Great Seal of the State of Nebraska
MARCH 1st 1867

Jim Pillen
Governor


STATE OF NEBRASKA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
P.O. Box 94848,  Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-4848
Phone: (402) 471-2244, jim.pillen@nebraska.gov


April 16, 2026


Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, and
Members of the Legislature
State Capitol Building
Lincoln, NE 68509

Dear Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Legislature:

I return herewith LB 839 without my signature and with my objections. LB 839 creates needless
regulatory burdens on recipients of Affordable Housing Trust Fund grants by forcing multifamily
housing developers to build an arbitrary percentage of accessible dwelling units for individuals
with mobility and hearing or vision impairments.

During a time when housing prices continue to rise, this new mandate will force builders to opt
out of affordable housing programs or spend additional resources on accessible dwelling units
that often go unrented or are rented out to those without the physical impairments they were
designed to accommodate.

Instead of mandating the types of units housing developers should build, I believe a more
prudent approach would be for the Department of Economic Development and the Nebraska
Investment Finance Authority to work with disability rights advocates and housing developers to
develop a scoring system that incentivizes developers to build the appropriate number of
accessible dwelling units.

Simply put, adding expensive new regulatory requirements to a program designed to make
housing more affordable is counterintuitive and the wrong approach for lowering housing costs
for Nebraskans.

It is for these reasons that I urge you to sustain my veto of LB 839.

Sincerely,

Jim Pillen
Governor