Sen. McKinney pushes pest‑control duties for metropolitan housing agencies after resident complaints

Senator Terrell McKinney introduced LB 981 to add explicit responsibilities for housing agencies in cities of the metropolitan class to inspect and remediate bed‑bug infestations and to report outcomes to the Legislature. McKinney said the measure would require pest inspections within short time windows after complaints and remedial treatment timelines, allow residents to pursue remedies under lease agreements, and aim to raise living‑condition standards in public housing.

Advocates including Together (Alicia Christiansen SEG 3956) urged the committee to advance the bill, describing bed bugs as a serious health and stigma issue that disproportionately affects people in high‑density public housing. Christiansen asked the committee to link LB 981 to proposed preservation funding to ensure housing authorities have resources to remediate infestations.

Omaha Housing Authority commissioners and staff (Jennifer Taylor SEG 4081) told the committee OHA already maintains a pest‑control policy, provided recent prevalence statistics (confirmed bed‑bug prevalence below 6.3 percent over the last 12 months, average just under 4 percent over the last 6 months), and objected to prescriptive actions triggered by complaint alone before verification. OHA asked the Legislature to avoid duplicative reporting requirements that would add administrative burden on staff already reporting to HUD and warned mandatory registration or fee structures could be costly if applied to thousands of units.

Housing authority directors from Lincoln and Norfolk echoed concerns about duplicative state oversight and urged collaboration. Senator McKinney said he sought tools the city could use, and that he would continue to press for improvements; he also signaled a related bill to set up a public‑housing preservation trust to address capital needs.