Nebraska State Laws

In 1927 Edwin Perkins created the fruit-flavored drink called Kool-Aid in Hastings, Nebraska. An event held the second weekend in August celebrates Perkins wide success. This event is called Kool-Aid Days.

Each state has official state products, such as a state flower, a state song, or a state bird. Nebraska has a few more official state products than the rest. The state beverage is milk. The state grass is the little bluestem. The state dance is the square dance. The state fossil is that of the mammoth. And the state soft drink is of course Kool-Aid.

After voting, each product has come into recognition, not unlike state laws. Nebraska has state laws that set rules and guidelines where the federal laws do not exist. These include bankruptcy laws, drunken driving laws, divorce laws, expungement laws, labor laws, gun laws, and more.

Bankruptcy
In the past bankruptcy was a rather simple process that could be completed online in a short period of time. Since the federal government changed the nation bankruptcy laws, filing for bankruptcy can now be a very lengthy process because the amount of paperwork tripled. New regulations were included to eliminate the abuse the bankruptcy system experienced and to decrease the individuals who qualify for Chapter Seven bankruptcy.

Which kind of bankruptcy an individual qualifies for depends on his or her amount of debt and personal income. Chapter Seven bankruptcy eliminates debt in about three months by liquidating personal property. Chapter Thirteen bankruptcy is also a personal form of bankruptcy but eliminates debt by using personal income and a personalized payment plan.

Drunk Driving
The number of prior convictions an individual has will dictate the severity of a current driving under the influence offense. A first offense can earn several hundreds of dollars in fines and several days in jail. A second offense's convictions will double the fine payment as well as double the number of days spent in jail. The circumstances around a driving under the influence offense can also add jail time and fine payment. Some of these include driving over the speed limit, driving with a minor as a passenger, causing another injury, or having a blood alcohol content level twice the legal limit.

Expungement
In Nebraska only those who have been wrongful convicted due to an error are eligible for criminal record expungement. Petitions for expungement are handled through district courts. An application must include the error and information proving that the conviction was dismissed. Convictions for felony offenses, misdemeanor offenses, and driving under the influence offenses cannot be expunged, unless later dismissed on error.

Wages
The federal government required each state to raise its minimum wage to meet the federal requirement of seven dollars and twenty-five cents in 2009. Some states chose to exceed this requirement, while Nebraska changed its minimum wage to mirror the federal requirement.

Tipped employees may legally be paid less than minimum wage if their tips acquired equal thirty dollars or more each month. When tips are acquired in mass, employees are required to split the tips at the end of each shift.