another to register with the Clerk of the Legislature. The registration discloses the identity of the principal for which the lobbyist is lobbying. Lobbyists and principals file quarterly reports disclosing receipts and expenditures for lobbying purposes. Lobbyists must file statements after the legislative session disclosing the issues they lobbied for or against. The lobbying provisions of the act also restrict the gifts that lobbyists and principals may provide to officials and employees in the executive and legislative branches of government. The campaign finance provisions of the act require disclosure of campaign receipts and expenditures by candidates seeking state or local office, political action committees and ballot question committees. Corporations, unions, political parties and other persons or entities that finance elections also have reporting obligations under the act. By act of the Legislature, the Campaign Finance Limitation Act (CFLA) went into effect in 1995. The CFLA provides for voluntary campaign spending limits by candidates for specified public offices. The choice to abide by the spending limits or not to abide by the spending limits is made by the candidate and is not reversible. Candidates who choose to abide by the spending limits and meet other criteria may become eligible for public funds for use in their campaigns. Candidates who choose not to abide by the limits must file an estimate of what they expect to spend in the election. The difference between the estimate or spending of the nonabiding candidate and the voluntary expen- diture limit determines the amount of public funds awarded to the abiding candidate. Public funds are not counted against the voluntary spending limits. All candidates to whom the CFLA applies are subject to aggregate contribution limits. There is a limit on how much in contributions they may accept from sources other than individuals. The commission consists of eight appointed members and the secretary of state. The governor appoints four members of the commission. Two are appointed from lists of not less than five names submitted by the Legislature and two are appointed from the NEBRASKA STATE GOVERNME NT 603 citizenry at large. The secretary of state appoints four members. One is appointed from a list of no less than five names submitted by the chairperson of the state Democratic Party and one from a list of no less than five persons submitted by the chairperson of the state Republican Party. The secretary of state appoints two from the citizenry at large. The act establishes a geographical and political balance for the commission’s appointed membership. No more than three of the appointed members may reside in the same congressional district. No more than four of the appointed members may be registered in the same political party and one must be a registered independent. Ap- pointed members serve six-year terms. The commission meets approximately eight times per year. Members receive re- imbursement for expenses. Member Position Term Expires Kevin Brostrom, Grand Island (R)1 .........District