Nebraska: Legislative Bill 258

Maintains the scheduled increase to $15/hour

The bill keeps the voter-approved schedule raising the statewide minimum wage:

• $13.50/hour in 2025
• $15.00/hour starting January 1, 2026

This means the bill does not change the wage levels through 2026.

Caps annual minimum wage increases after 2026

Beginning January 1, 2027, the bill changes how the minimum wage increases.

• Instead of adjusting fully with inflation, the wage would increase by 1.75% per year.
• The Nebraska Department of Labor must calculate and publish the updated wage each year by October 15, with the new rate taking effect the following January 1.

Effect: future increases would likely be slower than inflation-based adjustments.

Creates a youth minimum wage

The bill establishes a separate minimum wage for younger workers:

• $13.50/hour for employees aged 14–15.
• The youth wage would increase periodically (with smaller scheduled adjustments over time).

Purpose: to make it easier for employers to hire very young workers.

Expands the training wage

The bill allows employers to pay a training wage for new employees aged 16–19:

• Up to 75% of the standard minimum wage
• For a maximum of 180 days during the worker’s initial employment or approved on-the-job training.

Worker protections included: Employers cannot lay off or reduce hours of existing employees just to replace them with lower-paid training wage workers.

Leaves tipped wage rules unchanged

The bill does not change Nebraska’s tipped wage structure. Employers may pay $2.13/hour base wage if tips bring the employee’s total earnings up to at least the minimum wage.