Change provisions relating to the Grain Dealer Act and the Grain Warehouse Act
LB894 revises Nebraska’s Grain Dealer Act and Grain Warehouse Act. The bill updates statutory definitions for grain, grain dealer, producer, direct delivery grain, and related terms; revises licensing and fee provisions for grain dealers and warehouses; and creates a Grain Dealer and Grain Warehouse Cash Fund to receive certain fees and support administration of the two acts. It also updates requirements for security/bonding, financial statements, receipts and contracts issued to sellers, and the use and approval of grain probes.
The bill also addresses how Nebraska regulates warehouses that are already licensed under the federal United States Warehouse Act, including exemptions from some state licensing requirements, notice obligations, and limits on state action without federal consent. It harmonizes and repeals older provisions, including outright repeal of one section, to align the grain dealer and warehouse statutes with the revised regulatory framework. In practical terms, the bill affects grain buyers, warehouse operators, producers, and the Public Service Commission, which administers the licensing and enforcement system.
LB894 changes state law governing grain merchandising and storage by modernizing the Grain Dealer Act and Grain Warehouse Act, shifting fee collections into a dedicated cash fund, and revising the Public Service Commission’s licensing, inspection, security, and reporting authority. It also establishes or updates statutory treatment for federally licensed warehouses, including exemptions and coordination rules, and imposes a misdemeanor penalty for use of unapproved grain probes. The bill therefore affects grain dealers, warehouse operators, producers selling grain, and the state agency responsible for oversight and consumer/producer protection in grain transactions.
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill. It advanced through the Legislature with strong majorities and ultimately passed Final Reading 44-3, indicating that most senators viewed the changes as a needed technical and policy update to Nebraska’s grain regulation system. The adoption of amendments also suggests the bill was refined during the process, but not in a way that generated major opposition.
There is no committee transcript available, so specific debate points are not recorded here. Based on the bill text, the most likely areas of concern were the size and structure of licensing fees, the level of security required of grain dealers, the treatment of federally licensed warehouses, and the new restrictions on grain probes. The recorded floor votes show only limited opposition, implying that any objections were narrow and did not prevent passage.