LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen is looking to add a single exception in state law to put his old football coach in the Nebraska Hall of Fame early.
State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings introduced Legislative Bill 1159 Tuesday on behalf of the governor. It would create a carveout allowing one living person to be included in the Nebraska Hall of Fame who meets several criteria that describes only former Huskers coach Tom Osborne.
The criteria include:
- The person must be a prior member of the U.S. House of Representatives;
- Be a former head coach of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team;
- Have served as athletics director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and
- Have attended Hastings High School
Under state law, members of the Nebraska Hall of Fame must have been dead for at least 35 years.
That means if LB 1159 passes, Osborne, 88, would make history as the first and only living member of the Hall of Fame.
The standard process for adding a new member to the Hall of Fame typically lasts about five years, as state law dictates that no more than one new member can be added every five years.
There are now 27 members of the hall, whose busts are displayed in the Capitol. The last inductee was slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, an Omaha native whose bust was installed in 2024 after a years-long fight to include him.
Osborne, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was an influential figure in Pillen’s life. The governor has invited him to various special events he’s attended throughout his first term. Pillen played defensive back for the Huskers in the 1970s.
“Our state is indebted to coach and all the great things he has accomplished during his lifetime,” Pillen said in a statement. “It is time we recognize him appropriately, and I’m very pleased that an overwhelming majority of the Legislature agrees and that a bipartisan group is cosponsoring this truly wonderful, unifying bill.”
LB 1159 includes an uncommonly long list of 32 co-sponsors, including both Republicans and Democrats. One cosponsor was State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, who was part of the effort to induct Malcolm X.
McKinney said he signed onto LB 1159 because he doesn’t agree with the prerequisite that new inductees must be deceased for 35 years, and he believes the bill passing would make changing that requirement more likely.
“When you set a precedent, things in the future should hopefully change,” McKinney said.
Lonowski confirmed that the bill would create a special exception for Osborne, but he said the governor’s request has made him consider introducing separate legislation to change the wait to induct. He said he would favor reducing the prerequisite to just 10 years deceased, which was the requirement prior to 1998.
Lonowski argued that Osborne’s history — including his service in the U.S. Army Reserves and leading the Huskers football team to three national championships — makes him worthy of being added to Nebraska’s Hall of Fame despite not meeting the current requirements.
Lonowski described Osborne as “one of the greatest Nebraskans.” Osborne served Nebraska’s largely rural 3rd Congressional District in the House from 2001 to 2007. He also ran for governor, losing a close Republican primary to Gov. Dave Heineman in 2006.
Wednesday was the final day for senators to introduce new bills in the 2026 legislative session. Overall, 578 bills, resolutions and constitutional amendments were added to the record, along with nearly 500 carryover bills from 2025.
Here’s some of the notable bills that hit the books this year:
- LB 960, by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha — Provide a requirement to include nonvoting student members on school boards.
- LB 973, by State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln — Provide free parking for state employees.
- LB 984, by State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington — Increase the minimum age for legal marriage in Nebraska from the current age of 17 to 18.
- LB 1023, by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil — Eliminate the sales and use tax exemption for zoo and aquarium admissions.
- LB 1053, introduced by the Education Committee at the request of the governor — Eliminate the prohibition barring suspension for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade.
- LB 1066, by State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha — Require members of the Nebraska Legislature complete a civics assessment consisting of questions from the United States Naturalization Test within 90 days of taking the oath of office.
- LB 1081, by State Sen. Glen Meyer of Pender —Require state agencies and political subdivisions to purchase flags made in the United States.
- LB 1090, by Murman – Bar convicted felons from being eligible as petition circulators.
- LB 1099, by State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair — Establish “Husker Red” license plates.
- LB 1206, by State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha — Exempt income made by teachers, paraeducators and paraprofessionals from state income taxes.
- LB 1237, by the Executive Board — Ban weapons and other “prohibited substances” from entry to the state Capitol. Banned substances would include explosives, paint and spray paint and other hazardous materials.
- LR 304, by Fredrickson — Designate the Legislative Oversight Committee to review, investigate and assess the effect of child welfare efficiency practices on child safety and the quality of services provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
- LR 305CA, by State Sen. Loren Lippincott of Central City — Constitutional amendment to authorize the recall of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the state treasurer, the attorney general, the auditor of public accounts and members of the Legislature.
