Nebraska AG says Lincoln City Council can't set own minimum wage

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-ag-says-lincoln-city-council-cant-set-own-minimum-wage/

By: Maddie Ames, Nebraska Public Media News - May 8, 2026 4:51 pm Updated 5:12 pm

LINCOLN — Attorney General Mike Hilgers said the City of Lincoln lacks authority to impose a local minimum wage, in an opinion released Thursday.

The opinion came at the request of Sen. Jane Raybould, who previously championed efforts to cap minimum wage increases.

“When the legislature enacted the minimum wage law, which the Governor signed, effective July 1, 2026, it was never intended for a patch work system but one to be enforced uniformly throughout the state,” Raybould said in the letter.

In an interview Friday, Raybould said she was, “concerned that the city of Lincoln did not have the authority to do so, because it’s traditional and typical for labor and wage laws throughout the state of Nebraska to be uniform and consistent without municipalities creating their own set of rules and regulations.”

FULL story at link above.