CAPITAL CASH: NU Regent Drops 500k to Limit Legislature’s Initiative Powers

by John Gage

Capital Cash is a series by The Plains Sentinel investigating the intersection of money, influence, and politics in Nebraska, bringing readers stories on some of the most powerful figures and biggest donors in our state who have typically not seen the type of scrutiny from other outlets.

LINCOLN – University of Nebraska Regent Barbara Weitz donated $500,000 to “Respect Nebraska Voters,” a group seeking to make it more difficult for Nebraska lawmakers to modify ballot initiatives after they have been passed.

The group kicked off its 2026 effort to change the Nebraska Constitution last month, seeking to change the threshold for state senators to modify approved ballot initiatives from 33 votes to 40 votes.

New filings show that Weitz donated $500,000 to the group at the end of last year. Her donation was one of only two donations above $250 from an individual to Respect Nebraska Voters.

Weitz Concerned About Direction of Politics

Weitz said she is funding the petition campaign because she is upset with the current direction of governance in the state. “My gift was entirely motivated by my discouragement with some politics,” she said. “[The] Bill to expand Medicaid passes and what took other states 12 months to enact takes us three years as it is slow walked.”

She said “big money” was being used to undermine medical marijuana in the state, and also pointed to then-Governor Pete Ricketts’ support to reinstate the death penalty.

“The unicameral votes against death penalty survives a veto and an initiative primarily funded by [a] disgruntled Governor reinstates it,” she said.

Weitz said she was also concerned about the Trump administration’s push for mid-decade redistricting in states across the country.

“Efforts to [g]errymander districts, provide primary and general political donations to defeat office holders who do not vote with the administration at state and federal levels…is trickling down into so much of our political culture and beyond,” she said. “I had to make a statement to say Enough.”

Weitz Top Democratic Funder

Weitz has a long history of giving to Democratic candidates and liberal causes in Nebraska and across the country. Last cycle, she gave to dozens of Democratic state parties, PACS, and individual candidates with donations totaling nearly $1.5 million nationally and over $1,000,000 to state ballot initiatives and local elections.

Weitz was also the second largest donor, after New York City billionaire Michael Bloomberg, to the 2024 pro-abortion group “Protect Our Rights” that sought to enshrine pro-abortion language into the Nebraska State Constitution. She gave $700,000 to the effort. The pro-abortion amendment was voted down by Nebraska voters, who approved the “Protect Nebraska Women and Children” constitutional amendment 55-45%.

The majority of her federal contributions during the 2024 cycle went to PACs supporting Kamala Harris in her presidential bid as well as Democratic state parties.

In the current cycle, Weitz has donated $100,000 to Nebraska Democratic candidates, including $50,000 to District 1 Regent candidate Brent Comstock, $25,000 to legislative district candidate Erin Feichtinger, and $25,000 to Douglas County attorney candidate Makayla Danner.

Initiative Could Hamper Necessary Changes

The Respect Nebraska Voters proposal states that ballot initiatives can only be changed “upon a vote of at least four-fifths” of the Legislature and that the Legislature would not have any power that “restricts, burdens, or otherwise impairs the exercise” of the initiative.

Nebraska senators from both parties have raised concerns about the initiative hampering lawmakers’ ability to make necessary tweaks to laws. The amendment, if passed, would retroactively apply to any initiative passed since 2004.

During their kickoff campaign, Respect Nebraska Voters cited recent changes to initiatives as their motivation to change the state constitution. This includes initiatives to raise the minimum wage, repeal Nebraska’s educational scholarship program, changes to sick leave, and legalization of medical marijuana.

The Women’s Fund of Omaha, which is backing the effort, stated in a release that politicians are “undermining what we’ve already voted for.” The statement also references the medical marijuana initiatives, claiming, “The new state commission overseeing medical marijuana ignored key parts of the law voters passed.”

The medical marijuana initiatives approved the creation of the Medical Cannabis Commission, and lawmakers sought during the 2025 legislative session to pass a measure to fund and further define the scope of the commission.

The bill was introduced by Senator Ben Hansen and endorsed by many supporters of medical marijuana, including Christa Eggers, who led Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, the group that got the initiatives on the ballot. The bill failed to garner a majority of the Legislature and was voted down 23-22.

The Plains Sentinel has reached out to Respect Nebraska Voters to ask how their amendment will affect attempts by the Unicameral to make the medical marijuana initiatives operable, but has not received a response at the time of publication.

— John Gage is the Executive Editor of The Plains Sentinel.