Any person who, after having created any security interest in any article of personal property, either presently owned or after-acquired, for the benefit of another, shall, during the existence of the security interest, sell, transfer, or in any manner dispose of the said personal property, or any part thereof so given as security, to any person or body corporate, without first procuring the consent, in writing, of the owner and holder of the security interest, to any such sale, transfer or disposal, shall be deemed guilty of a Class IV felony.

The auctioneer, who in good faith and without notice of a security interest therein, sells personal property at auction, which is in fact subject to a security interest, for a principal whose identity has been disclosed, in which property the auctioneer has no interest but acts only as an intermediary of the owner is not liable to the holder of the security interest for any damage sustained as a result of such sale.

Any person who, after having created any security interest in any article of personal property, whether presently owned or after-acquired, for the benefit of another, shall, during the existence of such interest, remove, permit, or cause to be removed such property or any part thereof out of the county within which such property was situated, with intent to deprive the owner or owners of the security interest of his or her or their security, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned in a Department of Correctional Services adult correctional facility for a term not exceeding ten years and be fined in a sum not exceeding one thousand dollars.

Any person who, after having created any security interest in any article of personal property, whether presently owned or after-acquired, for the benefit of another, shall, during the existence of the lien or title of such security interest, fail to give, from time to time upon the demand of the holder of the security interest, an accounting for such property, or who, when the holder of the security interest has reason to believe his security insufficient or when the creator of the security interest requests an extension of the time of payment, shall fail, on demand of the holder of the security interest or his agent, to identify and exhibit for inspection the property covered by the security interest at reasonable hours; or who, in case of loss or death of such articles covered by the security interest, shall fail to produce within ten days after knowledge of the loss or death, notice in writing to the holder of the security interest of such death or loss, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in any sum not less than five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail not exceeding thirty days.

Any person engaged in the business of lending money upon chattel property for security and requiring possession of the property so mortgaged on condition of returning the same upon payment of a stipulated amount of money, or purchasing property on condition of selling it back at a stipulated price, is declared to be a pawnbroker for the purpose of sections 69-201 to 69-210.

Every person engaged in the business of pawnbroking shall pay to the city or village treasurer for a permit to carry on business the sum of one hundred dollars per year or fifty dollars for every six months, in metropolitan cities, but in all other cities or villages the sum of fifty dollars per year or the sum of twenty-five dollars for every six months. Such permit shall be obtained by filing an application with, and having such application approved by, the governing body of the city or village or an officer or agency designated by such governing body for such purpose.

The application shall contain the following information:

(1) The name and address of the owner and the manager of the business and, if the applicant is an individual, the applicant's social security number;

(2) If the applicant is a corporation, a copy of the articles of incorporation and the names of its officers and shareholders;

(3) The exact location where the business is to be conducted; and

(4) The exact location where any goods, wares, and merchandise may be stored or kept if other than the business location.

When reviewing applications for a permit required by this section, the governing body or delegated officer or agency shall take into consideration the criminal record, if any, of the applicant and, if the applicant is a corporation, of its officers and shareholders. No permit shall be issued to any applicant who has been convicted of a felony and, if the applicant is a corporation, no permit shall be issued when any officer or shareholder has been convicted of a felony.

Such person shall also give bond to the city or village in which he, she, or it is to do business, in the sum of five thousand dollars with surety to be approved by the mayor or its chief executive officer, conditioned for the faithful performance by the principal, of each and all of the trusts imposed by law or by usage attached to pawnbrokers.

No permit fee shall be exacted under this section in municipalities which impose a permit fee for the pawnbroking business by ordinance.

No person shall be allowed to do business in more than one location under one permit. Each permit shall state the place where such business is to be carried on, and shall not be assigned. Goods, wares, and merchandise shall be kept or stored only at those locations specifically listed in the permit application.

It shall be unlawful for any person not having a permit as required in section 69-202 to display any sign or advertisement stating that money is lent on goods or that goods are purchased as described in section 69-201.

All persons who shall be engaged in the business of pawnbrokers, dealers in secondhand goods, or junk dealers, shall keep a ledger and complete a card, to be furnished by the city or village, on which shall be legibly written in ink, at the time of any loan or purchase, the following information:

(1) The date of the loan or purchase;

(2) The name of the person from whom the property is purchased or received, his or her signature, date of birth, and driver's license number or other means of identification;

(3) A full and accurate description of the property purchased or received, including any manufacturer's identifying insignia or serial number;

(4) The time when any loan becomes due;

(5) The amount of purchase money, or the amount lent and any loan charges, for each item; and

(6) The identification and signature of the clerk or agent for the business who handled the transaction.

Entries shall not in any manner be erased, obliterated, or defaced. The person receiving a loan or selling property shall receive at no charge a plain written or printed ticket for the loan, or a plain written or printed receipt for the articles sold, containing a copy of the entries required by this section.

Every pawnbroker, or employee of a pawnbroker, shall admit to the pawnbroker's premises at any reasonable time during normal business hours any law enforcement officer for the purpose of examining any property and records on the premises, and shall allow such officer to place restrictions on the disposition of any property for which a reasonable belief exists that it has been stolen. Any person claiming an ownership interest in property received by a pawnbroker for which a reasonable belief exists that such property has been stolen may recover such property as provided by sections 25-1093 to 25-10,110.

It shall be the duty of every such pawnbroker, dealer in secondhand goods, or junk dealer, every day except Sunday before the hour of 12 noon, to deliver to the police department of the municipality where said business is located, or if the municipality does not have a police department, to the sheriff's office, a legible and correct copy of each card or ledger entry required by section 69-204 for the transactions of the previous day. Transactions occurring on Saturday shall be reported on the following Monday. No card shall be required for goods purchased from manufacturers or wholesale dealers having an established place of business, or goods purchased at open sale from any bankrupt stock or from any other person doing business and having an established place of business in the city or village, but such goods must be accompanied by a bill of sale or other evidence of open and legitimate purchase, and must be shown to the mayor or any law enforcement officer when demanded. Dealers in scrap metals, except gold and silver, shall not be included in the provisions of this section.

No personal property received or purchased by any pawnbroker, dealer in secondhand goods, or junk dealer, shall be sold or permitted to be taken from the place of business of such person for fourteen days after the copy of the card or ledger entry required to be delivered to the police department or sheriff's office shall have been delivered as required by section 69-205. Secondhand jewelry shall not be destroyed, damaged, or in any manner defaced for a period of fourteen days after the time of its purchase or receipt. For purposes of this section, jewelry shall mean any ornament which is intended to be worn on or about the body and which is made in whole or in part of any precious metal, including gold, silver, platinum, copper, brass, or pewter.

All property accepted as collateral security or purchased by a pawnbroker shall be kept segregated from all other property in a separate area for a period of forty-eight hours after its receipt or purchase, except that valuable articles may be kept in a safe with other property if grouped according to the day of purchase or receipt. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a pawnbroker may return any property to the person pawning the same after the expiration of such forty-eight-hour period or when permitted by the chief of police, sheriff, or other authorized law enforcement officer.

Every broker, agent, or dealer mentioned in sections 69-201 to 69-210 who shall violate any of the provisions thereof, shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.

In addition, any permit issued pursuant to section 69-202 may be revoked or suspended if the holder of such permit violates any provision of state law classified as a misdemeanor or felony. Before any permit may be revoked or suspended the holder shall be given notice of the date and time for a hearing before the governing body or delegated officer or agency which issued the permit to show cause why the permit should not be revoked or suspended. Such hearing shall be held within seven days of the date of the notice.

It shall be unlawful for any pawnbroker to sell any goods purchased or received as described in section 69-201, during the period of four months from the date of purchasing or receiving such goods.

(1) All persons who shall be engaged in the business of pawnbroker shall, in addition to the requirements of section 69-204, obtain and keep a single legible fingerprint of each person pawning, pledging, mortgaging, or selling any goods or articles. The fingerprint shall be taken from the right index finger or, if the right index finger is missing, from the left index finger. Each pawnbroker shall display a notice to customers, in a prominent location, stating that such pawnbroker is required by state law to fingerprint every person pawning or selling an item.

(2) No pawnbroker shall accept as collateral security or purchase any property:

(a) From any person who is under eighteen years of age, or who appears to be under the influence of alcohol, narcotic drug, stimulant, or depressant, or who appears to be mentally incompetent; or

(b) On which the serial numbers or other identifying insignia have been destroyed, removed, altered, covered, or defaced.

Sections 69-301 to 69-307 shall be known and may be cited as the Mail Order Contact Lens Act.

For purposes of the Mail Order Contact Lens Act:

(1) Contact lens prescription means a written order bearing the original signature of an optometrist or physician or an oral or electromagnetic order issued by an optometrist or physician that authorizes the dispensing of contact lenses to a patient and meets the requirements of section 69-303;

(2) Department means the Department of Health and Human Services;

(3) Mail-order ophthalmic provider means an entity that ships, mails, or in any manner delivers dispensed contact lenses to Nebraska residents;

(4) Optometrist means a person licensed to practice optometry pursuant to the Optometry Practice Act; and

(5) Physician means a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery pursuant to the Medicine and Surgery Practice Act.

(1) A mail-order ophthalmic provider may dispense contact lenses in Nebraska or to a Nebraska resident if the contact lens prescription is valid. Such prescription is valid if it (a) contains the patient's name, date ordered, expiration date, instructions for use, optometrist or physician identifying information, date of patient's last examination, fabrication, and related information and (b) has not expired.

(2) Each contact lens prescription shall be valid for the duration of the prescription as indicated by the optometrist or physician or for a period of twelve months from the date of issuance, whichever period expires first. Upon expiration, an optometrist or physician may extend the prescription without further examination.

(3) An optometrist or physician shall offer the prescription to a patient following the fitting process and payment of all fees for services rendered. The patient shall mail the prescription or send a copy by facsimile or other electronic means to the mail-order ophthalmic provider.

The department shall require and provide for an annual registration for all mail-order ophthalmic providers located outside of this state, including those providing services via the Internet, that dispense contact lenses to Nebraska residents. The department shall grant a mail-order ophthalmic provider's registration upon the disclosure and certification by such provider of the following:

(1) That it is licensed or registered to dispense contact lenses in the state where the dispensing facility is located and from where the contact lenses are dispensed, if required;

(2) The location, names, and titles of all principal corporate officers and the person who is responsible for overseeing the dispensing of contact lenses to Nebraska residents;

(3) That it complies with directions and appropriate requests for information from the regulating agency of each state where it is licensed or registered;

(4) That it will respond directly and within a reasonable period of time to all communications from the department concerning emergency circumstances arising from the dispensing of contact lenses to Nebraska residents;

(5) That it maintains its records of contact lenses dispensed to Nebraska residents so that such records are readily retrievable;

(6) That it will cooperate with the department in providing information to the regulatory agency of any state where it is licensed or registered concerning matters related to the dispensing of contact lenses to Nebraska residents;

(7) That it conducts business in a manner that conforms to the requirements of section 69-303;

(8) That it provides a toll-free telephone service for responding to patient questions and complaints during its regular hours of operation and agrees to (a) include the toll-free number in literature provided with mailed contact lenses and (b) refer all questions relating to eye care for the lenses prescribed back to the contact lens prescriber; and

(9) That it provides the following, or substantially equivalent, written notification to the patient whenever contact lenses are supplied:

WARNING: IF YOU ARE HAVING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS, REMOVE YOUR LENSES IMMEDIATELY AND CONSULT YOUR EYE CARE PRACTITIONER BEFORE WEARING YOUR LENSES AGAIN: UNEXPLAINED EYE DISCOMFORT, WATERING, VISION CHANGE, OR REDNESS.

The mail-order ophthalmic provider shall pay a fee equivalent to the annual fee for an initial or renewal permit to operate a pharmacy in Nebraska as established in and at the times provided for in the Health Care Facility Licensure Act. Such fees shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Health and Human Services Cash Fund.

The department, upon the recommendation of the Board of Pharmacy, the Board of Optometry, or the Board of Medicine and Surgery, shall notify the Attorney General of any possible violations of the Mail Order Contact Lens Act. If the Attorney General has reason to believe that an out-of-state person is operating in violation of the act, the Attorney General may commence an action in the district court of Lancaster County to enjoin such person from further mailing, shipping, or otherwise delivering contact lenses into Nebraska.

The department, upon the joint recommendation of the Board of Pharmacy, Board of Optometry, and Board of Medicine and Surgery, may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for enforcement of the Mail Order Contact Lens Act.

Sections 69-308 to 69-314 shall be known and may be cited as the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act.

For purposes of the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act:

(1) Contact lens means any lens placed directly on the surface of the eye, regardless of whether or not it is intended to correct a visual defect. Contact lens includes, but is not limited to, any cosmetic, therapeutic, or corrective lens;

(2) Department means the Department of Health and Human Services;

(3) Dispense means the act of furnishing spectacles or contact lenses to a patient;

(4) Eye examination means an assessment of the ocular health and visual status of a patient that does not consist solely of objective refractive data or information generated by an automated testing device, including an autorefractor, in order to establish a medical diagnosis or for the establishment of a refractive error;

(5) Kiosk means automated equipment or application designed to be used on a telephone, a computer, or an Internet-based device that can be used either in person or remotely to conduct an eye examination;

(6) Over-the-counter spectacles means eyeglasses or lenses in a frame for the correction of vision that may be sold by any person, firm, or corporation at retail without a prescription;

(7) Prescription means a provider’s handwritten or electronic order based on an eye examination that corrects refractive error;

(8) Provider means a physician, an osteopathic physician, or a physician assistant licensed under the Medicine and Surgery Practice Act or an optometrist licensed under the Optometry Practice Act; and

(9) Spectacles means an optical instrument or device worn or used by an individual that has one or more lenses designed to correct or enhance vision addressing the visual needs of the individual wearer, commonly known as glasses or eyeglasses, including spectacles that may be adjusted by the wearer to achieve different types or levels of visual correction or enhancement. Spectacles does not include an optical instrument or device that is not intended to correct or enhance vision or sold without consideration of the visual status of the individual who will use the optical instrument or device.

No person in this state may dispense contact lenses or spectacles, other than over-the-counter spectacles, to a patient without a valid prescription from a provider. A valid prescription for spectacles or contact lenses (1) shall contain an expiration date of not less than two years for spectacles or one year for contact lenses from the date of the eye examination by the provider or a statement by the provider of the reasons why a shorter time is appropriate based on the medical needs of the patient and (2) may not be made based solely on information about the human eye generated by a kiosk. The prescription shall take into consideration any medical findings and any refractive error discovered during the eye examination. A provider may not refuse to release a prescription for spectacles or contact lenses to a patient.

No person shall operate a kiosk in Nebraska unless:

(1) The kiosk is registered or approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the intended use;

(2) The kiosk is designed and operated in a manner that provides any accommodation required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., as such act existed on January 1, 2015;

(3) The kiosk and accompanying technology used for the collection and transmission of information and data, including photographs and scans, gathers and transmits protected health information in compliance with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as such act existed on January 1, 2015;

(4) The procedure for which the kiosk is used has a recognized Current Procedural Terminology code maintained by the American Medical Association;

(5)(a) If the kiosk has a physical location, the name and state license number of the provider who will read and interpret the diagnostic information and data shall be prominently displayed on the kiosk; or

(b) If the kiosk is an application, the name and state license number of the provider who will read and interpret the diagnostic information and data shall be displayed on the patient's prescription;

(6) Diagnostic information and data, including photographs and scans, gathered by the kiosk is read and interpreted by a provider if clinically appropriate; and

(7) The owner or lessee of the kiosk maintains liability insurance in an amount adequate to cover claims made by individuals diagnosed or treated based on information and data, including photographs and scans, generated by the kiosk.

The lenses in over-the-counter spectacles shall be of uniform focus power in each eye and shall not exceed +3.25 diopters.

(1) The Uniform Credentialing Act shall apply to any person alleged or believed to have violated the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act. The department shall investigate potential violations of the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act according to the procedures of the Uniform Credentialing Act and shall take appropriate action as provided by the Uniform Credentialing Act.

(2) In addition to the remedies, penalties, or relief available under the Uniform Credentialing Act, the department may impose a civil penalty against a person who does not hold a credential under the Uniform Credentialing Act who has violated or attempted to violate the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act. The civil penalty shall not exceed ten thousand dollars for each violation, up to the maximum provided in section 38-198. If the department finds that a violation or attempted violation occurred and did not result in significant harm to human health, the department may issue a warning instead of imposing a civil penalty. Any civil penalty imposed pursuant to this section may be collected as provided in section 38-198.

(3) At the request of the department, the Attorney General may file a civil action seeking an injunction or other appropriate relief to enforce the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act and the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated under the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act.

The department, in consultation with the Board of Optometry and the Board of Medicine and Surgery, may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the Consumer Protection in Eye Care Act.

For purposes of sections 69-401 to 69-409:

(1) Regulated metals property means catalytic converters, all nonferrous metal except gold and silver, manhole covers, sewer grates, or metal beer kegs, including those kegs made of stainless steel; and

(2) Secondary metals recycler means any person, firm, or corporation in this state that:

(a) Is engaged in the business of gathering or obtaining regulated metals property that has served its original economic purpose; or

(b) Is in the business of or has facilities for performing the manufacturing process by which regulated metals property is converted into raw material products consisting of prepared grades and having an existing or potential economic value by methods including, but not limited to, processing, sorting, cutting, classifying, cleaning, baling, wrapping, shredding, shearing, or changing the physical form or chemical content of the metals, but not including the exclusive use of hand tools.

(1) A secondary metals recycler shall maintain a record, either as a hard copy or electronically, of all purchase transactions in which the secondary metals recycler purchases regulated metals property.

(2) The following information shall be maintained for transactions in which a secondary metals recycler purchases regulated metals property:

(a) The name and address of the secondary metals recycler;

(b) The name and signature of the individual entering the information;

(c) The date and time of the transaction;

(d) The weight and grade of the regulated metals property purchased;

(e) The description made in accordance with the custom of the trade of the type of regulated metals property purchased;

(f) The amount of consideration given for the regulated metals property, if any;

(g) The name, signature, and address of the vendor of the regulated metals property;

(h) The motor vehicle operator's license number, state identification card number, or federal government-issued identification card number of the person delivering the regulated metals property to the secondary metals recycler;

(i) A photocopy of the current motor vehicle operator's license, state-issued identification card, or federal government-issued identification card of the person delivering the regulated metals property to the secondary metals recycler;

(j) A fingerprint from the person, but only if the person is delivering copper or catalytic converters. The fingerprint shall be taken from the right index finger, but if the right index finger is missing, the fingerprint shall be taken from the left index finger; and

(k) A date-and-time-stamped photograph or a date-and-time-stamped video recording of the regulated metals property.

(3) The vendor of the regulated metals property shall receive at no charge a plain written or printed receipt of the recorded transaction containing a copy of the entries required by this section.

(4) A secondary metals recycler shall keep and maintain the information required under this section for not less than one year after the date of the purchase of the regulated metals property.

During the usual and customary business hours of a secondary metals recycler, any peace officer shall have the right to inspect:

(1) Any and all purchased regulated metals property in the possession of the secondary metals recycler; and

(2) Any and all records required to be maintained under section 69-402.

No secondary metals recycler shall purchase regulated metals property for cash consideration unless the purchase total is not more than twenty-five dollars. Purchases made from the same person within a four-hour period shall be considered a single transaction. Payment shall be made payable only to the individual named on the identification presented pursuant to section 69-402. Payment for copper and catalytic converters shall be by check, and if the purchase total for copper is more than one hundred dollars, the check shall be sent by United States mail, postage prepaid.

No secondary metals recycler shall purchase or receive regulated metals property:

(1) From any person who is under the age of majority; or

(2) From any person who does not possess a valid form of personal identification or current motor vehicle operator's license required under section 69-402 at the time of the recorded transaction.

No secondary metals recycler shall purchase or receive a metal beer keg, including those kegs made of stainless steel, if the serial number or other identifying insignia has been destroyed, removed, altered, covered, or defaced.

No secondary metals recycler shall purchase or receive any manhole cover or sewer grate except from (1) an authorized representative of the political subdivision that owns the manhole cover or sewer grate as is evidenced by the stamping or engraving on the cover or grate or (2) a third party who has a legitimate bill-of-sale, letter of authorization, or similar approval from the political subdivision evidencing the third party's right to possess and sell the cover or grate. Payment for a manhole cover or sewer grate shall be by draft or check and sent by United States mail, postage prepaid, to the official address of the finance department of such political subdivision or to the third-party seller. Such draft or check shall be made payable only to the political subdivision or to the third-party seller.

Sections 69-401 to 69-409 do not apply to:

(1) Purchases of regulated metals property from a manufacturing, industrial, or other commercial vendor that generates or sells regulated metals property in the ordinary course of its business;

(2) The collection or purchase of regulated metals property in the form of beverage or food cans; or

(3) Recycling or neighborhood cleanup programs contracted or sponsored by the state or any political subdivision.

Any person violating any of the provisions of sections 69-401 to 69-409 is guilty of a Class II misdemeanor.

Nothing in sections 69-401 to 69-409 shall be construed to abrogate or affect the provisions of any lawful rule, regulation, resolution, ordinance, or statute which is more restrictive than sections 69-401 to 69-409.

Sections 69-501 to 69-511 shall be known and may be cited as the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act.

For purposes of the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act:

(1) Agent means any person authorized by the Tax Commissioner to purchase and affix stamps or cigarette tax meter impressions on packages of cigarettes under sections 77-2601 to 77-2615;

(2) Cigarette has the same meaning as in section 77-2601;

(3) Consumer testing means an assessment of cigarettes that is conducted by a manufacturer, or under the control or direction of a manufacturer, for the purpose of evaluating consumer acceptance of the cigarettes;

(4) Manufacturer means:

(a) Any entity which manufactures or otherwise produces cigarettes or causes cigarettes to be manufactured or produced anywhere that such manufacturer intends to sell in this state, including cigarettes intended to be sold in the United States through an importer;

(b) The first purchaser anywhere that intends to resell in the United States cigarettes manufactured anywhere that the original manufacturer or maker does not intend to be sold in the United States; or

(c) Any entity that becomes a successor of an entity described in subdivision (4)(a) or (b) of this section;

(5) Quality control and quality assurance program means the laboratory procedures implemented to ensure that operator bias, systematic and nonsystematic methodological errors, and equipment-related problems do not affect the results of the testing. Such a program ensures that the testing repeatability remains within the required repeatability values stated in section 69-503 for all test trials used to certify cigarettes in accordance with the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act;

(6) Repeatability means the range of values within which the repeat results of cigarette test trials from a single laboratory will fall ninety-five percent of the time;

(7) Retail dealer means any person, other than a manufacturer or wholesale dealer, engaged in selling cigarettes or tobacco products;

(8) Sale means any transfer for consideration, exchange, barter, gift, offer for sale, or distribution in any manner or by any means whatsoever;

(9) Sell means to sell or to offer or agree to do the same; and

(10) Wholesale dealer means any person, other than a manufacturer, who sells cigarettes or tobacco products to retail dealers or other persons for purposes of resale and any person who owns, operates, or maintains one or more cigarette or tobacco product vending machines in, at, or upon premises owned or occupied by any other person.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (7) of this section, no cigarettes may be sold or offered for sale in this state or offered for sale or sold to persons located in this state unless the cigarettes have been tested in accordance with the following test method and meet the performance standard specified in this section, a written certification has been filed by the manufacturer with the State Fire Marshal in accordance with section 69-504, and the cigarettes have been marked in accordance with section 69-505. Testing shall be as follows:

(a) Testing of cigarettes shall be conducted in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials Standard E2187-04, Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes;

(b) Testing shall be conducted on ten layers of filter paper;

(c) No more than twenty-five percent of the cigarettes tested in a test trial in accordance with this subsection shall exhibit full-length burns. Forty replicate tests shall comprise a complete test trial for each cigarette tested;

(d) The performance standard required by this subsection shall only be applied to a complete test trial;

(e) Written certifications shall be based upon testing conducted by a laboratory that has been accredited pursuant to standard ISO/IEC 17025 of the International Organization for Standardization or other comparable accreditation standard required by the State Fire Marshal;

(f) Laboratories conducting testing in accordance with this subsection shall implement a quality control and quality assurance program that includes a procedure that will determine the repeatability of the testing results. The repeatability value shall be no greater than 0.19;

(g) This subsection does not require additional testing if cigarettes are tested consistent with the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act for any other purpose; and

(h) Testing performed or sponsored by the State Fire Marshal to determine a cigarette's compliance with the performance standard required by this section shall be conducted in accordance with this subsection.

(2) Each cigarette listed in a certification submitted pursuant to section 69-504 that uses lowered permeability bands in the cigarette paper to achieve compliance with the performance standard set forth in this section shall have at least two nominally identical bands on the paper surrounding the tobacco column. At least one complete band shall be located at least fifteen millimeters from the lighting end of the cigarette. For cigarettes on which the bands are positioned by design, there shall be at least two bands fully located at least fifteen millimeters from the lighting end and ten millimeters from the filter end of the tobacco column, or ten millimeters from the labeled end of the tobacco column for nonfiltered cigarettes.

(3) A manufacturer of a cigarette that the State Fire Marshal determines cannot be tested in accordance with the test method prescribed in subdivision (1)(a) of this section shall propose a test method and performance standard for the cigarette to the State Fire Marshal. If the State Fire Marshal determines that another state has enacted reduced cigarette ignition propensity standards that include a test method and performance standard that are the same as those contained in the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act and the State Fire Marshal finds that the officials responsible for implementing those requirements have approved the proposed alternative test method and performance standard for a particular cigarette proposed by a manufacturer as meeting the fire safety standards of that state's law or regulation under a legal provision comparable to this section, then the State Fire Marshal shall authorize that manufacturer to employ the alternative test method and performance standard to certify that cigarette for sale in this state, unless the State Fire Marshal demonstrates a reasonable basis why the alternative test should not be accepted under the act. All other applicable requirements of this section shall apply to the manufacturer.

(4) Each manufacturer shall maintain copies of the reports of all tests conducted on all cigarettes offered for sale for a period of three years and shall make copies of these reports available to the State Fire Marshal and the Attorney General upon written request. Any manufacturer who fails to make copies of these reports available within sixty days after receiving a written request shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars for each day after the sixtieth day that the manufacturer does not make such copies available.

(5) The State Fire Marshal may adopt a subsequent American Society of Testing and Materials Standard Test Method for Measuring the Ignition Strength of Cigarettes upon a finding that such subsequent method does not result in a change in the percentage of full-length burns exhibited by any tested cigarette when compared to the percentage of full-length burns the same cigarette would exhibit when tested in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials Standard E2187-04 and the performance standard in subdivision (1)(c) of this section.

(6) The State Fire Marshal shall review the effectiveness of this section and report every three years to the Legislature the State Fire Marshal's findings and, if appropriate, recommendations for legislation to improve the effectiveness of this section. The report and legislative recommendations shall be submitted electronically no later than November 15 each three-year period.

(7) The requirements of subsection (1) of this section shall not prohibit wholesale or retail dealers from selling their existing inventory of cigarettes on or after January 1, 2010, if the wholesale or retail dealer can establish that state tax stamps were affixed to the cigarettes prior to such date and if the wholesale or retail dealer can establish that the inventory was purchased prior to such date in comparable quantity to the inventory purchased during the same period of the prior year.

(8) The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act shall be implemented in accordance with the implementation and substance of the New York Fire Safety Standards for Cigarettes as such standards existed on January 1, 2009.

(1) Each manufacturer shall submit to the State Fire Marshal a written certification attesting that:

(a) Each cigarette listed in the certification has been tested in accordance with section 69-503; and

(b) Each cigarette listed in the certification meets the performance standard set forth in section 69-503.

(2) Each cigarette listed in the certification shall be described with the following information:

(a) Brand or trade name on the package;

(b) Style, such as light or ultra light;

(c) Length in millimeters;

(d) Circumference in millimeters;

(e) Flavor, such as menthol or chocolate, if applicable;

(f) Filter or nonfilter;

(g) Package description, such as soft pack or box;

(h) Marking pursuant to section 69-505;

(i) The name, address, and telephone number of the laboratory, if different than the manufacturer, that conducted the test; and

(j) The date that the testing occurred.

(3) The State Fire Marshal shall make the certifications available to the Attorney General for purposes consistent with the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act and the Department of Revenue for the purposes of ensuring compliance with this section.

(4) Each cigarette certified under this section shall be recertified every four years.

(5) At the time a manufacturer submits a written certification under this section, the manufacturer shall pay to the State Fire Marshal a fee of one thousand dollars for each brand family of cigarettes identified in the certification. The fee paid shall apply to all cigarettes listed in the brand family identified in the certification and shall include any new cigarette certified within the brand family during the four-year certification period.

(6) The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Fund is created. The fund shall consist of all certification fees submitted by manufacturers in addition to any other funds made available for such purpose. The State Fire Marshal shall use the fund to carry out the act. Fees collected pursuant to this section shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the fund. Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

(7) If a manufacturer has certified a cigarette pursuant to this section and thereafter makes any change to such cigarette that is likely to alter its compliance with the reduced cigarette ignition propensity standards required by the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act, such cigarette shall not be sold or offered for sale in this state until the manufacturer retests the cigarette in accordance with the testing standards set forth in section 69-503 and maintains records of that retesting as required by section 69-503. Any altered cigarette which does not meet the performance standard set forth in section 69-503 shall not be sold in this state.

(1) Cigarettes that are certified by a manufacturer in accordance with section 69-504 shall be marked to indicate compliance with the requirements of section 69-503. The marking shall be either:

(a) Any marking in use and approved for sale in New York pursuant to the New York Fire Safety Standards for Cigarettes as such standards existed on January 1, 2009; or

(b) The letters "FSC" which signifies Fire Standards Compliant.

(2) The marking shall appear in eight-point type or larger and be permanently printed, stamped, engraved, or embossed on the package at or near the Universal Product Code.

(3) A manufacturer shall use only one marking and shall apply this marking uniformly for all packages, including, but not limited to, packs, cartons, and cases, and brands marketed by that manufacturer.

(4) Manufacturers certifying cigarettes in accordance with section 69-504 shall provide a copy of the certifications to all wholesale dealers and agents to which they sell cigarettes and shall also provide sufficient copies of an illustration of the package marking utilized by the manufacturer pursuant to this section for each retail dealer to which the wholesale dealers or agents sell cigarettes. Wholesale dealers and agents shall provide a copy of these package markings received from manufacturers to all retail dealers to which they sell cigarettes. Wholesale dealers, agents, and retail dealers shall permit the State Fire Marshal, the Department of Revenue, and their employees or peace officers of this state to inspect markings of cigarette packaging marked in accordance with this section.

(1) A manufacturer, wholesale dealer, agent, or any other person or entity who knowingly sells or offers to sell cigarettes, other than through retail sale, in violation of section 69-503, shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars per each sale of such cigarettes for a first offense and shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for any subsequent offense per each sale of such cigarettes, except that this penalty against any such person or entity shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars during any thirty-day period.

(2) A retail dealer who knowingly sells or offers to sell fewer than one thousand cigarettes in violation of section 69-503 shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars for a first offense and shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand dollars for any subsequent offense for each such sale or offer for sale of such cigarettes. A retail dealer who knowingly sells or offers to sell one thousand or more cigarettes in violation of section 69-503 shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars for a first offense and shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars for any subsequent offense per each such sale or offer of sale of such cigarettes. The penalty against any retail dealer under this subsection shall not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars during any thirty-day period.

(3) In addition to any civil penalty, any corporation, partnership, sole proprietor, limited partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or association engaged in the manufacture of cigarettes that knowingly makes a false certification pursuant to section 69-504 shall be liable to a civil penalty of seventy-five thousand dollars for the first false certification and shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars for each subsequent false certification.

(4) Any person violating any other provision of the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars for a first offense and shall be liable to a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars for any subsequent offense.

(5) Whenever any peace officer of this state or duly authorized representative of the State Fire Marshal or Tax Commissioner discovers any cigarettes (a) for which no certification has been filed as required by section 69-504 or (b) that have not been marked as required by section 69-505, such peace officer or representative may seize and take possession of such cigarettes. Cigarettes seized pursuant to this subsection shall be destroyed, except that prior to the destruction of any cigarette seized pursuant to this subsection the true holder of the trademark rights in the cigarette brand shall be permitted to inspect the cigarette.

(6) In addition to any other remedy provided by law, the Attorney General may file an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act, including petitioning (a) for preliminary or permanent injunctive relief against any manufacturer, importer, wholesale dealer, retail dealer, agent, or other person or entity to enjoin such entity from selling, offering to sell, or affixing tax stamps or cigarette tax meter impressions to any cigarette that does not comply with the requirements of the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act or (b) to recover any costs or damages suffered by the state because of a violation of the act, including enforcement costs relating to the specific violation and attorney's fees. Each violation of the act or of rules or regulations adopted and promulgated under the act constitutes a separate civil violation for which the Attorney General may obtain relief. Upon obtaining judgment for injunctive relief under this subsection, the Attorney General shall provide a copy of the judgment to all wholesale dealers and agents to which the cigarette has been sold.

The Tax Commissioner, in the regular course of conducting inspections of wholesale dealers, agents, and retail dealers, as authorized under section 77-2605, may inspect cigarettes to determine if the cigarettes are marked as required by section 69-505. If the cigarettes are not marked as required, the Tax Commissioner shall notify the State Fire Marshal.

To enforce the provisions of the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act, the Attorney General may examine the books, papers, invoices, and other records of any person in possession, control, or occupancy of any premises where cigarettes are placed, stored, sold, or offered for sale, as well as the stock of cigarettes on the premises. Every person in the possession, control, or occupancy of any premises where cigarettes are placed, sold, or offered for sale shall give the Attorney General the means, facilities, and opportunity for the examinations authorized by the act.

Nothing in the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act shall be construed to prohibit:

(1) Any person or entity from manufacturing or selling cigarettes that do not meet the requirements of section 69-503 if the cigarettes are or will be stamped for sale in another state or are packaged for sale outside the United States and that person or entity has taken reasonable steps to ensure that such cigarettes will not be sold or offered for sale to persons located in this state; or

(2) The use of cigarettes solely for the purpose of consumer testing utilizing only the quantity of cigarettes that is reasonably necessary for the assessment.

(1) The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act shall terminate if a federal reduced cigarette ignition propensity standard that preempts the act is adopted and becomes effective.

(2) The Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act preempts any local law on the subject and no political subdivision shall enact or enforce any ordinance or other local law or regulation conflicting with any provision of the act or with any policy of this state expressed by the act, whether the policy is expressed by inclusion of a provision in the act or by exclusion of that subject from the act.

The State Fire Marshal may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Act in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

For the purpose of sections 69-1001 to 69-1008, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Commercial hatchery shall mean a place where chicks are hatched for the purpose of resale or where chicks are hatched for hire; and

(2) Commercial chicks shall mean any domestic fowl produced in a commercial hatchery, under the age of six weeks or not to exceed one pound in weight, and which are offered for resale by the hatchery or owner of chicks.

When commercial chicks are offered for sale or sold at public auction, each box, crate, coop, or other container, shall be labeled with the sworn statement of the owner offering such chicks for sale at public auction, designating the number of live chicks in each such container, the breed and variety, the date on which such chicks were hatched, and the name and location of the commercial hatchery where hatched, whether such chicks were sexed, or unsexed, and if sexed, such sworn statement shall designate whether contents are cockerel chicks or pullet chicks, and any other representation made at or prior to the time of the sale relative to the breed and variety, and such tests as shall have been made on the parent stock for pullorum disease.

The owner of commercial chicks desiring to sell them at public auction shall furnish to the person who conducts the sale a duplicate of the sworn statement required by section 69-1002, which shall be retained by the person conducting the sale. When such copy of the sworn statement has been furnished to him, the person conducting the sale shall be relieved from any responsibility or liability concerning incorrect or false statements made in regard to such commercial chicks.

The provisions of sections 69-1001 to 69-1005 shall not apply to baby chicks in the custody of a common carrier upon which the freight has been prepaid, and which must be sold at public auction because delivery thereof cannot be effected beyond the control of such common carrier.

Any person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, or corporation who violates any of the provisions of sections 69-1001 to 69-1005 shall be deemed guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.

Whenever any chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, or other domestic fowls or poultry, whether alive or dressed, shall be sold to any public buyer, a record of the same shall be taken by the purchaser, and signed by the seller. Such record shall be in a simple form, and for convenience may be made in book form in units of fifty or more, and a duplicate thereof made and furnished at the option of the parties. Such records shall provide for showing at least the number of birds or poultry purchased, and the kind or breed of poultry purchased, the name of the person or persons who raised the birds or poultry purchased, and if not raised by the seller, where he procured them. It is further provided that the wholesale dealer is exempt from the provisions of sections 69-1006 to 69-1008 upon purchase made by him from a retail dealer or a regular local agent, but not upon purchase made direct from a producer or an individual who procured the same from a producer. Regular local agents of a wholesaler, and retail dealers selling to the wholesaler, are likewise exempt from the provisions relating to the selling of poultry.

Every failure, neglect or refusal to comply with the provisions of section 69-1006 shall constitute a separate violation of such section, and for each separate offense the purchaser may be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.

Any person selling, bartering or delivering poultry to such retail or wholesale dealer therein, who shall fail, refuse or neglect to furnish full, complete and truthful information for such a receipt as provided in section 69-1006 and shall render a false statement in such a receipt concerning who raised the poultry described therein, or where and from whom he secured such poultry, shall be guilty of a violation of the provisions of this section, and shall, for each separate offense, be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor.

A stamp or label shall be placed on every ball of binder twine sold, exposed or offered for sale in this state, giving the name of the manufacturer or importer, the number of feet to the pound in such ball, the material from which it is made, the tensile strength, the percent of oil it contains, and the date of manufacture. The deficiency in length shall not exceed five percent of the amount as stated on the label or stamp.

Every manufacturer, importer or dealer who fails to comply with the provisions of section 69-1101 shall be guilty of a Class V misdemeanor for each and every such ball sold, offered or exposed for sale.

As used in sections 69-1201 to 69-1217, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Debt management shall mean the planning and management of the financial affairs of a debtor for a fee from the debtor and the receiving therefrom of money or evidences thereof for the purpose of distributing the same to his or her creditors in payment or partial payment of his or her obligations;

(2) Licensee shall mean any individual, partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated association, or corporation licensed under such sections;

(3) Secretary shall mean the Secretary of State;

(4) Debtor shall mean a wage earner whose principal income is derived from wages, salary, or commission;

(5) Office shall mean each location by street number, building number, city, and state where any person engages in debt management; and

(6) Creditor shall mean a person for whose benefit money is being collected and disbursed by licensees.

Any person engaged in debt management shall be deemed to be rendering financial planning service, but sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall not apply to the following when engaged in the regular course of their respective businesses and professions:

(1) Attorneys at law;

(2) Banks, fiduciaries, financing and lending institutions, as duly authorized and admitted to transact business in this state and performing credit and financial adjusting service in the regular course of their principal business;

(3) Title insurers and abstract companies, while doing an escrow business;

(4) Employees of licensees under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217; or

(5) Judicial officers or others acting under court orders.

After January 1, 1969, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of debt management without first obtaining a license as required in sections 69-1201 to 69-1217.

(1) Any person desiring to obtain a license to engage in the debt management business in this state shall file with the secretary an application in writing, under oath, setting forth the person's business name, the person's social security number if the applicant is an individual, the exact location of the person's office, the names and addresses of all officers and directors if an association or a corporation, if a partnership, the partnership name and the names and addresses of all partners, and if a limited liability company, the company name and the names and addresses of all members, and a copy of the certificate of registration of trade name, certificate of partnership, articles of organization, or articles of incorporation.

(2) At the time of filing the application, the applicant shall pay to the secretary a license fee of two hundred dollars for the main office within each county and one hundred dollars for each additional office. An initial investigation fee of two hundred dollars shall also be paid to the secretary at the time of filing the application.

(3) At the time of filing the application, the applicant shall furnish a bond to the people of the state in the sum of ten thousand dollars, conditioned upon the faithful accounting of all money collected upon accounts entrusted to such person engaged in debt management, and the person's employees and agents. The aggregate liability of the surety to all claimants doing business with the office for which the bond is filed shall in no event exceed the amount of such bond. The bond or bonds shall be approved by the secretary and filed in the office of the Secretary of State. No person, firm, limited liability company, or corporation shall engage in the business of debt management until a good and sufficient bond is filed in accordance with sections 69-1201 to 69-1217.

(4) Each licensee shall furnish with the application a blank copy of the contract that the licensee intends to use between the licensee and the debtor and shall notify the secretary of all changes and amendments thereto within thirty days after such changes and amendments.

(5) The license issued under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall expire on December 31 next following its issuance unless sooner surrendered, revoked, or suspended, but may be renewed as provided in such sections.

(6) The secretary shall remit the fees received pursuant to this section to the State Treasurer for credit to the Secretary of State Cash Fund.

Upon the filing of the application and the payment of the fees and the approval of the bond, the secretary shall investigate the facts and if he or she finds that the financial responsibility, experience, character, and general fitness of the applicant and of the members thereof, if the applicant is a partnership, a limited liability company, or an association, and of the officers and directors thereof, if the applicant is a corporation, are such as to command the confidence of the community to warrant belief that the business will be operated fairly and honestly within the purposes of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 and that the applicant or the applicant and the members thereof or the applicant and the officers and directors thereof have not been convicted of a felony, or that such person has not had a record of having defaulted in the payment of money collected for others, including the discharge of such debts through bankruptcy proceedings, the secretary shall issue the applicant a license to engage in the debt management business in accordance with sections 69-1201 to 69-1217. The secretary may require as part of the application a credit report and other information.

Each licensee on or before December 1 may make application to the secretary for renewal of its license. The application shall be on the form prescribed by the secretary and shall be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars, together with a bond as in the case of an original application. A separate application shall be made for each office. The secretary shall remit the fees received pursuant to this section to the State Treasurer for credit to the Secretary of State Cash Fund.

(1) The secretary may deny, revoke or suspend any license issued or applied for under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 for the following causes:

(a) Conviction of a felony;

(b) For violating any of the provisions of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217;

(c) For fraud or deceit in procuring the issuance of a license under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217;

(d) For indulging in a continuous course of unfair conduct; or

(e) For insolvency, being adjudicated a bankrupt, being placed in receivership, or assigning for the benefit of creditors by any licensee or applicant for a license under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217.

(2) The denial, revocation or suspension shall only be made upon specific charges in writing, under oath, filed with the secretary, whereupon a hearing shall be had as to the reasons for any denial, revocation or suspension and a certified copy of the charges shall be served on the licensee or applicant for license not less than ten days nor more than thirty days prior to the hearing.

(3) No license shall be transferable or assignable.

Rules and regulations issued by the secretary under sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall be promulgated in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Each licensee shall make a written contract between himself and a debtor and immediately furnish the debtor with a true copy of the contract. The contract shall set forth the complete list of the debtor's obligations to be adjusted, a complete list of the creditors holding such obligations, the total charges agreed upon for the services of the licensee and the beginning and expiration date of the contract. No contract shall extend for a period longer than thirty-six months.

A licensee shall maintain a separate bank account for the benefit of debtors in which all payments received from debtors for the benefit of creditors shall be deposited and in which all payments shall remain until a remittance is made to either the debtor, creditor, or the licensee for fees. Every licensee shall keep, and use in his business, books, accounts and records which will enable the secretary to determine whether such licensee is complying with the provisions of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 and with the rules and regulations of the secretary. Every licensee shall preserve such books, accounts and records for at least five years after making the final entry on any transaction recorded therein.

The secretary may examine without notice the condition and affairs of each licensee. In connection with any examination, the secretary may examine on oath any licensee, and any director, officer, employee, customer, creditor or stockholder of a licensee concerning the affairs and business of the licensee. The secretary shall ascertain whether the licensee transacts its business in the manner prescribed by law and the rules and regulations issued thereunder. The licensee shall pay the actual cost of the examination as determined by the secretary, which fee shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the General Fund. Failure to pay the examination fee within thirty days of receipt of demand from the secretary shall automatically suspend the license until the fee is paid.

In the investigation of alleged violations of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217, the secretary may compel the attendance of any person or the production of any books, accounts, records and files used therein, and may examine under oath all persons in attendance pursuant thereto.

The fee of the licensee to be charged the debtor shall be agreed upon in advance and stated in the contract and provision for settlement in case of cancellation or prepayment shall be clearly stated in the contract. The total fee to be charged by the licensee shall not be more than fifteen percent of the amount of money agreed to be paid through the licensee. Fees shall be amortized over the length of the contract and no more than the monthly amortized amount may be applied to charges while the contract is in full force and effect, except that the licensee may require an initial payment by the debtor of an amount not to exceed twenty-five dollars which shall be credited to the total fee to be charged. In the event of cancellation, the licensee shall be entitled to receive not more than twenty-five percent of the remaining unamortized fee agreed upon in the contract. No licensee shall be entitled to any fee or charge against the debtor upon any contract until the debt management program is arranged and approved by the debtor. A contract shall not be effective until a debtor has made a payment to the licensee for distribution to his creditors.

Each licensee shall:

(1) Keep complete and adequate records during the term of the contract and for a period of five years from the date of cancellation or completion of the contract with each debtor, which records shall contain complete information regarding the contract, extensions thereof, payments, disbursements and charges, which records shall be open to inspection by the secretary and his duly appointed agents during normal business hours;

(2) Make remittances to creditors within fifteen days after receipt of any funds, and within seven days if such funds are in the form of cash, less fees and costs, unless the reasonable payment of one or more of the debtor's obligations requires that such funds be held for a longer period so as to accumulate a sum certain. In no case may the licensee retain funds longer than thirty-five days after receipt from the debtor;

(3) Upon request furnish the debtor a written statement of his account each ninety days, or a verbal accounting at any time the debtor may request it during normal business hours;

(4) Accept no account unless a written and thorough budget analysis indicates that the debtor can reasonably meet the payments required by the budget analysis; and

(5) In the event a compromise of a debt is arranged by the licensee with any one or more creditors, the debtor shall have the full benefit of that compromise.

No licensee shall:

(1) Purchase from a creditor any obligation of a debtor;

(2) Operate as a collection agent and as a licensee as to the same debtor's account;

(3) Execute any contract or agreement to be signed by the debtor unless the contract or agreement is fully and completely filled in and finished;

(4) Receive or charge any fee in the form of a promissory note or other promise to pay, or receive or accept any mortgage or other security for any fee, either as to real or personal property;

(5) Pay any bonus or other consideration to any person for the referral of a debtor to his business, nor shall he accept or receive any bonus, commission or other consideration for referring any debtor to any person for any reason; or

(6) Advertise his services, display, distribute, broadcast or televise or permit to be displayed, advertised, distributed, broadcasted or televised his services in any manner whatsoever wherein is made any false, misleading or deceptive statement or representation with regard to the services to be performed by the licensee or the charges to be made therefor.

Any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation, or other group of individuals, however organized, or any owner, partner, member, officer, director, employee, agent, or representative thereof who willfully or knowingly engages in the business of debt management without the license required by sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor.

All actions in any of the courts of this state under the provisions of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall be commenced within two years next after the cause of action shall accrue.

All fees collected under the provisions of sections 69-1201 to 69-1217 shall be paid promptly into the state treasury to the credit of the General Fund.

As used in the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) Banking organization means any bank, trust company, savings bank, industrial bank, land bank, or safe deposit company.

(b) Business association means any corporation, joint-stock company, business trust, partnership, limited liability company, or association for business purposes of two or more individuals, but does not include a public corporation.

(c) Financial organization means any savings and loan association, building and loan association, credit union, cooperative bank, or investment company, doing business in this state.

(d) General-use prepaid card means a plastic card or other electronic payment device usable with multiple, unaffiliated sellers of goods or services.

(e) Holder means any person in possession of property subject to the act belonging to another, or who is trustee in case of a trust, or is indebted to another on an obligation subject to the act.

(f) Life insurance corporation means any association or corporation transacting within this state the business of insurance on the lives of persons or insurance appertaining thereto, including, but not limited to, endowments and annuities.

(g) Military medal means any decoration or award that may be presented or awarded to a member of a unit of the United States Armed Forces or National Guard.

(h) Owner means a depositor in case of a deposit, a beneficiary in case of a trust, a creditor, claimant, or payee in case of other choses in action, or any person having a legal or equitable interest in property subject to the act, or his or her legal representative.

(i) Person means any individual, business association, governmental or political subdivision, public corporation, public authority, estate, trust, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, or any other legal or commercial entity.

(j) Utility means any person who owns or operates within this state, for public use, any plant, equipment, property, franchise, or license for the transmission of communications or the production, storage, transmission, sale, delivery, or furnishing of electricity, water, steam, or gas.

The following property held or owing by a banking or financial organization or by a business association is presumed abandoned:

(a) Any demand, savings, or matured time deposit that is not automatically renewable made in this state with a banking organization, together with any interest or dividends thereon, excluding any charges that may lawfully be withheld, unless the owner has, within five years:

(1) Increased or decreased the amount of the deposit, or presented the passbook or other similar evidence of the deposit for the crediting of interest or dividends; or

(2) Corresponded in writing with the banking organization concerning the deposit; or

(3) Otherwise indicated an interest in the deposit as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the banking organization; or

(4) Owned other property to which subdivision (a)(1), (2), or (3) applies and if the banking organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be presumed abandoned under subdivision (a) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other property regularly is sent; or

(5) Had another relationship with the banking organization concerning which the owner has:

(i) Corresponded in writing with the banking organization; or

(ii) Otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the banking organization and if the banking organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be abandoned under subdivision (a) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other relationship regularly is sent.

(b) Any funds paid in this state toward the purchase of shares or other interest in a financial organization or any deposit that is not automatically renewable, including a certificate of indebtedness that is not automatically renewable, made therewith in this state, and any interest or dividends thereon, excluding any charges that may lawfully be withheld, unless the owner has within five years:

(1) Increased or decreased the amount of the funds or deposit, or presented an appropriate record for the crediting of interest or dividends; or

(2) Corresponded in writing with the financial organization concerning the funds or deposit; or

(3) Otherwise indicated an interest in the funds or deposit as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the financial organization; or

(4) Owned other property to which subdivision (b)(1), (2), or (3) applies and if the financial organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be presumed abandoned under subdivision (b) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other property regularly is sent; or

(5) Had another relationship with the financial organization concerning which the owner has:

(i) Corresponded in writing with the financial organization; or

(ii) Otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the financial organization and if the financial organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be abandoned under this subdivision (b) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other relationship regularly is sent.

(c) A holder may not, with respect to property described in subdivision (a) or (b) of this section, impose any charges solely due to dormancy or cease payment of interest solely due to dormancy unless there is a written contract between the holder and the owner of the property pursuant to which the holder may impose reasonable charges or cease payment of interest or modify the imposition of such charges and the conditions under which such payment may be ceased. A holder of such property who imposes charges solely due to dormancy may not increase such charges with respect to such property during the period of dormancy. The contract required by this subdivision may be in the form of a signature card, deposit agreement, or similar agreement which contains or incorporates by reference (1) the holder's schedule of charges and the conditions, if any, under which the payment of interest may be ceased or (2) the holder's rules and regulations setting forth the holder's schedule of charges and the conditions, if any, under which the payment of interest may be ceased.

(d)(1) Any time deposit that is automatically renewable, including a certificate of indebtedness that is automatically renewable, made in this state with a banking or financial organization, together with any interest thereon, seven years after the expiration of the initial time period or any renewal time period unless the owner has, during such initial time period or renewal time period:

(i) Increased or decreased the amount of the deposit, or presented an appropriate record or other similar evidence of the deposit for the crediting of interest;

(ii) Corresponded in writing with the banking or financial organization concerning the deposit;

(iii) Otherwise indicated an interest in the deposit as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the banking or financial organization;

(iv) Owned other property to which subdivision (d)(1)(i), (ii), or (iii) of this section applies and if the banking or financial organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be presumed abandoned under subdivision (d) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other property regularly is sent; or

(v) Had another relationship with the banking or financial organization concerning which the owner has:

(A) Corresponded in writing with the banking or financial organization; or

(B) Otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the banking or financial organization and if the banking or financial organization corresponds in writing with the owner with regard to the property that would otherwise be abandoned under subdivision (d) of this section at the address to which correspondence regarding the other relationship regularly is sent.

(2) If, at the time provided for delivery in section 69-1310, a penalty or forfeiture in the payment of interest would result from the delivery of a time deposit subject to subdivision (d) of this section, the time for delivery shall be extended until the time when no penalty or forfeiture would result.

(e) Any sum payable on checks certified in this state or on written instruments issued in this state on which a banking or financial organization or business association is directly liable, including, by way of illustration but not of limitation, certificates of deposit that are not automatically renewable, drafts, money orders, and traveler's checks, that, with the exception of money orders and traveler's checks, has been outstanding for more than five years from the date it was payable, or from the date of its issuance if payable on demand, or, in the case of (i) money orders, that has been outstanding for more than seven years from the date of issuance and (ii) traveler's checks, that has been outstanding for more than fifteen years from the date of issuance, unless the owner has within five years, or within seven years in the case of money orders and within fifteen years in the case of traveler's checks, corresponded in writing with the banking or financial organization or business association concerning it, or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the banking or financial organization or business association.

(f) Any funds or other personal property, tangible or intangible, removed from a safe deposit box or any other safekeeping repository or agency or collateral deposit box in this state on which the lease or rental period has expired due to nonpayment of rental charges or other reason, or any surplus amounts arising from the sale thereof pursuant to law, that have been unclaimed by the owner for more than three years from the date on which the lease or rental period expired. If the State Treasurer or his or her designee determines after investigation that any delivered property has insubstantial commercial value, the State Treasurer or his or her designee may destroy or otherwise dispose of the property at any time. No action or proceeding may be maintained against the state or any officer or against the banking or financial organization for or on account of any action taken by the State Treasurer pursuant to this subdivision.

(g) For the purposes of this section failure of the United States mails to return a letter, duly deposited therein, first-class postage prepaid, to the last-known address of an owner of tangible or intangible property shall be deemed correspondence in writing and shall be sufficient to overcome the presumption of abandonment created herein. A memorandum or writing on file with such banking or financial organization shall be sufficient to evidence such failure.

(a) Unclaimed funds, as defined in this section, held and owing by a life insurance corporation shall be presumed abandoned if the last-known address, according to the records of the corporation, of the person entitled to the funds is within this state. If a person other than the insured or annuitant is entitled to the funds and no address of such person is known to the corporation or if it is not definite and certain from the records of the corporation what person is entitled to the funds, it is presumed that the last-known address of the person entitled to the funds is the same as the last-known address of the insured or annuitant according to the records of the corporation.

(b) Unclaimed funds, as used in this section, means all money held and owing by any life insurance corporation unclaimed and unpaid for more than five years after the money became due and payable as established from the records of the corporation under any life or endowment insurance policy or annuity contract which has matured or terminated. A life insurance policy not matured by actual proof of the death of the insured is deemed to be matured and the proceeds thereof are deemed to be due and payable if such policy was in force when the insured attained the limiting age under the mortality table on which the reserve is based, unless the person appearing entitled thereto has within the preceding five years, (1) assigned, readjusted, or paid premiums on the policy, or subjected the policy to loan, or (2) corresponded in writing with the life insurance corporation concerning the policy. Money otherwise payable according to the records of the corporation are deemed due and payable although the policy or contract has not been surrendered as required.

The following funds held or owing by any utility are presumed abandoned:

(a) Any deposit made by a subscriber with a utility to secure payment for, or any sum paid in advance for, utility services to be furnished in this state, less any lawful deductions, that has remained unclaimed by the person appearing on the records of the utility entitled thereto for more than three years after the termination of the services for which the deposit or advance payment was made.

(b) Any sum which a utility has been ordered to refund and which was received for utility services rendered in this state, together with any interest thereon, less any lawful deductions, that has remained unclaimed by the person appearing on the records of the utility entitled thereto for more than three years after the date it became payable in accordance with the final determination or order providing for the refund.

(a) Any stock, shareholding, or other intangible ownership interest in a business association, the existence of which is evidenced by records available to the association, is presumed abandoned and, with respect to the interest, the association is the holder, if:

(1) The interest in the association is owned by a person who for more than five years has not claimed a dividend, distribution, or other sum payable as a result of the interest or has not communicated with the association regarding the interest or a dividend, distribution, or other sum payable as a result of the interest, as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the association prepared by an employee of the association; and

(2) The association does not know the location of the owner at the end of the five-year period.

(b) The return of official shareholder notifications or communications by the postal service as undeliverable shall be evidence that the association does not know the location of the owner.

(c) The Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act shall be applicable to both the underlying stock, shareholdings, or other intangible ownership interests of an owner, and any stock, shareholdings, or other intangible ownership interest of which the business association is in possession of the certificate or other evidence or indicia of ownership, and to the stock, shareholdings, or other intangible ownership interests of dividend- and non-dividend-paying business associations whether or not the interest is represented by a certificate.

The Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act does not apply to any stock or other intangible ownership interest enrolled in a plan that provides for the automatic reinvestment of dividends, distributions, or other sums payable as a result of the interest unless:

(a) The records available to the administrator of the plan show, with respect to any intangible ownership interest not enrolled in the reinvestment plan, that the owner has not within five years communicated in any manner described in subdivision (a)(1) of section 69-1305; or

(b) Five years have elapsed since the location of the owner became unknown to the business association as evidenced by the return of official shareholder notifications or communications by the postal service as undeliverable and the owner has not within those five years communicated in any manner described in subdivision (a)(1) of section 69-1305. The five-year period from the return of official shareholder notifications or communications shall commence from the return of the notification or communication.

A credit memo that remains unredeemed for more than three years after issuance is presumed abandoned and the amount presumed abandoned is the amount credited, as shown on the memo itself.

(a) A gift certificate or gift card which is not assessed any fees and does not have an expiration date shall not be presumed to be abandoned.

(b) A gift certificate or gift card which contains an expiration date or requires any type of post-sale finance charge or fee which is unredeemed for a period of three years from the date of issuance shall be presumed abandoned.

(c) A gift certificate or gift card issued prior to November 2, 2006, which contains an expiration date or requires any type of post-sale finance charge or fee and has not been redeemed shall not be presumed abandoned if the issuer's policy and practice as of July 1, 2006, is to waive all post-sale charges or fees and to honor such gift certificate or gift card, at no additional cost to the holder whenever presented at full face value or the value remaining after any applicable purchases, expiration date notwithstanding. A written notice of such policy and practice shall be posted conspicuously by July 1, 2006, in not smaller than ten-point type, at each site in all Nebraska locations at which the issuer distributes or redeems a gift certificate or gift card.

(d) In the case of a gift certificate or gift card, the amount presumed abandoned is the face amount of the certificate or card itself, less the total amount of any applicable purchases and fees.

(e) A gift certificate or gift card subject to a fee shall contain a statement clearly and conspicuously printed on it stating whether there is a fee, the amount of the fee, how often the fee will occur, that the fee is triggered by inactivity of the gift certificate or gift card, and when the fee will be assessed. The statement may appear on the front or back of the gift certificate or gift card in a location where it is visible to a purchaser prior to the purchase.

(f) A gift certificate or gift card subject to an expiration date shall contain a statement clearly and conspicuously printed on the gift certificate or gift card stating the expiration date. The statement may appear on the front or back of the gift certificate or gift card in a location where it is visible to a purchaser prior to the purchase.

(g) This section does not apply to a general-use prepaid card.

All intangible personal property distributable in the course of a voluntary dissolution of a business association, banking organization, or financial organization organized under the laws of or created in this state, that is unclaimed by the owner within two years after the date for distribution, is presumed abandoned.

All intangible personal property and any income or increment thereon, held in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of another person is presumed abandoned unless the owner has, within five years after it becomes payable or distributable, increased or decreased the principal, accepted payment of principal or income, corresponded in writing concerning the property, or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum on file with the fiduciary:

(a) If the property is held by a banking organization or a financial organization, or by a business association organized under the laws of or created in this state; or

(b) If it is held by a business association, doing business in this state, but not organized under the laws of or created in this state, and the records of the business association indicate that the last-known address of the person entitled thereto is in this state; or

(c) If it is held in this state by any other person.

Except as otherwise provided by law, all intangible personal property held for the owner by any court, public corporation, public authority, or public officer of this state, or a political subdivision thereof, that has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than three years is presumed abandoned.

Unpaid wages, including wages represented by payroll checks owing in the ordinary course of the holder's business which remain unclaimed by the owner for more than one year after becoming payable, are presumed abandoned.

All intangible property and any income or increment derived therefrom held in an individual retirement account, a retirement plan for self-employed individuals, or similar account or plan established pursuant to the internal revenue laws of the United States, which has not been paid or distributed for more than thirty days after the earliest of the following: (a) The actual date of distribution or attempted distribution; (b) the date contracted for distribution in the plan or trust agreement governing the account or plan; or (c) the date specified in the internal revenue law of the United States by which distribution must begin in order to avoid a tax penalty, is presumed abandoned unless the owner or beneficiary within the five years preceding any such date has made additional payments or transfers of property to the account or plan, was paid or received a distribution, communicated concerning the property, or otherwise indicated an interest as evidenced by a memorandum or other record on file with the account or plan fiduciary.

(a) For purposes of this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Mineral means oil, gas, uranium, sulphur, lignite, coal, and any other substance that is ordinarily and naturally considered a mineral, regardless of the depth at which the oil, gas, uranium, sulphur, lignite, coal, or other substance is found; and

(2) Mineral proceeds includes:

(i) All obligations to pay resulting from the production and sale of minerals, including net revenue interest, royalties, overriding royalties, production payments, and joint operating agreements; and

(ii) All obligations for the acquisition and retention of a mineral lease, including bonuses, delay rentals, shut-in royalties, and minimum royalties.

(b) Any sum payable as mineral proceeds and the underlying right to receive mineral proceeds are presumed abandoned if any sum payable as mineral rights has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than three years after it became payable or distributable. At the time an owner's underlying right to receive mineral proceeds is presumed abandoned, any mineral proceeds then owing to the owner and any proceeds accruing after that time are presumed abandoned.

(c) A holder may not deduct any amount from mineral proceeds unless:

(1) There is an enforceable written contract between the holder and the owner of the mineral proceeds pursuant to which the holder may impose a charge;

(2) For mineral proceeds in excess of five dollars, the holder, no more than three months before the initial imposition of those charges, has mailed written notice to the owner of the amount of those charges at the last-known address of the owner stating that those charges will be imposed, but the notice provided in this section need not be given with respect to charges imposed before July 16, 1994; and

(3) The holder regularly imposes such charges and in no instance reverses or otherwise cancels them.

(d) Charges imposed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section may be made and collected monthly, quarterly, or annually. However, beginning with July 16, 1994, the cumulative amount of charges shall not exceed twelve dollars per year, and shall only be charged for a maximum of two calendar years.

All intangible personal property distributable in the course of a demutualization or related reorganization of a life insurance corporation that remains unclaimed is presumed abandoned two years after the date of the distribution of the property.

Any military medal that is removed from a safe deposit box or any other safekeeping repository or agency or collateral deposit box on which the lease or rental period has expired due to nonpayment of rental charges or other reasons shall not be sold or otherwise disposed of but shall be retained by the holder for the lessee of the box until reported and delivered to the State Treasurer in accordance with this section. Such report shall be made in compliance with section 69-1310. The holder shall, at the time of filing the report and with the report, deliver the military medal to the State Treasurer for safekeeping by the State Treasurer in accordance with section 69-1307.07.

The State Treasurer, upon receiving military medals, shall hold and maintain the military medals for ten years or until the original owner or the owners' respective heirs or beneficiaries can be identified and the military medals returned. After ten years, the State Treasurer may designate a veteran's organization, an awarding agency, or a governmental entity as the custodian of the military medals. Once the military medals are turned over to a veteran's organization, an awarding agency, or a governmental entity, the State Treasurer will no longer be responsible for the safekeeping of the military medals.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, all intangible personal property, not otherwise covered by the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, including any income or increment thereon after deducting any lawful charges, that is held or owing in this state in the ordinary course of the holder's business and has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than five years after it became payable or distributable, is presumed abandoned.

(b) The unredeemed value of a general-use prepaid card, including any income or increment thereon after deducting any lawful charges, that is held or owing in this state in the ordinary course of the holder's business and has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than five years after the last transaction initiated by the card owner, is presumed abandoned.

If specific property which is subject to the provisions of sections 69-1302 and 69-1305 to 69-1308 is held for or owed or distributable to an owner whose last-known address is in another state by a holder who is subjected to the jurisdiction of that state, the specific property is not presumed abandoned in this state and subject to sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 if:

(a) It may be claimed as abandoned or escheated under the laws of such other state; and

(b) The laws of such other state make reciprocal provision that similar specific property is not presumed abandoned or escheatable by such other state when held for or owed or distributable to an owner whose last-known address is within this state by a holder who is subject to the jurisdiction of this state.

(a) Every person holding funds or other property, tangible or intangible, presumed abandoned under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act shall report to the State Treasurer with respect to the property as hereinafter provided.

(b) The report shall be verified and shall include:

(1) Except with respect to traveler's checks and money orders, the name, if known, and last-known address, if any, of each person appearing from the records of the holder to be the owner of any property presumed abandoned under the act;

(2) In case of unclaimed funds of life insurance corporations, the full name of the insured or annuitant and his or her last-known address according to the life insurance corporation's records;

(3) The nature and identifying number, if any, or description of the property and the amount appearing from the records to be due;

(4) The date when the property became payable, demandable, or returnable, and the date of the last transaction with the owner with respect to the property; and

(5) Other information which the State Treasurer may prescribe by rule as necessary for the administration of the act.

(c) If the person holding property presumed abandoned is a successor to other persons who previously held the property for the owner, or if the holder has changed his or her name while holding the property, he or she shall file with his or her report all prior known names and addresses of each holder of the property.

(d) The report shall be filed before November 1 of each year as of June 30 next preceding, but the report of life insurance corporations shall be filed before May 1 of each year as of December 31 next preceding. A one-time supplemental report shall be filed by life insurance corporations with regard to property subject to section 69-1307.05 before November 1, 2003, as of December 31, 2002, as if section 69-1307.05 had been in effect before January 1, 2003. The property must accompany the report unless excused by the State Treasurer for good cause. The State Treasurer may postpone the reporting date upon written request by any person required to file a report. Any person holding intangible property presumed abandoned due to be reported with a cumulative value of fifty dollars or less in a single reporting year shall not be required to report the property in that year but shall report the property in any year when the property value or total report value exceeds fifty dollars.

(e) If the holder of property presumed abandoned under the act knows the whereabouts of the owner and if the owner's claim has not been barred by the statute of limitations, the holder shall, before filing the annual report, communicate with the owner and take necessary steps to prevent abandonment from being presumed. The holder shall exercise due diligence to ascertain the whereabouts of the owner.

(f) Verification, if made by a partnership, shall be executed by a partner; if made by a limited liability company, by a member; if made by an unincorporated association or private corporation, by an officer; and if made by a public corporation, by its chief fiscal officer.

(a) Between March 1 and March 10 of each year the State Treasurer shall cause notice to be published once in an English language legal newspaper of general circulation in the county in this state in which is located the last-known address of any person to be named in the notice. If no address is known, then the notice shall be published in a legal newspaper having statewide circulation.

(b) The published notice shall be entitled Notice to Owners of Abandoned Property, and shall contain:

(1) The names in alphabetical order and counties of last-known addresses, if any, of persons listed in the report and entitled to notice as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

(2) A statement that information concerning the amount or description of the property and the name and address of the holder may be obtained by any person possessing an interest in the property by addressing an inquiry to the State Treasurer.

(c) The State Treasurer is not required to publish in such notice any item of less than fifty dollars unless he or she deems such publication to be in the public interest.

(d) Within one hundred twenty days from the receipt of the report required by section 69-1310, the State Treasurer shall mail a notice to each person having an address listed therein who appears to be entitled to property of the value of fifty dollars or more presumed abandoned under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.

(e) The mailed notice shall contain:

(1) A statement that, according to a report filed with the State Treasurer, property is being held to which the addressee appears entitled.

(2) The name and address of the person holding the property and any necessary information regarding changes of name and address of the holder.

(3) A statement that, if satisfactory proof of claim is presented by the owner to the State Treasurer, arrangements will be made to transfer the property to the owner as provided by law.

(f) This section is not applicable to sums payable on traveler's checks or money orders presumed abandoned under section 69-1302.

Every person who has filed a report under section 69-1310, or in the case of sums payable on traveler's checks or money orders presumed abandoned under section 69-1302, shall pay or deliver to the State Treasurer all abandoned property specified in this report, except that, if the owner establishes his right to receive the abandoned property to the satisfaction of the holder within the time specified in section 69-1311, or if it appears that for some other reason the presumption of abandonment is erroneous, the holder need not pay or deliver the property, which will no longer be presumed abandoned, to the State Treasurer, but in lieu thereof shall file a verified written explanation of the proof of claim or of the error in the presumption of abandonment.

Upon the payment or delivery of abandoned property to the State Treasurer or upon payment or delivery of property to the State Treasurer pursuant to section 69-1321, the state shall assume custody and shall be responsible for the safekeeping thereof. Any person who pays or delivers abandoned property to the State Treasurer under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act or who pays or delivers property to the State Treasurer pursuant to section 69-1321 is relieved of all liability to the extent of the value of the property so paid or delivered for any claim which then exists or which thereafter may arise or be made in respect to the property. Any holder who has paid money to the State Treasurer pursuant to the act may make payment to any person appearing to such holder to be entitled thereto, and upon proof of such payment and proof that the payee was entitled thereto, the State Treasurer shall forthwith reimburse the holder for the payment.

When property is paid or delivered to the State Treasurer under sections 69-1301 to 69-1329, the owner is not entitled to receive income or other increments accruing thereafter.

(a) The expiration of any period of time specified by statute or court order, during which an action or proceeding may be commenced or enforced to obtain payment of a claim for money or recovery of property, shall not prevent the money or property from being presumed abandoned property, nor affect any duty to file a report required by the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act or to pay or deliver abandoned property to the State Treasurer. Holders shall not be required to report or to pay or to deliver abandoned property or unclaimed funds as to which the statute of limitations applicable to the enforcement of any claim to such property shall have expired prior to December 25, 1969.

(b) No action or proceeding may be commenced by the State Treasurer with respect to any duty of a holder under the act more than seven years after the holder files a report for the period in which the duty arose. This subsection shall not apply to holders described in section 69-1307.01.

(a) Except as provided in section 69-1321, all abandoned property other than money, securities, bonds, or similar property delivered to the State Treasurer under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act shall be sold by him or her to the highest bidder at public sale in whatever city in the state affords in his or her judgment the most favorable market for the property involved. The State Treasurer shall hold the sale whenever he or she decides, but a sale must be conducted at least once every five years. The State Treasurer may decline the highest bid and reoffer the property for sale if he or she considers the price bid insufficient. He or she need not offer any property for sale if, in his or her opinion, the probable cost of sale exceeds the value of the property.

(b) Any sale held under this section shall be preceded by a single publication of notice thereof, at least three weeks in advance of sale in an English language newspaper of general circulation in the county where the property is to be sold.

(c) The purchaser at any sale conducted by the State Treasurer pursuant to the act shall receive title to the property purchased, free from all claims of the owner or prior holder thereof and of all persons claiming through or under them. The State Treasurer shall execute all documents necessary to complete the transfer of title.

(d) Securities listed on an established stock exchange shall be sold at the prevailing prices on the exchange. Other securities may be sold over the counter at prevailing prices or by another commercially reasonable method. All securities presumed abandoned under the act and delivered to the State Treasurer shall be held for at least three years before he or she sells them. A person making a claim under this section is entitled to receive either the securities delivered to the State Treasurer by the holder, if they still remain in the hands of the State Treasurer, or the proceeds received from the sale, but no person has any claim under this section against the state, the holder, any transfer agent, any registrar, or any other person acting for or on behalf of a holder for any appreciation in the value of the property occurring after delivery by the holder to the State Treasurer.

(a)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, all funds received under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, including the proceeds from the sale of abandoned property under section 69-1316, shall be deposited by the State Treasurer into the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund from which he or she shall make prompt payment of claims allowed pursuant to the act and payment of any expenses related to unclaimed property. All funds received under section 69-1307.05 shall be deposited by the State Treasurer into the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund from which he or she shall make prompt payment of claims regarding such funds allowed pursuant to the act. Transfers from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the General Fund may be made at the direction of the Legislature. Before making the deposit he or she shall record the name and last-known address of each person appearing from the holders' reports to be entitled to the abandoned property, the name and last-known address of each insured person or annuitant, and with respect to each policy or contract listed in the report of a life insurance corporation, its number, the name of the corporation, and the amount due. The record shall be available for public inspection during business hours. The separate life insurance corporation demutualization trust fund terminates on March 13, 2019, and the State Treasurer shall transfer any money in the fund on such date to the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund.

The record shall not be subject to public inspection or available for copying, reproduction, or scrutiny by commercial or professional locators of property presumed abandoned who charge any service or finders' fee until twenty-four months after the names from the holders' reports have been published or officially disclosed. Records concerning the social security number, date of birth, and last-known address of an owner shall be treated as confidential and subject to the same confidentiality as tax return information held by the Department of Revenue, except that the Auditor of Public Accounts shall have unrestricted access to such records.

A professional finders' fee shall be limited to ten percent of the total dollar amount of the property presumed abandoned. To claim any such fee, the finder shall disclose to the owner the nature, location, and value of the property, provide notice of when such property was reported to the State Treasurer, and provide notice that the property may be claimed by the owner from the State Treasurer free of charge. To claim any such fee if the property has not yet been abandoned, the finder shall disclose to the owner the nature, location, and value of the property, provide notice of when such property will be reported to the State Treasurer, if known, and provide notice that, upon receipt of the property by the State Treasurer, such property may be claimed by the owner from the State Treasurer free of charge.

(2) The unclaimed property records of the State Treasurer, the unclaimed property reports of holders, and the information derived by an unclaimed property examination or audit of the records of a person or otherwise obtained by or communicated to the State Treasurer may be withheld from the public. Any record or information that may be withheld under the laws of this state or of the United States when in the possession of such a person may be withheld when revealed or delivered to the State Treasurer. Any record or information that is withheld under any law of another state when in the possession of that other state may be withheld when revealed or delivered by the other state to the State Treasurer.

Information withheld from the general public concerning any aspect of unclaimed property shall only be disclosed to an apparent owner of the property or to the escheat, unclaimed, or abandoned property administrators or officials of another state if that other state accords substantially reciprocal privileges to the State Treasurer.

(b) On or before November 1 of each year, the State Treasurer shall distribute any balance in excess of one million dollars from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the permanent school fund.

(c) Before making any deposit to the credit of the permanent school fund or the General Fund, the State Treasurer may deduct any costs related to unclaimed property and place such funds in the Unclaimed Property Cash Fund which is hereby created. Transfers from the fund to the General Fund may be made at the direction of the Legislature. Any money in the Unclaimed Property Cash Fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

(1) Any person claiming an interest in any property delivered to the state under section 24-345 and the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act may file a claim thereto or to the proceeds from the sale thereof on the form prescribed by the State Treasurer.

(2) As directed by the claimant, the State Treasurer or his or her designee shall pay over or deliver any property, proceeds, and other sums payable to the claimant, to a nonprofit organization nominated by the State Treasurer.

The State Treasurer may make payment on a claim filed under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act by a person who is not the owner of the property, or by a legal representative of such person, when the owner is an obligor, as defined in section 43-3341, and the person filing the claim is an obligee, as defined in such section. Such payments shall only be made to credit an arrearage of an obligor.

(a) The State Treasurer shall consider any claim filed under sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 and may hold a hearing and receive evidence concerning it. If a hearing is held he shall prepare a finding and a decision in writing on each claim filed, stating the substance of any evidence heard by him and the reasons for his decision. The decision shall be a public record.

(b) If the claim is allowed, the State Treasurer shall make payment forthwith. The claim shall be paid without deduction for costs of notices or sale or for service charges.

Any person aggrieved by a decision of the State Treasurer or as to whose claim the State Treasurer has failed to act within ninety days after the filing of the claim may appeal, and the appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(a) The State Treasurer or his or her designee, after receiving reports of property deemed abandoned pursuant to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, may decline to receive any property reported which he or she deems to have a value less than the cost of giving notice and holding sale, or he or she may, if he or she deems it desirable because of the small sum involved, postpone taking possession until a sufficient sum accumulates. Unless the holder of the property is notified to the contrary within one hundred twenty days after filing the report required under section 69-1310, the State Treasurer or his or her designee shall be deemed to have elected to receive the custody of the property.

(b) A holder may pay or deliver property before the property is presumed abandoned with written consent of the State Treasurer or his or her designee and upon conditions and terms prescribed by the State Treasurer or his or her designee. Property paid or delivered under this subsection shall be held by the State Treasurer and is not presumed abandoned until such time as it otherwise would be presumed abandoned under the act.

(a) If the State Treasurer has reason to believe that any person has failed to report property in accordance with the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, the State Treasurer may demand that such person file a verified report or otherwise comply with the act within thirty days of the demand.

(b) The State Treasurer may at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice examine the records of any person if he or she has reason to believe that such person has failed to report property that should have been reported pursuant to the act.

(c) If an examination of the records of a person results in the disclosure of property reportable under the act, the State Treasurer may assess the cost of the examination against the holder but in no case may the charges exceed the value of the property found to be reportable.

(d)(1) Every holder required to file a report under section 69-1310, as to any property for which it has obtained the last-known address of the owner, shall maintain a record of the name and last-known address of the owner for seven years after the property becomes reportable, except to the extent that a shorter time is provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection or by rule of the State Treasurer.

(2) Any holder that sells in this state its travelers checks, money orders, or other similar written instruments on which the holder is directly liable, or that provides such instruments to others for sale in this state, shall maintain a record of those instruments while they remain outstanding, indicating the state and date of issue for three years after the date the property is reportable.

If any person refuses to deliver property to the State Treasurer as required under sections 69-1301 to 69-1329, he shall bring an action in a court of appropriate jurisdiction to enforce such delivery.

(a) A person who fails to pay or deliver property within the time prescribed by the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act shall be required to pay to the State Treasurer interest calculated pursuant to section 45-103 as such section was in effect on the date the property should have been paid or delivered on the value of the property from the date the property should have been paid or delivered.

(b) A person who willfully fails to render any report or perform other duties required under the act shall pay a civil penalty of one hundred dollars for each day the report is withheld or the duty is not performed, but not more than five thousand dollars.

(c) A person who willfully fails to pay or deliver property to the State Treasurer as required under the act shall pay a civil penalty equal to twenty-five percent of the value of the property that should have been paid or delivered.

(d) The interest or penalty or any portion thereof as imposed by subsections (a), (b), or (c) of this section may be waived or remitted by the State Treasurer for good cause shown.

(e) Any person who willfully refuses to pay or deliver abandoned property to the State Treasurer as required under the act shall be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor.

The State Treasurer is hereby authorized to make necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of sections 69-1301 to 69-1329.

Sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 shall not apply to any property that has been presumed abandoned or escheated under the laws of another state prior to December 25, 1969.

If any provision of sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 are severable.

Sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 shall be so construed as to effectuate their general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact them.

Sections 69-1301 to 69-1329 shall be known and may be cited as the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.

Any property that shall come into the possession of the county sheriff of any county by virtue of his or her office, the disposition of which is not otherwise provided for by law, and which appears to be abandoned or unclaimed, may be sold at auction or disposed of as provided in sections 69-1330 to 69-1332.

If the property described in section 69-1330 shall remain unclaimed for a period of not less than one hundred eighty days, the county sheriff may sell such property at auction. Prior to such sale the county sheriff shall cause a list of all property subject to sale to be published once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which he or she holds office. If such property is not bid upon at sale, or the county sheriff reasonably believes that such property has little or no sale value, he or she may dispose of such property. Before the county sheriff may dispose of such property he or she shall submit a plan for disposing of such property to the county board for its approval. Upon the approval of the board, the county sheriff may dispose of such property in the manner approved and shall be exempt from any civil liability for such action.

The county sheriff shall pay over to the county treasurer the proceeds of any sale authorized by sections 69-1330 to 69-1332, less the reasonable expenses of such sale. The county treasurer shall hold such proceeds for a period of two years from the date of sale. If at the end of such period no person has presented a lawful claim to the proceeds of such sale, the county treasurer shall deposit such proceeds, including any interest thereon, to the general fund of the county and any claims thereon shall be extinguished.

Whenever any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of selling and retailing farm implements and repair parts for farm implements enters into a written contract evidenced by a franchised agreement whereby such retailer agrees to maintain a stock of parts or complete or whole machines or attachments with any wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor of farm implements or machinery or repair parts therefor and either such wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor or the retailer desires to cancel or discontinue the contract, such wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor shall pay to such retailer, unless the retailer desires to keep such merchandise, a sum equal to one hundred percent of the net cost of all new unused complete farm implements, machinery, and attachments, including transportation charges which have been paid by such retailer, and eighty-five percent of the current net prices on repair parts, including superseded parts, listed in a current price list or catalog which parts had previously been purchased from such wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor and held by such retailer on the date of the cancellation or discontinuance of such contract. Such sums shall be due within sixty days of receipt of such farm implements, machinery, or attachments or repair parts therefor by such wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor from such retailer. An interest rate of fourteen percent per annum shall be assessed on such sums which are delinquent. The wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor shall also pay such retailer a sum equal to five percent of the current net price of all parts returned for the handling, packing, and loading of such parts for return to the wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor. Upon the payment of the sum equal to one hundred percent of the net cost of such farm implements, machinery, and attachments, plus transportation charges, and eighty-five percent of the current net prices on repair parts, plus five percent handling, packing, and loading costs on repair parts only, plus freight charges which have been paid by the retailer, the title to such farm implements, farm machinery, and repair parts, or parts therefor, shall pass to the manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor making such payment and such manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor shall be entitled to the possession of such farm implements or repair parts therefor.

The provisions of this section relating to a retailer's right to cancel or discontinue a contract and receive payment for machines, attachments, and parts returned shall apply to all contracts entered into or renewed after July 1, 1971, but before May 2, 1991, which have expiration dates, except that the provisions for a retailer to receive payment for machines, attachments, and parts returned shall apply only to machines, attachments, and parts purchased after August 27, 1971. Any contract in force and effect on July 1, 1971, which by its own terms will terminate on a date subsequent thereto shall be governed by the law as it existed prior to August 27, 1971. Sections 69-1501 to 69-1504 shall not apply to any contract to which the Equipment Business Regulation Act applies.

The prices of farm implements, machinery, and repair parts therefor, required to be paid to any retail dealer as provided in section 69-1501, shall be determined by taking one hundred percent of the net cost on farm implements, machinery, and attachments, and eighty-five percent of the current net price of repair parts therefor as shown upon the manufacturer's, wholesaler's or distributor's price lists or catalogs in effect at the time such contract is canceled or discontinued.

In the event that any manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor of farm machinery, farm implements, and repair parts for farm machinery and farm implements, or of repair parts therefor, upon cancellation of a contract by either a retailer or a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor, fails or refuses to make payment to such dealer as required by section 69-1501, or refuses to supply farm machinery, farm implements, and repair parts for farm machinery and farm implements, or repair parts therefor, to any retailer of such products who may have a retail sales contract with such manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor dated after July 1, 1971, but before May 2, 1991, which has an expiration date, such manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor shall be liable in a civil action to be brought by such retailer for one hundred percent of the net cost of such farm implements, machinery, and attachments, plus transportation charges which have been paid by the retailer and eighty-five percent of the current net price of repair parts, plus five percent for handling, packing, and loading plus freight charges which have been paid by the retailer.

In the event of the death of the retail dealer or majority stockholder in a corporation operating a retail dealership in the business of selling and retailing farm implements or repair parts for farm implements, the wholesaler, distributor, or manufacturer who supplied such merchandise shall repurchase from the heir or heirs of such retail dealer or majority stockholder such merchandise at a sum equal to one hundred percent of the net cost of all current unused complete farm implements including transportation charges which have been paid by such retailer, and eighty-five percent of the current net prices on repair parts, including superseded parts, listed in current price lists or catalogs, plus a sum equal to five percent of the current net price of all parts returned for handling, packing, and loading of such parts, unless such heir or heirs agree to continue to operate such retail dealership. In the event such heir or heirs do not agree to continue to operate such retail dealership, it shall be deemed a cancellation or discontinuance of contract by the retailer under the provisions of section 69-1501, and as such the heir or heirs may exercise any rights and privileges under the provisions of sections 69-1501 to 69-1504.

For purposes of sections 69-1601 to 69-1607, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Home solicitation sale shall mean a sale, lease, or rental of consumer goods or services with a purchase price of twenty-five dollars or more, whether under a single or multiple contract, in which the seller or his or her representative personally solicits the sale, including those in response to or following the invitation by the buyer, and the buyer's agreement or offer to purchase is made at a place other than the place of business of the seller. The term home solicitation sale shall not include a transaction:

(a) Made pursuant to prior negotiations in the course of a visit by the buyer to a retail business establishment having a fixed permanent location where the goods are exhibited or the services are offered for sale on a continuing basis;

(b) In which the consumer is accorded the right to rescission by the provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635 et seq., or regulations issued pursuant thereto;

(c) In which the buyer has initiated the contact, the goods or services are needed to meet a bona fide immediate personal emergency of the buyer, and the buyer furnishes the seller with a separate dated and signed personal statement in the buyer's handwriting describing the situation requiring immediate remedy and expressly acknowledging and waiving the right to cancel the sale within three business days;

(d) Conducted and consummated entirely by mail or telephone and without any other contact between the buyer and the seller or its representative prior to delivery of the goods or performance of the services;

(e) In which the buyer has initiated the contact and specifically requested the seller to visit his or her home for the purpose of repairing or performing maintenance upon the buyer's personal property. If, in the course of such a visit, the seller sells the buyer the right to receive additional services or goods other than replacement parts necessarily used in performing the maintenance or in making the repairs, the sale of such additional goods or services shall not fall within this exclusion;

(f) Pertaining to the sale of securities or commodities by a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission; or

(g) Defined as a consumer rental purchase agreement in the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act;

(2) Buyer shall mean both actual and prospective purchasers or lessees of any goods or services offered through home solicitation selling; and

(3) Seller shall mean a person or organization who advertises, offers, or deals in goods or services for the purpose of home solicitation selling or provides or exercises supervision, direction, or control over sales practices used in the home solicitation sale but shall not include banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, public utilities, licensed motor vehicle dealers, or licensed real estate brokers or salespersons with respect to real estate listings or the sale or leasing of real estate, but seller shall include a supplier or distributor if:

(a) The seller is a subsidiary or affiliate of the supplier or distributor;

(b) The seller interchanges personnel or maintains common or overlapping officers or directors with the supplier or distributor; or

(c) The supplier or distributor provides or exercises supervision, direction, or control over the selling practices of the seller.

In a home solicitation sale the seller shall, at the outset, clearly and expressly disclose the seller's individual name, the name of the business firm or organization he represents, and the identity or kind of goods or services he offers to sell.

(1) In addition to any right otherwise to revoke an offer, to rescind the transaction or to exercise any remedy for the seller's breach, a buyer may cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after the seller has given notice to the buyer in accordance with section 69-1604.

(2) Notice of cancellation shall be by mail addressed to the seller and shall be considered given at the time mailed.

(3) Notice of cancellation by the buyer need not take a particular form and is sufficient if it indicates by any form of written expression the intention of the buyer not to be bound by such home solicitation sale.

(1) Whenever a buyer has the right to cancel a home solicitation sale, the seller's contract shall contain a notice to be printed in capital and lowercase letters of not less than ten-point boldface type and appear under the conspicuous caption: BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL; which shall read as follows: You may cancel this agreement by mailing a written notice to (Insert name and mailing address of seller) before midnight of the third business day after you signed this agreement. If you wish, you may use this page as that notice by writing "I hereby cancel" and adding your name and address.

(2) A home solicitation sales contract which contains the Notice of Cancellation form and content provided in the Federal Trade Commission's trade regulation rule providing a cooling-off period shall be deemed as complying with the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, so long as the Federal Trade Commission language provides at least equal information to the consumer concerning his right to cancel as is required by sections 69-1601 to 69-1607.

(3) A seller who in the ordinary course of business regularly uses a language other than English in any advertising or other solicitation of customers or in any printed forms for use by buyers or in any face-to-face negotiations with buyers, shall give the notice described in this section to a buyer whose principal language is such other language, both in English and in the other language.

(4) The notice required under this section shall be delivered either after all the credit cost disclosures have been made to the buyer as required by the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act and the buyer has signed the writing evidencing the transaction, or contemporaneously therewith, but not before.

(5) Until the seller has complied with this section the buyer may cancel the home solicitation sale by notifying the seller in any manner and by any means of his intention to cancel. The three-business-day period prescribed by sections 69-1601 to 69-1607 shall begin to run from the time the seller complies with this section.

(6) The notice provisions under this section shall not be required in a transaction involving an order for goods to be delivered at one time if: (a) The order is evidenced only by a sales ticket or invoice, a copy of which must be provided to the buyer, which clearly and unmistakably sets forth on the face or reverse side of the sales ticket or invoice the buyer's right to cancel the order, refuse delivery or return the goods without obligation or charge; (b) the goods are not delivered within three business days of the date of the order; and (c) the buyer may refuse to accept the goods when they are delivered without incurring any obligation to pay for them or the expenses associated with the transaction, including mailing or shipping charges, or the buyer may, upon inspecting the goods after delivery, return them within three business days to the seller and receive a full refund for any amounts the buyer has paid including mailing and shipping charges.

(1) Within ten days after a home solicitation sale has been canceled, the seller shall cause any money paid by the buyer, including a downpayment, to be returned to the buyer and shall take appropriate action to reflect the termination of the transaction including any security interest created as a result.

(2) Upon cancellation, as allowed by sections 69-1601 to 69-1607, the buyer shall not be liable for any finance or other charge and the transaction, including any security interest, shall be void.

(3) If the seller receives any property from the buyer, he shall return such property in substantially as good condition as it was when it was given within twenty days after cancellation of the transaction. If such property is not returned within such time, the buyer may recover the property or the greater of its agreed or fair market value at retail.

(1) The buyer shall take reasonable care of any property received pursuant to the home solicitation sale in his possession before cancellation and for a reasonable time after tender, not to exceed twenty days.

(2) Upon the performance of the seller's obligations under section 69-1605, the buyer shall tender such property to the seller except that if the return of such property to the seller is inequitable, the buyer shall tender its reasonable value.

(3) Tender shall be made at the location of the property or at the residence of the buyer at the option of the buyer.

(4) If the seller does not take possession of such property within twenty days after tender by the buyer, ownership of such property shall vest in the buyer without obligation on his part to pay for it.

(5) If a seller performs any services pursuant to a home solicitation sale prior to its cancellation, the seller shall not be entitled to compensation.

Any sale made in violation of sections 69-1601 to 69-1607 shall entitle the buyer to recover any sums paid to the seller pursuant to the transaction along with the actual damages, including any incidental and consequential damages, sustained by the buyer by reason of the violation, together with the costs of the suit, including a reasonable attorney's fee.

(1) Before an outdoor advertising sign, display, or device is removed, taken, or appropriated through the use of zoning or any other power or authority possessed by the state, a state agency, or a political subdivision of the state:

(a) The value of the sign, display, or device shall be determined by the taking entity without the use of any amortization schedule; and

(b) The owners of the sign, display, or device shall be paid the fair and reasonable market value for such removal, taking, or appropriation, which fair and reasonable market value shall be based upon the depreciated reproduction cost of such sign, display, or device using as a guideline the Nebraska Sign Schedule developed and used by the Department of Transportation, except that, when feasible, the taking entity may elect to relocate such sign, display, or device, in which event the owners of the sign, display, or device shall be paid the actual and necessary relocation cost therefor.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to:

(a) Actions taken by the Department of Transportation pursuant to sections 39-212 to 39-226 and 39-1320; and

(b) The removal, taking, or appropriation of a sign, display, or device which (i) is insecurely fixed or inadequately maintained such that the sign, display, or device constitutes a danger to the public health or safety, or (ii) has been abandoned or no longer used by the owners for at least six months.

If a nonconforming advertising sign, display, or device is located on premises leased or owned for the purpose of conducting a business or on commercial or industrial premises leased for the purpose of sign erection, such sign, display, or device shall be required to conform to existing codes and regulations, when such sign, display, or device is changed or altered as a result of either transfer of ownership of the premises or business or a change in the type of business or use of the premises. Such sign, display, or device may be allowed to remain as a nonconforming use subject to applicable normal nonreplacement and nonalteration standards as determined by the state, a state agency, or political subdivision of the state.

Sections 69-1801 to 69-1808 shall be known and may be cited as the American Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act.

The purpose of the American Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act is protection of the consumer and protection of American Indian craftpersons from false representation in the offering for sale, sale, trade, or purchase of authentic American Indian arts and crafts and natural and unnatural turquoise.

As used in the American Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) American Indian shall mean any person of at least one-quarter American Indian blood who is enrolled or is a lineal descendant of an American Indian enrolled upon enrollment listing of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs;

(2) Imitation American Indian arts and crafts shall mean any American-Indian-style arts and crafts which are made by machine, made of synthetic or artificial material, or made by persons who are not American Indians;

(3) Authentic American Indian arts and crafts shall mean any arts and crafts which are handcrafted by American Indians and made of natural materials;

(4) Machine-made shall mean the manufacture of American-Indian-style arts and crafts in mass production by mechanically stamping, casting, shaping, or weaving;

(5) Handcrafted arts and crafts shall mean any arts and crafts produced by individual hand labor through the use of findings, hand tools, and equipment for buffing, polishing, grinding, or drilling;

(6) Findings shall mean only those pieces that come under the category of clips, pins, stems, hooks, and toggles and other materials used in joining two or more parts of a single handcrafted product, but shall not mean bench-made beads, machine-made beads, or other machine-made components;

(7) Spin cast shall mean the casting of jewelry components other than findings by means of centrifugal force;

(8) Natural turquoise shall mean an unadulterated mineral consisting of hydrous basic copper aluminum phosphate which has not been chemically altered or discolored other than by natural alteration or discoloration; and

(9) Unnatural turquoise shall mean any mineral, compound, or substance which is not natural turquoise, including the following: Stabilized turquoise which is turquoise of a soft, porous nature which has been chemically hardened, but not adulterated so as to change the coloration of the natural mineral; treated turquoise which is turquoise which has been chemically altered to produce a change in the coloration of the natural mineral; reconstituted turquoise which is turquoise dust and particles which have been mixed with plastic resins and compressed into a solid form so as to resemble natural turquoise; imitation turquoise which is any artificial compound or other mineral manufactured or treated so as to closely resemble natural turquoise in composition and color; and any other mineral which is represented as turquoise but is not natural turquoise.

Any person engaged in manufacturing or producing American Indian arts and crafts shall provide accurate information to wholesale and retail sellers concerning the methods and materials used in manufacturing and producing such arts and crafts.

Any person engaged in supplying natural turquoise, unnatural turquoise, or both for use in the manufacture or production of American Indian arts and crafts or for sale to consumers shall provide accurate information concerning the source and quality of the turquoise being supplied.

Any person selling or offering for sale to consumers any American Indian arts and crafts shall make inquiry of manufacturers and producers of such arts and crafts concerning the methods and materials used in the manufacture and production of such arts and crafts for the purpose of determining whether such arts and crafts are authentic or imitation.

It shall be unlawful for any person engaged in the manufacture, production, wholesale selling, or retail selling of American Indian arts and crafts to:

(1) Sell or offer for sale any products as being authentic American Indian arts and crafts unless such products are made in accordance with the definition of authentic American Indian arts and crafts in the American Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act;

(2) Sell or offer for sale any authentic American Indian arts and crafts purporting to be made of silver unless such products are made of coin silver or sterling silver;

(3) Sell or offer for sale any imitation American Indian arts and crafts unless such products are clearly designated as such by a tag attached to each product and containing the words Indian imitation in letters of a size of not less than fourteen-point type, except that if the imitation American Indian arts and crafts can be clearly labeled by the use of a display card in lieu of tagging each article, the person may label such arts and crafts with a printed display card in letters not less than one and one-half inches in height and containing the words Indian imitation;

(4) Sell or offer for sale spin-cast components of American Indian jewelry, except findings, or use such spin-cast components in jewelry unless such jewelry is stamped as being so cast in its manufacture; or

(5) Sell or offer for sale unnatural turquoise unless represented by a display card or tag as being unnatural turquoise.

Any person who violates any provision of the American Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act shall be guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor.

The Legislature hereby finds that the state prohibits the use of smokeless tobacco products by minors and the furnishing of smokeless tobacco products to minors and that the enforcement of an age-related restriction on the promotional distribution of smokeless tobacco products is impractical and ineffective. It is the intent of the Legislature to control the distribution of these products and discourage illegal activity by prohibiting all promotional distribution.

For purposes of sections 69-1901 to 69-1904:

(1) Distribute shall mean to give smokeless tobacco products to the general public at no cost or at nominal cost or to give coupons or rebate offers with the products; and

(2) Smokeless tobacco product shall mean (a) loose tobacco or a flat compressed cake of tobacco that may be chewed or held in the mouth or (b) a small amount of shredded, powdered, or pulverized tobacco that may be inhaled through the nostrils, chewed, or held in the mouth.

(1) Manufacturers, wholesalers, or retailers, or their representatives, of smokeless tobacco products shall not distribute for promotional purposes.

(2) Evidence of distribution of smokeless tobacco products to the general public shall be prima facie evidence of distribution for promotional purposes.

(1) The Attorney General shall apply for an injunction in the district court in the county in which any violation of section 69-1903 occurs to enjoin the defendant from engaging in any practice which violates such section. Notice shall be given by certified mail to the defendant at least five days prior to the hearing on such injunction.

(2) The Attorney General may bring a civil action against any person violating section 69-1903. A civil penalty shall be imposed on such person in an amount of five hundred dollars for the first offense and in an amount of not less than six hundred dollars nor more than three thousand dollars for a second or subsequent offense. Each distribution of a single package to an individual member of the general public shall be considered a separate violation under section 69-1903.

Sections 69-2001 to 69-2012 shall be known and may be cited as the Degradable Products Act.

For purposes of the Degradable Products Act, the definitions found in sections 69-2003 to 69-2007 shall be used.

Biodegradable shall mean degradable through a process by which fungi or bacteria secrete enzymes to convert a complex molecular structure to simple gases and organic compounds.

Degradable shall mean capable of decomposing or deteriorating through a natural chemical process into harmless components after exposure to natural elements for not more than one year.

Photodegradable shall mean degradable through a process in which ultraviolet radiation in sunlight causes a chemical change in a material.

Recyclable shall mean suitable for any process of separating, cleaning, treating, and reconstituting waste or other discarded materials for the purpose of recovering or reusing the resources contained therein.

Retail shall mean sale for use or consumption and not for resale in any form.

On and after January 1, 1991, a person shall not sell or offer for sale at retail any beverage for human consumption if the beverage container is connected to another beverage container by a device which is constructed of a material which is not biodegradable, photodegradable, or recyclable.

On and after January 1, 1992, a person shall not sell or offer for sale at retail any bag used for or intended to be used for grass clippings, garbage, yard waste, or leaves which is constructed of a material which is not biodegradable, photodegradable, or recyclable.

On and after January 1, 1992, a person shall not sell or offer for sale at retail any bag used for or intended to be used for groceries or shopping which is constructed of a material which is not biodegradable, photodegradable, or recyclable.

On and after October 1, 1993, a person shall not sell or offer for sale at retail any disposable diaper which is constructed of a material which is not biodegradable or photodegradable if the Director of Environment and Energy determines that biodegradable or photodegradable disposable diapers are readily available at a comparable price and quality. The determination of quality shall include a study of the environmental impact and fate of such disposable diapers. The director shall issue his or her determination to the Legislature on or before October 1, 1992. For purposes of this section (1) readily available shall mean available for purchase in sufficient quantities to meet demand through usual retail channels throughout the state and (2) comparable price and quality shall mean at a cost not in excess of five percent above the average price for products of comparable quality which are not biodegradable or photodegradable.

Any person violating sections 69-2008 to 69-2011 shall be guilty of a Class III misdemeanor.

Sections 69-2101 to 69-2119 shall be known and may be cited as the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.

The Legislature finds that a significant number of consumers have sought to acquire ownership of personal property through consumer rental purchase agreements. Often consumer rental purchase agreements have been offered without adequate cost disclosures. It is the purpose of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act to assure meaningful disclosure of the terms of consumer rental purchase agreements, to make consumers aware of the total cost attendant with such agreements, to inform the consumer when ownership will transfer, and to assure accurate disclosures of rental purchase terms in advertising.

For purposes of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act:

(1) Advertisement means a commercial message in any medium that aids, promotes, or assists directly or indirectly a consumer rental purchase agreement but does not include in-store merchandising aids such as window signs and ceiling banners;

(2) Cash price means the price at which the lessor would have sold the property to the consumer for cash on the date of the consumer rental purchase agreement for the property;

(3) Consumer means a natural person who rents property under a consumer rental purchase agreement;

(4) Consumer rental purchase agreement means an agreement which is for the use of property by a consumer primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, which is for an initial period of four months or less, whether or not there is any obligation beyond the initial period, which is automatically renewable with each payment, and which permits the consumer to become the owner of the property. A consumer rental purchase agreement in compliance with the act shall not be construed to be a lease or agreement which constitutes a credit sale as defined in 12 C.F.R. 1026.2(a)(16), as such regulation existed on January 1, 2023, and 15 U.S.C. 1602(h), as such section existed on January 1, 2023, or a lease which constitutes a consumer lease as defined in 12 C.F.R. 1013.2, as such regulation existed on January 1, 2023. Consumer rental purchase agreement does not include:

(a) Any lease for agricultural, business, or commercial purposes;

(b) Any lease made to an organization;

(c) A lease or agreement which constitutes an installment sale or installment contract as defined in section 45-335;

(d) A security interest as defined in subdivision (35) of section 1-201, Uniform Commercial Code; and

(e) A home solicitation sale as defined in section 69-1601;

(5) Consummation means the occurrence of an event which causes a consumer to become contractually obligated on a consumer rental purchase agreement;

(6) Department means the Department of Banking and Finance;

(7) Lease payment means a payment to be made by the consumer for the right of possession and use of the property for a specific lease period but does not include taxes imposed on such payment;

(8) Lease period means a week, month, or other specific period of time, during which the consumer has the right to possess and use the property after paying the lease payment and applicable taxes for such period;

(9) Lessor means a person who in the ordinary course of business operates a commercial outlet which regularly leases, offers to lease, or arranges for the leasing of property under a consumer rental purchase agreement;

(10) Property means any property that is not real property under the laws of this state when made available for a consumer rental purchase agreement; and

(11) Total of payments to acquire ownership means the total of all charges imposed by the lessor and payable by the consumer as a condition of acquiring ownership of the property. Total of payments to acquire ownership includes lease payments and any initial nonrefundable administrative fee or required delivery charge but does not include taxes, late charges, reinstatement fees, or charges for optional products or services.

(1) Before entering into any consumer rental purchase agreement, the lessor shall disclose to the consumer the following items as applicable:

(a) A brief description of the leased property sufficient to identify the property to the consumer and lessor;

(b) The number, amount, and timing of all payments included in the total of payments to acquire ownership;

(c) The total of payments to acquire ownership;

(d) A statement that the consumer will not own the property until the consumer has paid the total of payments to acquire ownership plus applicable taxes;

(e) A statement that the total of payments to acquire ownership does not include other charges such as taxes, late charges, reinstatement fees, or charges for optional products or services the consumer may have elected to purchase and that the consumer should see the rental purchase agreement for an explanation of these charges;

(f) A statement that the consumer is responsible for the fair market value, remaining rent, early purchase option amount, or cost of repair of the property, whichever is less, if it is lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed;

(g) A statement indicating whether the property is new or used. A statement that indicates that new property is used shall not be a violation of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act;

(h) A statement of the cash price of the property. When the agreement involves a lease for two or more items, a statement of the aggregate cash price of all items shall satisfy the requirement of this subdivision;

(i) The total amount of the initial payments required to be paid before consummation of the agreement or delivery of the property, whichever occurs later, and an itemization of the components of the initial payment, including any initial nonrefundable administrative fee or delivery charge, lease payment, taxes, or fee or charge for optional products or services;

(j) A statement clearly summarizing the terms of the consumer's options to purchase, including a statement that at any time after the first periodic payment is made the consumer may acquire ownership of the property by tendering an amount which may not exceed fifty-five percent of the difference between the total of payments to acquire ownership and the total of lease payments the consumer has paid on the property at that time;

(k) A statement identifying the party responsible for maintaining or servicing the property while it is being leased, together with a description of that responsibility and a statement that if any part of a manufacturer's warranty covers the leased property at the time the consumer acquires ownership of the property, such warranty shall be transferred to the consumer if allowed by the terms of the warranty; and

(l) The date of the transaction and the names of the lessor and the consumer.

(2) With respect to matters specifically governed by the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq., as such act existed on January 1, 2023, compliance with such act shall satisfy the requirements of this section.

(3) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to a lessor who complies with the disclosure requirements of the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1667a, as such section existed on January 1, 2023, with respect to a consumer rental purchase agreement entered into with a consumer.

(1) In a consumer rental purchase agreement involving more than one consumer, a lessor need disclose the items required by the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act to only one of the consumers who is primarily obligated. In a consumer rental purchase agreement involving more than one lessor, only one lessor need make the required disclosures.

(2) The disclosures required under the act shall be made at or before consummation of the consumer rental purchase agreement.

(3) The disclosures shall be made using words and phrases of common meaning in a form that the consumer may keep. For purposes of satisfying the disclosure requirements of the act, the terms lease and rent shall be considered synonymous. The required disclosures shall be set forth clearly and conspicuously. The disclosures shall be placed all together on the front side of the consumer rental purchase agreement or on a separate form. The form setting forth the required disclosures shall contain spaces for the consumer's signature and the date appearing immediately below the disclosures. If the disclosures are made on more than one page, each page shall be signed by the consumer. The requirements of this section shall not have been complied with unless the consumer signs the statement and receives at the time the disclosures are made a legible copy of the signed statement. The inclusion in the required disclosures of a statement that the consumer received a legible copy of those disclosures shall create a rebuttable presumption of receipt.

(4) Information required to be disclosed may be given in the form of estimates. Estimates shall be identified as such.

(5) If a disclosure becomes inaccurate as the result of any act, occurrence, or agreement after delivery of the required disclosures, the resulting inaccuracy shall not be a violation of the act.

(6) Information in addition to that required by section 69-2104 may be disclosed if the additional information is not stated, utilized, or placed in a manner which will contradict, obscure, or detract attention from the required information.

(7) The department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations establishing requirements for the order, acknowledgment by initialing, and conspicuous placement of the disclosures set forth in section 69-2104. Such rules and regulations may allow the disclosures to be made in accordance with model forms prepared by the department.

(8) The terms of the consumer rental purchase agreement, except as otherwise provided in the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, shall be set forth in not less than eight-point standard type or such similar type as prescribed in rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the department.

(9) Every consumer rental purchase agreement shall contain, immediately above or adjacent to the place for the signature of the consumer, a clear, conspicuous, printed or typewritten notice, in boldface, ten-point type, in substantially the following language:

NOTICE TO CONSUMER — READ BEFORE SIGNING

a. DO NOT SIGN THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE ENTIRE AGREEMENT, INCLUDING ANY WRITING ON THE REVERSE SIDE, EVEN IF OTHERWISE ADVISED.

b. DO NOT SIGN THIS IF IT CONTAINS ANY BLANK SPACES.

c. YOU ARE ENTITLED TO AN EXACT COPY OF ANY AGREEMENT YOU SIGN.

The lessor shall furnish the consumer upon request with an itemized written receipt for payment in cash or any other method of payment which itself does not provide evidence of payment.

A consumer rental purchase agreement may not contain a provision:

(1) Requiring a confession of judgment;

(2) Requiring a garnishment of wages;

(3) Granting authorization to the lessor or a person acting on the lessor's behalf to enter unlawfully upon the consumer's premises or to commit any breach of the peace in the repossession of property;

(4) Requiring the consumer to waive any defense, counterclaim, or right of action against the lessor or a person acting on the lessor's behalf in collection of payment under the consumer rental purchase agreement or in the repossession of property; or

(5) Requiring purchase of insurance from the lessor to cover the property.

Each consumer rental purchase agreement shall:

(1) Provide that the consumer may terminate the agreement without penalty by voluntarily surrendering or returning the property upon expiration of any lease term; and

(2) Contain a provision for reinstatement which shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) Permitting a consumer who fails to make a timely lease payment to reinstate the agreement without losing any rights or options which exist under the agreement by the payment of all past-due lease charges, the reasonable costs of pickup, redelivery, and any refurbishing, and any applicable late fee within five business days of the renewal date of the agreement if the consumer pays monthly or within three business days of the renewal date of the agreement if the consumer pays more frequently than monthly; and

(b) Permitting the consumer to reinstate the agreement during a period of not less than thirty days after the date of the return of the property if the consumer promptly returns or voluntarily surrenders the property upon request by the lessor or its agent. In the event the consumer has paid not less than sixty percent and not more than eighty percent of the total of payments to acquire ownership, the reinstatement period shall be extended to a total of ninety days after the date of the return of the property. In the event the consumer has paid eighty percent or more of the total of payments to acquire ownership, the reinstatement period shall be extended to a total of one hundred eighty days after the date of the return of the property.

Nothing in this section shall prevent a lessor from attempting to repossess property during the reinstatement period, but such repossession shall not affect the consumer's right to reinstate. Upon reinstatement, the lessor shall provide the consumer with the same property or substitute property of comparable quality and condition.

A lessor shall not:

(1) Charge a penalty for early termination of a consumer rental purchase agreement or for the return of an item at any point except for those charges authorized by section 69-2110;

(2) Require payment by a cosigner of the consumer rental purchase agreement of any fees or charges which could not be imposed upon the consumer as part of the consumer rental purchase agreement;

(3) Require payment of any charges unless specifically authorized by subsection (1) of section 69-2110; or

(4) Increase the lease payment or the total of payments to acquire ownership as a result of a consumer's declining to purchase liability damage waiver.

(1) The lessor may contract for and receive:

(a) An initial nonrefundable administrative fee of not more than ten dollars;

(b) A security deposit, if the amount of the deposit and the conditions under which all or a part of the deposit will be returned is disclosed with the disclosures required by sections 69-2104 and 69-2105;

(c) A delivery charge of not more than ten dollars or, in the case of a consumer rental purchase agreement covering more than five items, a delivery charge of not more than twenty-five dollars, if (i) the lessor actually delivers the items to the place designated by the consumer, (ii) the delivery charge is disclosed with the disclosures required by sections 69-2104 and 69-2105, and (iii) such charge is in lieu of and not in addition to the administrative fee in subsection (1) of this section;

(d) Late fees as follows:

(i) For consumer rental purchase agreements with monthly renewal dates, a late fee of not more than five dollars may be assessed on any payment not made within five business days after the payment is due;

(ii) For consumer rental purchase agreements with more frequent than monthly renewal dates, a late fee of not more than three dollars may be assessed on any payment not made within three business days after payment is due; and

(iii) A late fee on a consumer rental purchase agreement may be collected only once on any accrued payment no matter how long such payment remains unpaid, may be collected at the time it accrues or at any time thereafter, and shall not be assessed against a payment that is timely made even though an earlier late fee has not been paid in full; and

(e) In addition to any applicable late fee, a reinstatement fee of not more than five dollars which may be assessed only if the consumer exercises the reinstatement provision of the agreement.

(2) The parties may contract for fees for liability damage waiver or similar products or services if:

(a) Purchasing the product or service is optional and is not a factor in the approval of the lessor of the consumer rental purchase transaction and such facts are clearly disclosed in writing to the consumer; and

(b) The consumer has signed or initialed an affirmative written request to purchase the product or service after receiving a written disclosure of the cost of such product or service.

(3) In addition to the requirements in subsection (2) of this section a contract containing fees for liability damage waiver shall include the following:

(a) For a consumer rental purchase agreement with scheduled lease payments more frequent than monthly, the amount of the liability damage waiver shall not exceed eight percent of any lease payment or two dollars for each scheduled lease payment, whichever is greater; and

(b) For a consumer rental purchase agreement with monthly lease payments, the amount of the liability damage waiver shall not exceed eight percent of any lease payment or five dollars for each scheduled lease payment, whichever is greater.

(4) The parties may contract for other products or services incidental to the consumer rental purchase transaction which do not evade the provisions of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.

(1) A renegotiation shall be deemed to occur when an existing consumer rental purchase agreement is satisfied and replaced by a new agreement undertaken by the same consumer. A renegotiation shall be considered a new agreement requiring new disclosures. Renegotiation shall not include:

(a) The addition or return of property in a multiple-item agreement or the substitution of leased property if in either case the average payment allocable to a payment period is not changed by more than twenty-five percent;

(b) Deferral or extension of one or more periodic payments or portions of a periodic payment;

(c) A reduction in charges in the agreement;

(d) An agreement involving a court proceeding; and

(e) Any other event described in rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the department.

(2) No disclosures shall be required for any extension of a consumer rental purchase agreement.

(1) Any advertisement for a consumer rental purchase agreement which refers to or states the amount of any payment or the right to acquire ownership for any specific item shall also state clearly and conspicuously the following if applicable:

(a) That the transaction advertised is a consumer rental purchase agreement;

(b) The total of payments to acquire ownership; and

(c) That the consumer acquires no ownership rights until the total of payments to acquire ownership is paid.

(2) Any owner or employee of any medium in which an advertisement appears or through which it is disseminated shall not be liable under this section.

(3) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to an advertisement which does not refer to a specific item of property, which does not refer to or state the amount of any payment, or which is published in the yellow pages of a telephone directory or any similar directory of business.

(4) With respect to matters specifically governed by the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq., as such act existed on January 1, 2023, compliance with such act shall satisfy the requirements of this section.

(1) A lessor who fails to comply with the requirements of sections 69-2104 to 69-2110 with respect to a consumer shall be liable to the consumer for:

(a) The greater of the actual damages sustained by the consumer as a result of the violation or, in the case of an individual action, twenty-five percent of the total of payments to acquire ownership but not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars; and

(b) The costs of the action and reasonable attorney's fees.

(2) In the case of an advertisement, any lessor who fails to comply with the requirements of section 69-2112 with regard to any person shall be liable to that person for actual damages suffered from the violation, the costs of the action, and reasonable attorney's fees.

(3) When there is more than one lessor, liability shall be imposed only on the lessor who made the disclosures. When no disclosures have been made, liability shall be imposed jointly and severally on all lessors.

(4) When there is more than one consumer, there shall be only one recovery of damages under subsection (1) of this section for a violation of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.

(5) Multiple violations in connection with a single consumer rental purchase agreement shall entitle the consumer to a single recovery under this section.

(6) A consumer shall not take any action to offset any amount for which a lessor is potentially liable under subsection (1) of this section against any amount owed by the consumer unless the amount of the lessor's liability has been determined by judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in an action to which the lessor was a party. This subsection shall not bar a consumer then in default on the obligation from asserting a violation of the act as an original action or as a defense or counterclaim to an action brought by the lessor to collect an amount owed by the consumer.

(7) In connection with any transaction covered under the act, the lessor shall preserve evidence of compliance with the provisions of the act for not less than two years from the date of consummation of the agreement.

An action under the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act may be brought in any court of competent jurisdiction within one year of the date of the occurrence of any violation or within six months of the time the consumer rental purchase agreement and any renewal or extension of the agreement cease to be in effect, whichever occurs later. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, an action under the act may be maintained by way of recoupment or counterclaim in an action brought against the consumer by the lessor or the lessor's assignee.

(1) A lessor shall not be liable for a violation under section 69-2113 if the lessor proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the violation was not intentional, that the violation resulted from a bona fide error, and that the lessor maintained procedures reasonably adapted to avoid such an error. A bona fide error shall include, but not be limited to, clerical, calculation, computer malfunction and programming, and printing errors. An error of legal judgment with respect to requirements of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act shall not be considered a bona fide error.

(2) A lessor shall not be liable under the act for any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule, regulation, or interpretation issued, adopted, or promulgated by the Attorney General, by the department, or by an official duly authorized by the Attorney General or the department even if after the act or omission has occurred the rule, regulation, or interpretation is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.

(3) With respect to the dollar amount of any disclosure required by the act, a lessor shall not be liable if the dollar amount actually disclosed is greater than the dollar amount required to be disclosed by the act.

(1)(a) The Director of Banking and Finance in his or her discretion may make such investigations within or without this state as he or she deems necessary to determine whether any person has violated or is about to violate the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act or to aid in the enforcement of the act or in the adopting and promulgating of rules, regulations, and forms under the act. In the discretion of the director, the actual expense of any such investigation may be charged to the person who is the subject of the investigation.

(b) The director may publish information concerning any violation of the act or any rule, regulation, or order of the director.

(c) For the purpose of any investigation or proceeding under the act, the director or any officer designated by him or her may administer oaths and affirmations, subpoena witnesses, compel their attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, agreements, or other documents or records which the director deems relevant or material to the inquiry.

(2) In case of contumacy by or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, any court of competent jurisdiction, upon application by the director, may issue to that person an order requiring him or her to appear before the director or the officer designated by the director to produce documentary evidence if so ordered or to give evidence touching on the matter under investigation or in question. Any failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt of court. The request for an order of compliance may be addressed to either (a) the district court of Lancaster County or the district court in the county where service may be obtained on the person refusing to testify or produce, if the person is within this state, or (b) the appropriate district court of the state having jurisdiction over the person refusing to testify or produce, if the person is outside this state.

(1) The Director of Banking and Finance may summarily order a lessor to cease and desist from the use of certain forms or practices relating to consumer rental purchase agreements if he or she finds that (a) there has been a substantial failure to comply with any of the provisions of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act or (b) the continued use of certain forms or practices relating to consumer rental purchase agreements would constitute misrepresentation to or deceit or fraud on the consumer.

(2) If the director believes, whether or not based upon an investigation conducted under section 69-2116, that any person or lessor has engaged in or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act or any rule, regulation, or order under the act, the director may:

(a) Issue a cease and desist order;

(b) Impose a fine of not to exceed one thousand dollars per violation, in addition to costs of the investigation; or

(c) Initiate an action in any court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin such acts or practices and to enforce compliance with the act or any order under the act.

(3) Upon a proper showing a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or writ of mandamus shall be granted. The director shall not be required to post a bond.

(4) The fines and costs imposed pursuant to this section shall be in addition to all other penalties imposed by the laws of this state. The director shall collect the fines and costs and remit them to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall credit the costs to the Securities Act Cash Fund and distribute the fines in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. If a person fails to pay the fine or costs of the investigation referred to in this subsection, a lien in the amount of the fine and costs shall be imposed upon all of the assets and property of such person in this state and may be recovered by suit by the director. Failure of the person to pay a fine and costs shall constitute a separate violation of the act.

(5) Upon entry of an order pursuant to this section, the director shall promptly notify all persons to whom such order is directed that it has been entered and of the reasons for such order and that any person to whom the order is directed may request a hearing in writing within fifteen business days of the issuance of the order. Upon a receipt of a written request, the matter shall be set down for hearing to commence within thirty business days after the receipt unless the parties consent to a later date or the hearing officer sets a later date for good cause. If a hearing is not requested within fifteen business days and none is ordered by the director, the order shall automatically become final and shall remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the director. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the director after notice and hearing shall enter his or her written findings of fact and conclusions of law and may affirm, modify, or vacate the order.

(6) The director may vacate or modify a cease and desist order if he or she finds that the conditions which caused its entry have changed or that it is otherwise in the public interest to do so.

(7) Any person aggrieved by a final order of the director may appeal the order. The appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

To aid in the enforcement of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, the Director of Banking and Finance may examine the books and records of any lessor at least once a year. The expense of the examination shall be assessed against such lessor.

Leasing or offering to lease or arrange for a leasing of property under a consumer rental purchase agreement in this state shall constitute sufficient contact with this state for the exercise of personal jurisdiction over the lessor in any action arising under the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.

Unless otherwise agreed, where unsolicited goods or merchandise are sent through the mail to a person, he has a right to refuse to accept delivery of the goods or merchandise and is not bound to return such goods or merchandise to the sender. If such unsolicited goods or merchandise are either addressed to or intended for the recipient, they shall be deemed a gift to the recipient who may use them or dispose of them in any manner without any obligations to the sender.

Sections 69-2301 to 69-2314 shall be known and may be cited as the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act.

For purposes of the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act:

(1) Landlord means the owner, lessor, or sublessor of furnished or unfurnished premises, including self-service storage units or facilities, for rent or his or her agent or successor in interest;

(2) Owner means one or more persons, jointly or severally, in whom is vested (a) all or part of the legal title to property or (b) all or part of the beneficial ownership and a right to present use and enjoyment of premises and shall include a mortgagee in possession;

(3) Premises means (a) a dwelling unit as defined in section 76-1410 or a distinct portion of a dwelling unit, the facilities and appurtenances in such dwelling unit, and the grounds, areas, and facilities held out for the use of tenants generally or the use of which is promised to the tenants or (b) self-service storage units or facilities;

(4) Reasonable belief means the knowledge or belief a prudent person should have without making an investigation, including any investigation of public records, except that when the landlord has specific information indicating that such an investigation would more probably than not reveal pertinent information and the cost of such an investigation would be reasonable in relation to the probable value of the personal property involved, reasonable belief shall include the actual knowledge or belief a prudent person would have if such investigation were made;

(5) Reasonable costs of storage includes:

(a) Reasonable costs actually incurred, the reasonable value of labor actually provided, or both in removing personal property from its original location on the vacated premises to the place of storage, including disassembly and transportation; and

(b) Reasonable storage costs actually incurred which shall not exceed the fair rental value of the space reasonably required for the storage of the personal property; and

(6) Tenant means a person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy any premises for rent or storage uses to the exclusion of others whether such premises are used as a dwelling unit or self-service storage unit or facility or not.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5) of section 76-1414, when personal property remains on the premises after a tenancy has terminated or expired and the premises have been vacated by the tenant, the landlord shall give written notice as provided in subsection (2) of this section to such tenant and to any other person the landlord reasonably believes to be the owner of the property.

(2)(a) The notice required by subsection (1) of this section shall describe the property in a manner reasonably adequate to permit the owner of the property to identify it. The notice may describe all or a portion of the property, but the limitation of liability provided by section 69-2309 shall not protect the landlord from any liability arising from the disposition of property not described in the notice, except that a trunk, valise, box, or other container which is locked, fastened, or tied in a manner which deters immediate access to its contents may be described as such without describing its contents.

(b) The notice shall state that reasonable costs of storage may be charged before the property is returned, the location where the property may be claimed, and the date on or before which such property must be claimed.

(c) The date specified in the notice shall be a date not less than seven days after the notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than fourteen days after the notice is deposited in the mail.

(d) The notice shall be given within six months of the date of expiration of the lease of the property or the date of discovery of the abandonment, whichever is later.

(3) The notice shall be personally delivered or sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the person to be notified at his or her last-known address and, if there is reason to believe that the notice sent to that address will not be received by him or her, also delivered or sent to such other address, if any, known to the landlord at which such person may reasonably be expected to receive the notice.

A notice given pursuant to section 69-2303 shall contain one of the following statements, as appropriate:

(1) "If you fail to reclaim the property, it will be sold at a public sale after notice of the sale has been given by publication. You have the right to bid on the property at this sale. After the property is sold and the costs of storage, advertising, and sale are deducted, the remaining money will be turned over to the State Treasurer pursuant to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. You may claim the remaining money from the office of the State Treasurer as provided in such act."; or

(2) "Because this property is believed to be worth less than two thousand dollars, it may be kept, sold, or destroyed without further notice if you fail to reclaim it within the time indicated in this notice.".

(1) A notice given to a former tenant which is in substantially the following form shall satisfy the requirements of section 69-2303:

Notice of Right to Reclaim Abandoned Property

To: .................................................

(Name of former tenant)

....................................................

(Address of former tenant)

When you vacated the premises at

................................................... ,

(Address of premises, including room or apartment number, if any)

the following personal property remained:

........................................................

(Insert description of the personal property)

You may claim this property at ......................

....................................................... .

(Address where property may be claimed)

Unless you pay the reasonable costs of storage for all the above-described property and take possession of the property which you claim not later than ........, (insert date not less than seven days after notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than fourteen days after notice is deposited in the mail) this property may be disposed of pursuant to the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act.

(Insert here the statement required by section 69-2304)

Dated: ......................

.............................

(Signature of landlord)

.............................

(Type or print name of landlord)

.............................

(Telephone number)

.............................

(Address)

(2) A notice which is in substantially the following form given to a person other than a former tenant whom the landlord reasonably believes to be the owner of personal property shall satisfy the requirements of section 69-2303:

Notice of Right to Reclaim Abandoned Property

To: ....................................................

(Name)

........................................................

(Address)

When .......................... vacated the premises at

(Name of former tenant)

.......................................................,

(Address of premises, including room or apartment number, if any)

the following personal property remained:

.......................................................

(Insert description of the personal property)

If you own any of this property, you may claim it at

........................................................ .

(Address where property may be claimed)

Unless you pay the reasonable costs of storage and take possession of the property to which you are entitled not later than ............., (insert date not less than seven days after notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than fourteen days after notice is deposited in mail) this property may be disposed of pursuant to the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act.

(Insert here the statement required by section 69-2304)

Dated: ......................

.............................

(Signature of landlord)

.............................

(Type or print name of landlord)

.............................

(Telephone number)

.............................

(Address)

A landlord may leave personal property on the vacated premises or may remove and store the property in a place of safekeeping until the landlord either releases or disposes of the property pursuant to the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act. The landlord shall exercise reasonable care in storing the property but shall not be liable to the tenant or any other owner for any loss unless such loss is caused by the landlord's intentional or negligent act.

(1) A landlord shall release personal property left on the vacated premises to the former tenant or to any person reasonably believed by the landlord to be the owner if such tenant or other person pays the reasonable costs of storage and advertising and takes possession of the property not later than the date specified in the notice for taking possession.

(2) When personal property is not released pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and the notice has stated that the personal property will be sold at a public sale, the landlord shall release the personal property to the former tenant or other person if he or she claims the property prior to sale and pays the reasonable costs of storage, advertising, and preparation for sale incurred prior to such claim and payment.

(1) If the personal property is not released pursuant to section 69-2307, it shall be sold at public sale by competitive bidding, except that if the landlord reasonably believes that the total resale value of the property not released is less than two thousand dollars, he or she may retain such property for his or her own use or dispose of it in any manner he or she chooses. At such time as the decision to sell or to retain is made, any locked trunk, valise, box, or other container shall be opened, if practicable, with as little damage as possible, and its contents evaluated. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the landlord or the tenant from bidding on the property at the public sale. The successful bidder's title shall be subject to ownership rights, liens, and security interests which have priority by law.

(2) Notice of the time and place of the public sale shall be given by advertisement of the sale published once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the sale is to be held. If there is no newspaper of general circulation in the county where the sale is to be held, the advertisement shall be posted no fewer than ten days before the sale in not less than six conspicuous places in the neighborhood of the proposed sale. The sale shall be held at the nearest suitable place to the place where the personal property is held or stored. The advertisement shall include a description of the goods, the name of the former tenant, and the time and place of the sale. The sale shall take place no sooner than ten days after the first publication. The last publication shall be no less than five days before the sale is to be held. Notice of sale may be published before the last of the dates specified for taking possession of the property in any notice given pursuant to section 69-2303.

(3) The notice of the sale shall describe the property to be sold in a manner reasonably adequate to permit the owner of the property to identify it. The notice may describe all or a portion of the property, but the limitation of liability provided by section 69-2309 shall not release the landlord from any liability arising from the disposition of property not described in the notice.

(4) After deduction of the reasonable costs of storage, advertising, and sale, any proceeds of the sale not claimed by the former tenant, an owner other than such tenant, or another person having an interest in the proceeds shall, not later than thirty days after the date of sale, be remitted to the State Treasurer for disposition pursuant to the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. The former tenant, other owner, or other person having interest in the proceeds may claim the proceeds by complying with the act. If the State Treasurer pays the proceeds or any part thereof to a claimant, neither the State Treasurer nor any employee thereof shall be liable to any other claimant as to the amount paid.

(1) If the landlord releases to the former tenant property which remains on the premises after a tenancy is terminated, the landlord shall not be liable to any person with respect to such property.

(2) If the landlord releases property pursuant to section 69-2307 to a person who is not the former tenant and who is reasonably believed by the landlord to be the owner of the property, the landlord shall not be liable with respect to such property to:

(a) Any person to whom notice was given pursuant to section 69-2303; and

(b) Any person to whom notice was not given pursuant to section 69-2303 unless such person proves that, prior to releasing the property, the landlord believed or reasonably should have believed that such person had an interest in the property and also that the landlord knew or should, upon reasonable investigation, have known the address of such person.

(3) When property is disposed of pursuant to section 69-2308, the landlord shall not be liable with respect to that property to:

(a) Any person to whom notice was given pursuant to section 69-2303; and

(b) Any person to whom notice was not given pursuant to section 69-2303 unless such person proves that, prior to disposing of the property pursuant to section 69-2308, the landlord believed or reasonably should have believed that such person had an interest in the property and also that the landlord knew or should, upon reasonable investigation, have known the address of such person.

(1) Costs of storage for which payment may be required shall be assessed in the following manner:

(a) When a former tenant claims property pursuant to section 69-2307, he or she may be required to pay the reasonable costs of storage for all the personal property remaining on the premises at the termination of the tenancy; and

(b) When an owner other than the former tenant claims property pursuant to section 69-2307, he or she may be required to pay the reasonable costs of storage for only the property in which he or she claims an interest.

(2) In determining the costs to be assessed under subsection (1) of this section, the landlord may not charge more than one person for the same costs.

A residential landlord shall surrender to a residential tenant or to a residential tenant's duly authorized representative any personal property not owned by the landlord which has been left on the premises after the tenant has vacated the residential premises and the return of which has been requested by the tenant or by the authorized representative of the tenant if:

(1) The tenant requests in writing, within fourteen days of vacating the premises, the surrender of the personal property and the request includes a description of the personal property held by the landlord and specifies the mailing address of the tenant;

(2) The landlord or the landlord's agent has control or possession of such personal property at the time the request is received;

(3) The tenant, prior to the surrender of the personal property by the landlord and upon written demand by the landlord, tenders payment of all reasonable costs associated with the landlord's removal and storage of the personal property. The landlord's demand for payment of reasonable costs associated with the removal and storage of personal property shall be in writing and shall either be mailed to the tenant at the address provided pursuant to subdivision (1) of this section or shall be personally presented to the tenant or to the tenant's authorized representative within five days after the actual receipt of the tenant's request for surrender of the personal property, unless the property is returned first. The demand shall itemize all charges, specifying the nature and amount of each item of cost; and

(4) The tenant agrees to claim and remove the personal property at a reasonable time mutually agreed upon by the landlord and tenant but not later than seventy-two hours after the tender provided for under subdivision (3) of this section.

This section shall not apply to the rental of a self-service storage unit or facility.

Any landlord who retains personal property in violation of the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act shall be liable to the tenant in a civil action for:

(1) Actual damages not to exceed the value of the personal property if such property is not surrendered: (a) Within a reasonable time after the tenant requests surrender of the personal property; or (b) if the landlord has demanded payment of reasonable costs associated with removal and storage and the tenant has complied with the requirements of section 69-2311. Three days shall be presumed to be a reasonable time in the absence of evidence to the contrary; and

(2) Reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

Personal property which the landlord reasonably believes to have been lost shall be disposed of as otherwise provided by law, but if the appropriate law enforcement agency or other governmental agency refuses to accept custody of such property, the landlord may dispose of the property pursuant to the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act. The landlord shall not be liable to the owner of the property if he or she disposes of such property in compliance with the act.

The remedy provided by the Disposition of Personal Property Landlord and Tenant Act shall not be exclusive and shall not preclude the landlord or the tenant from pursuing any other remedy provided by law.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the state has a valid interest in the regulation of the purchase, lease, rental, and transfer of handguns and that requiring a certificate prior to the purchase, lease, rental, or transfer of a handgun serves a valid public purpose.

For purposes of sections 69-2401 to 69-2425:

(1) Antique handgun or pistol means any handgun or pistol, including those with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system, manufactured in or before 1898 and any replica of such a handgun or pistol if such replica (a) is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition or (b) uses rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition which is no longer manufactured in the United States and which is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade;

(2) Criminal history record check includes a check of the criminal history records of the Nebraska State Patrol and a check of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System;

(3) Firearm-related disability means a person is not permitted to (a) purchase, possess, ship, transport, or receive a firearm under either state or federal law, (b) obtain a certificate to purchase, lease, rent, or receive transfer of a handgun under section 69-2404, or (c) obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun under the Concealed Handgun Permit Act; and

(4) Handgun means any firearm with a barrel less than sixteen inches in length or any firearm designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand.

(1) Except as provided in this section and section 69-2409, a person shall not purchase, lease, rent, or receive transfer of a handgun until he or she has obtained a certificate in accordance with section 69-2404. Except as provided in this section and section 69-2409, a person shall not sell, lease, rent, or transfer a handgun to a person who has not obtained a certificate.

(2) The certificate shall not be required if:

(a) The person acquiring the handgun is a licensed firearms dealer under federal law;

(b) The handgun is an antique handgun;

(c) The person acquiring the handgun is authorized to do so on behalf of a law enforcement agency;

(d) The transfer is a temporary transfer of a handgun and the transferee remains (i) in the line of sight of the transferor or (ii) within the premises of an established shooting facility;

(e) The transfer is between a person and his or her spouse, sibling, parent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or grandparent;

(f) The person acquiring the handgun is a holder of a valid permit under the Concealed Handgun Permit Act; or

(g) The person acquiring the handgun is a peace officer as defined in section 69-2429.

Any person desiring to purchase, lease, rent, or receive transfer of a handgun shall apply with the chief of police or sheriff of the applicant's place of residence for a certificate. The application may be made in person or by mail. The application form and certificate shall be made on forms approved by the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety. The application shall include the applicant's full name, address, date of birth, and country of citizenship. If the applicant is not a United States citizen, the application shall include the applicant's place of birth and his or her alien or admission number. If the application is made in person, the applicant shall also present a current Nebraska motor vehicle operator's license, state identification card, or military identification card, or if the application is made by mail, the application form shall describe the license or card used for identification and be notarized by a notary public who has verified the identification of the applicant through such a license or card. An applicant shall receive a certificate if he or she is twenty-one years of age or older and is not prohibited from purchasing or possessing a handgun by 18 U.S.C. 922. A fee of five dollars shall be charged for each application for a certificate to cover the cost of a criminal history record check.

Upon the receipt of an application for a certificate, the chief of police or sheriff shall issue a certificate or deny a certificate and furnish the applicant the specific reasons for the denial in writing. The chief of police or sheriff shall be permitted up to three days in which to conduct an investigation to determine whether the applicant is prohibited by law from purchasing or possessing a handgun. If the certificate or denial is mailed to the applicant, it shall be mailed to the applicant's address by first-class mail within the three-day period. If it is determined that the purchase or possession of a handgun by the applicant would be in violation of applicable federal, state, or local law, the chief of police or sheriff shall deny the certificate. In computing the three-day period, the day of receipt of the application shall not be included and the last day of the three-day period shall be included. The three-day period shall expire at 11:59 p.m. of the third day unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday in which event the period shall run until 11:59 p.m. of the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. No later than the end of the three-day period the chief of police or sheriff shall issue or deny such certificate and, if the certificate is denied, furnish the applicant the specific reasons for denial in writing. No civil liability shall arise to any law enforcement agency if such law enforcement agency complies with sections 69-2401, 69-2403 to 69-2408, and 69-2409.01.

Any person who is denied a certificate, whose certificate is revoked, or who has not been issued a certificate upon expiration of the three-day period may appeal within ten days of receipt of the denial or revocation to the county court of the county of the applicant's place of residence. The applicant shall file with the court the specific reasons for the denial or revocation by the chief of police or sheriff and a filing fee of ten dollars in lieu of any other filing fee required by law. The court shall issue its decision within thirty days of the filing of the appeal.

A certificate issued in accordance with section 69-2404 shall contain the holder's name, address, and date of birth and the effective date of the certificate. A certificate shall authorize the holder to acquire any number of handguns during the period that the certificate is valid. The certificate shall be valid throughout the state and shall become invalid three years after its effective date. If the chief of police or sheriff who issued the certificate determines that the applicant has become disqualified for the certificate under section 69-2404, he or she may immediately revoke the certificate and require the holder to surrender the certificate immediately. Revocation may be appealed pursuant to section 69-2406.

Any person who willfully provides false information on an application form for a certificate under section 69-2404 shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class IV felony, and any person who intentionally violates any other provision of sections 69-2401, 69-2403 to 69-2407, and 69-2409.01 shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class I misdemeanor. As a part of the judgment of conviction, the court may order the confiscation of the handgun.

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Nebraska State Patrol implement an expedited program of upgrading Nebraska's automated criminal history files to be utilized for, among other law enforcement purposes, an instant criminal history record check on handgun purchasers when buying a handgun from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer so that such instant criminal history record check may be implemented as soon as possible on or after January 1, 1995.

(2) The patrol's automated arrest and conviction records shall be reviewed annually by the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety who shall report the status of such records within thirty days of such review to the Governor and the Clerk of the Legislature. The report submitted to the Clerk of the Legislature shall be submitted electronically. The instant criminal history record check system shall be implemented by the patrol on or after January 1, 1995, when, as determined by the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety, eighty-five percent of the Nebraska arrest and conviction records since January 1, 1965, available to the patrol are included in the patrol's automated system. Not less than thirty days prior to implementation and enforcement of the instant check system, the patrol shall send written notice to all licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers outlining the procedures and toll-free number described in sections 69-2410 to 69-2423.

(3) Upon implementation of the instant criminal history record check system, a person who desires to purchase, lease, rent, or receive transfer of a handgun from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer may elect to obtain such handgun either under sections 69-2401, 69-2403 to 69-2408, and 69-2409.01 or under sections 69-2409.01 and 69-2410 to 69-2423.

(1) For purposes of sections 69-2401 to 69-2425, the Nebraska State Patrol shall be furnished with only such information as may be necessary for the sole purpose of determining whether an individual is disqualified from purchasing or possessing a handgun pursuant to state law or is subject to the disability provisions of 18 U.S.C. 922(d)(4) and (g)(4). Such information shall be furnished by the Department of Health and Human Services. The clerks of the various courts shall furnish to the Department of Health and Human Services and Nebraska State Patrol, as soon as practicable but within thirty days after an order of commitment or discharge is issued or after removal of firearm-related disabilities pursuant to section 71-963, all information necessary to set up and maintain the database required by this section. This information shall include (a) information regarding those persons who are currently receiving mental health treatment pursuant to a commitment order of a mental health board or who have been discharged, (b) information regarding those persons who have been committed to treatment pursuant to section 29-3702, and (c) information regarding those persons who have had firearm-related disabilities removed pursuant to section 71-963. The mental health board shall notify the Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska State Patrol when such disabilities have been removed. The Department of Health and Human Services shall also maintain in the database a listing of persons committed to treatment pursuant to section 29-3702. To ensure the accuracy of the database, any information maintained or disclosed under this subsection shall be updated, corrected, modified, or removed, as appropriate, and as soon as practicable, from any database that the state or federal government maintains and makes available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The procedures for furnishing the information shall guarantee that no information is released beyond what is necessary for purposes of this section.

(2) In order to comply with sections 69-2401 and 69-2403 to 69-2408 and this section, the Nebraska State Patrol shall provide to the chief of police or sheriff of an applicant's place of residence or a licensee in the process of a criminal history record check pursuant to section 69-2411 only the information regarding whether or not the applicant is disqualified from purchasing or possessing a handgun.

(3) Any person, agency, or mental health board participating in good faith in the reporting or disclosure of records and communications under this section is immune from any liability, civil, criminal, or otherwise, that might result by reason of the action.

(4) Any person who intentionally causes the Nebraska State Patrol to request information pursuant to this section without reasonable belief that the named individual has submitted a written application under section 69-2404 or has completed a consent form under section 69-2410 shall be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor in addition to other civil or criminal liability under state or federal law.

(5) The Nebraska State Patrol and the Department of Health and Human Services shall report electronically to the Clerk of the Legislature on a biannual basis the following information about the database: (a) The number of total records of persons unable to purchase or possess firearms because of disqualification or disability shared with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; (b) the number of shared records by category of such persons; (c) the change in number of total shared records and change in number of records by category from the previous six months; (d) the number of records existing but not able to be shared with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System because the record was incomplete and unable to be accepted by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System; and (e) the number of hours or days, if any, during which the database was unable to share records with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and the reason for such inability. The report shall also be published on the websites of the Nebraska State Patrol and the Department of Health and Human Services.

No importer, manufacturer, or dealer licensed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 923 shall sell or deliver any handgun to another person other than a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector until he or she has:

(1)(a) Inspected a valid certificate issued to such person pursuant to sections 69-2401, 69-2403 to 69-2408, and 69-2409.01; and

(b) Inspected a valid identification containing a photograph of such person which appropriately and completely identifies such person; or

(2)(a) Obtained a completed consent form from the potential buyer or transferee, which form shall be established by the Nebraska State Patrol and provided by the licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer. The form shall include the name, address, date of birth, gender, race, and country of citizenship of such potential buyer or transferee. If the potential buyer or transferee is not a United States citizen, the completed consent form shall contain the potential buyer's or transferee's place of birth and his or her alien or admission number;

(b) Inspected a valid identification containing a photograph of the potential buyer or transferee which appropriately and completely identifies such person;

(c) Requested by toll-free telephone call or other electromagnetic communication that the Nebraska State Patrol conduct a criminal history record check; and

(d) Received a unique approval number for such inquiry from the Nebraska State Patrol indicating the date and number on the consent form.

(1) Upon receipt of a request for a criminal history record check, the Nebraska State Patrol shall as soon as possible during the licensee's telephone call or by return telephone call:

(a) Check its criminal history records and check the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check System to determine if the potential buyer or transferee is prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun pursuant to state or federal law; and

(b) Either (i) inform the licensee that its records demonstrate that the potential buyer or transferee is prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun or (ii) provide the licensee with a unique approval number.

(2) In the event of electronic failure or similar emergency beyond the control of the Nebraska State Patrol, the patrol shall immediately notify a requesting licensee of the reason for and estimated length of such delay. In any event, no later than the end of the next business day the Nebraska State Patrol shall either (a) inform the licensee that its records demonstrate that the potential buyer or transferee is prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun or (b) provide the licensee with a unique approval number. If the licensee is not informed by the end of the next business day that the potential buyer is prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun, and regardless of whether the unique approval number has been received, the licensee may complete the sale or delivery and shall not be deemed to be in violation of sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 with respect to such sale or delivery.

(3) A fee of three dollars shall be charged for each request of a criminal history record check required pursuant to section 69-2410, which amount shall be transmitted monthly to the Nebraska State Patrol. Such amount shall be for the purpose of covering the costs of the criminal history record check.

(1) Any records which are created by the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct the criminal history record check containing any of the information set forth in subdivision (2)(a) of section 69-2410 pertaining to a potential buyer or transferee who is not prohibited from receipt or transfer of a handgun by reason of state or federal law shall be confidential and may not be disclosed by the patrol or any officer or employee thereof to any person. The Nebraska State Patrol shall destroy any such records as soon as possible after communicating the unique approval number, and in any event, such records shall be destroyed within forty-eight hours after the date of receipt of the licensee's request.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Nebraska State Patrol shall only maintain a log of dates of requests for criminal history record checks and unique approval numbers corresponding to such dates for not to exceed one year.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow the state to maintain records containing the names of licensees who receive unique approval numbers or to maintain records of handgun transactions, including the names or other identification of licensees and potential buyers or transferees including persons not otherwise prohibited by law from the receipt or possession of handguns.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall establish a toll-free telephone number which shall be operational seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. for purposes of responding to requests under section 69-2410. The Nebraska State Patrol shall employ and train such personnel as is necessary to expeditiously administer the provisions of sections 69-2410 to 69-2423.

Any person who is denied the right to purchase or receive a handgun as a result of procedures established by sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 may request amendment of the record pertaining to him or her by petitioning the Nebraska State Patrol. If the Nebraska State Patrol fails to amend the record within seven days, the person requesting the amendment may petition the county court of the county in which he or she resides for an order directing the patrol to amend the record. If the person proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the record should be amended, the court shall order the record be amended. If the record demonstrates that such person is not prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun by state or federal law, the Nebraska State Patrol shall destroy any records it maintains which contain any information derived from the criminal history record check.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to ensure the identity, confidentiality, and security of all records and data provided pursuant to sections 69-2410 to 69-2423.

A licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer shall not be required to comply with the provisions of subdivision (2) of section 69-2410 and sections 69-2411 to 69-2423 in the event of:

(1) Unavailability of telephone service at the licensed premises due to (a) the failure of the entity which provides telephone service in the state, region, or other geographical area in which the licensee is located to provide telephone service to the premises due to the location of such premises or (b) the interruption of telephone service by reason of hurricane, flood, natural disaster, other act of God, war, riot, or other bona fide emergency or reason beyond the control of the licensee; or

(2) Failure of the Nebraska State Patrol to comply reasonably with the requirements of sections 69-2410 to 69-2423.

Compliance with sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 shall be a defense by the Nebraska State Patrol and the licensee transferring a handgun in any cause of action under the laws of this state for liability for damages arising from the importation or manufacture, or the subsequent sale or transfer, of any handgun which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce to any person who has been convicted in any court of any crime punishable by a term of more than one year.

Sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 shall not apply to:

(1) Any antique handgun or pistol; or

(2) Any firearm which is a curio or relic as defined in 27 C.F.R. 478.11.

Any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer who knowingly and intentionally requests a criminal history record check from the Nebraska State Patrol for any purpose other than compliance with sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 or knowingly and intentionally disseminates any criminal history record check information to any person other than the subject of such information shall be guilty of a Class I misdemeanor.

Any person who, in connection with the purchase, transfer, or attempted purchase of a handgun pursuant to sections 69-2410 to 69-2423, knowingly and intentionally makes any materially false oral or written statement or knowingly and intentionally furnishes any false identification intended or likely to deceive the licensee shall be guilty of a Class IV felony.

Any licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer who knowingly and intentionally sells or delivers a handgun in violation of sections 69-2401 to 69-2425 shall be guilty of a Class IV felony.

For purposes of sections 69-2401 to 69-2425, any person who knowingly and intentionally obtains a handgun for the purposes of transferring it to a person who is prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun by state or federal law shall be guilty of a Class IV felony.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall provide electronically an annual report to the Judiciary Committee of the Legislature which includes the number of inquiries made pursuant to sections 69-2410 to 69-2423 for the prior calendar year, the number of such inquiries resulting in a determination that the potential buyer or transferee was prohibited from receipt or possession of a handgun pursuant to state or federal law, the estimated costs of administering such sections, the number of instances in which a person requested amendment of the record pertaining to such person pursuant to section 69-2414, and the number of instances in which a county court issued an order directing the patrol to amend a record.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out sections 69-2401 to 69-2425.

Any city or village ordinance existing on September 6, 1991, shall not be preempted by sections 69-2401 to 69-2425.

(1) Any firearm dealer licensed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 923 shall distribute to all firearm purchasers:

(a) Information developed by the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the dangers of leaving loaded firearms unattended around children; and

(b) Information on suicide prevention, including materials that provide evidence-based information aligned with best practices in suicide prevention. Such materials shall include information on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or other similar resources. The Nebraska State Patrol shall maintain and publish a list of materials that may be used to comply with this subdivision.

(2) There is hereby created the Firearm Information Fund. Private contributions shall be credited by the State Treasurer to such fund for the implementation of the provisions of this section.

Sections 69-2427 to 69-2449 shall be known and may be cited as the Concealed Handgun Permit Act.

An individual may obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in accordance with the Concealed Handgun Permit Act.

For purposes of the Concealed Handgun Permit Act:

(1) Concealed handgun means a handgun that is entirely obscured from view. If any part of the handgun is capable of being seen or observed by another person, it is not a concealed handgun;

(2) Handgun means any firearm with a barrel less than sixteen inches in length or any firearm designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand;

(3) Peace officer means any town marshal, chief of police or local police officer, sheriff or deputy sheriff, the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety, any officer of the Nebraska State Patrol, any member of the National Guard on active service by direction of the Governor during periods of emergency or civil disorder, any Game and Parks Commission conservation officer, and all other persons with similar authority to make arrests;

(4) Permitholder means an individual holding a current and valid permit to carry a concealed handgun issued pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Permit Act; and

(5) Proof of training means an original document or certified copy of a document, supplied by an applicant, that certifies that he or she either:

(a) Within the previous three years, has successfully completed a handgun training and safety course approved by the Nebraska State Patrol pursuant to section 69-2432; or

(b) Is a member of the active or reserve armed forces of the United States or a member of the National Guard and has had handgun training within the previous three years which meets the minimum safety and training requirements of section 69-2432.

(1) Application for a permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be made in person at any Nebraska State Patrol Troop Headquarters or office provided by the patrol for purposes of accepting such an application. The applicant shall present a current Nebraska motor vehicle operator's license, Nebraska-issued state identification card, or military identification card and shall submit two legible sets of fingerprints for a criminal history record information check pursuant to section 69-2431. The application shall be made on a form prescribed by the Superintendent of Law Enforcement and Public Safety. The application shall state the applicant's full name, motor vehicle operator's license number or state identification card number, address, and date of birth and contain the applicant's signature and shall include space for the applicant to affirm that he or she meets each and every one of the requirements set forth in section 69-2433. The applicant shall attach to the application proof of training and proof of vision as required in subdivision (3) of section 69-2433.

(2) A person applying for a permit to carry a concealed handgun who gives false information or offers false evidence of his or her identity is guilty of a Class IV felony.

(3)(a) Until January 1, 2010, the permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be issued by the Nebraska State Patrol within five business days after completion of the applicant's criminal history record information check, if the applicant has complied with this section and has met all the requirements of section 69-2433.

(b) Beginning January 1, 2010, the permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be issued by the Nebraska State Patrol within forty-five days after the date an application for the permit has been made by the applicant if the applicant has complied with this section and has met all the requirements of section 69-2433.

(4) An applicant denied a permit to carry a concealed handgun may appeal to the district court of the judicial district of the county in which he or she resides or the county in which he or she applied for the permit pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act.

In order to insure an applicant's initial compliance with sections 69-2430 and 69-2433, the applicant for a permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be fingerprinted by the Nebraska State Patrol and a check made of his or her criminal history record information maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Nebraska State Patrol. In order to insure continuing compliance with sections 69-2430 and 69-2433 and compliance for renewal pursuant to section 69-2436, a check shall be made of a permitholder's criminal history record information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

(1) The Nebraska State Patrol shall prepare and publish minimum training and safety requirements for and adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing handgun training and safety courses and handgun training and safety course instructors. Minimum safety and training requirements for a handgun training and safety course shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) Knowledge and safe handling of a handgun;

(b) Knowledge and safe handling of handgun ammunition;

(c) Safe handgun shooting fundamentals;

(d) A demonstration of competency with a handgun with respect to the minimum safety and training requirements;

(e) Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws pertaining to the purchase, ownership, transportation, and possession of handguns;

(f) Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws pertaining to the use of a handgun, including, but not limited to, use of a handgun for self-defense and laws relating to justifiable homicide and the various degrees of assault;

(g) Knowledge of ways to avoid a criminal attack and to defuse or control a violent confrontation;

(h) Knowledge of proper storage practices for handguns and ammunition, including storage practices which would reduce the possibility of accidental injury to a child; and

(i) Suicide prevention training. Such training shall consist of evidence-based information aligned with best practices in suicide prevention.

(2) A person or entity conducting a handgun training and safety course and the course instructors shall be approved by the patrol before operation. The patrol shall issue a certificate evidencing its approval.

(3) A certificate of completion of a handgun training and safety course shall be issued by the person or entity conducting a handgun training and safety course to persons successfully completing the course. The certificate of completion shall also include certification from the instructor that the person completing the course does not suffer from a readily discernible physical infirmity that prevents the person from safely handling a handgun.

(4) Any fee for participation in a handgun training and safety course is the responsibility of the applicant.

An applicant shall:

(1) Be at least twenty-one years of age;

(2) Not be prohibited from purchasing or possessing a handgun by 18 U.S.C. 922, as such section existed on January 1, 2005;

(3) Possess the same powers of eyesight as required under section 60-4,118 for a Class O operator's license. If an applicant does not possess a current Nebraska motor vehicle operator's license, the applicant may present a current optometrist's or ophthalmologist's statement certifying the vision reading obtained when testing the applicant. If such certified vision reading meets the vision requirements prescribed by section 60-4,118 for a Class O operator's license, the vision requirements of this subdivision shall have been met;

(4) Not have been convicted of a felony under the laws of this state or under the laws of any other jurisdiction;

(5) Not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence under the laws of this state or under the laws of any other jurisdiction within the ten years immediately preceding the date of application;

(6) Not have been found in the previous ten years to be a mentally ill and dangerous person under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act or a similar law of another jurisdiction or not be currently adjudged mentally incompetent;

(7)(a) Have been a resident of this state for at least one hundred eighty days. For purposes of this section, resident does not include an applicant who maintains a residence in another state and claims that residence for voting or tax purposes except as provided in subdivision (b) or (c) of this subdivision;

(b) If an applicant is a member of the United States Armed Forces, such applicant shall be considered a resident of this state for purposes of this section after he or she has been stationed at a military installation in this state pursuant to permanent duty station orders even though he or she maintains a residence in another state and claims that residence for voting or tax purposes. The spouse of such applicant shall also be considered a resident of this state for purposes of this section, as shall a person receiving the benefits of a spouse of a member of the United States Armed Forces under the law of the United States; or

(c) If an applicant is a new Nebraska resident and possesses a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun issued by his or her previous state of residence that is recognized by this state pursuant to section 69-2448, such applicant shall be considered a resident of this state for purposes of this section;

(8) Not have had a conviction of any law of this state relating to firearms, unlawful use of a weapon, or controlled substances or of any similar laws of another jurisdiction within the ten years preceding the date of application. This subdivision does not apply to any conviction under Chapter 37 or under any similar law of another jurisdiction, except for a conviction under section 37-509, 37-513, or 37-522 or under any similar law of another jurisdiction;

(9) Not be on parole, probation, house arrest, or work release; and

(10) Provide proof of training.

The design and form of the permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be prescribed by the Nebraska State Patrol. The permit shall list the permitholder's name, the permitholder's address, and the expiration date of the permit and contain a photograph of the permitholder.

A permitholder shall continue to meet the requirements of section 69-2433 during the time he or she holds the permit, except as provided in subsection (2) of section 69-2443. If, during such time, a permitholder does not continue to meet one or more of the requirements, the permitholder shall return his or her permit to the Nebraska State Patrol for revocation. If a permitholder does not return his or her permit, the permitholder is subject to having his or her permit revoked under section 69-2439.

(1) A permit to carry a concealed handgun is valid throughout the state for a period of five years after the date of issuance. The fee for issuing a permit is one hundred dollars.

(2) The Nebraska State Patrol shall renew a permitholder's permit to carry a concealed handgun for a renewal period of five years, subject to continuing compliance with the requirements of section 69-2433, except as provided in subsection (2) of section 69-2443. The renewal fee is fifty dollars, and renewal may be applied for no earlier than four months before expiration of the permit and no later than thirty business days after the date of expiration of the permit. At least four months before expiration of a permit to carry a concealed handgun, the Nebraska State Patrol shall send to the permitholder by United States mail or electronically notice of expiration of the permit.

(3) The applicant shall submit the fee with the application to the Nebraska State Patrol. The fee shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Nebraska State Patrol Cash Fund.

A permit to carry a concealed handgun shall be issued to a specific individual only and shall not be transferred from one person to another.

The Nebraska State Patrol or any agent, employee, or member thereof is not civilly liable to any injured person or his or her estate for any injury suffered, including any action for wrongful death or property damage suffered, relating to the issuance or revocation of a permit to carry a concealed handgun issued pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Permit Act.

(1) Any peace officer having probable cause to believe that a permitholder is no longer in compliance with one or more requirements of section 69-2433, except as provided in subsection (2) of section 69-2443, shall bring an application for revocation of the permit to be prosecuted as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

(2) It is the duty of the county attorney or his or her deputy of the county in which such permitholder resides to prosecute a case for the revocation of a permit to carry a concealed handgun brought pursuant to subsection (1) of this section. In case the county attorney refuses or is unable to prosecute the case, the duty to prosecute shall be upon the Attorney General or his or her assistant.

(3) The case shall be prosecuted as a civil case, and the permit shall be revoked upon a showing by a preponderance of the evidence that the permitholder does not meet one or more of the requirements of section 69-2433, except as provided in subsection (2) of section 69-2443.

(4) A person who has his or her permit revoked under this section may be fined up to one thousand dollars and shall be charged with the costs of the prosecution. The money collected under this subsection as an administrative fine shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska.

(1) Any time the discharge of a handgun carried by a permitholder pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Permit Act results in injury to a person or damage to property, the permitholder shall make a report of such incident to the Nebraska State Patrol on a form designed and distributed by the Nebraska State Patrol. The information from the report shall be maintained as provided in section 69-2444.

(2) A violation of this section is a Class III misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class I misdemeanor for any second or subsequent offense.

(1) A permitholder convicted of a violation of section 28-1202.03, 28-1202.04, or 69-2442 may have his or her permit revoked.

(2) A permitholder convicted of a violation of section 28-1202.01 or 28-1202.02 that occurred on property owned by the state or any political subdivision of the state may also have his or her permit revoked. A permitholder convicted of a violation of section 28-1202.01 or 28-1202.02 that did not occur on property owned by the state or any political subdivision of the state shall not have his or her permit revoked for a first offense but may have his or her permit revoked for any second or subsequent offense.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall maintain a listing of all applicants and permitholders and any pertinent information regarding such applicants and permitholders. The information shall be available upon request to all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Information relating to an applicant or to a permitholder received or maintained pursuant to the Concealed Handgun Permit Act by the Nebraska State Patrol or any other law enforcement agency is confidential and shall not be considered a public record within the meaning of sections 84-712 to 84-712.09.

Nothing in the Concealed Handgun Permit Act prevents a person not otherwise prohibited from possessing or carrying a concealed handgun by state law from carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

The Nebraska State Patrol may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the Concealed Handgun Permit Act.

(1) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall modify the existing system of the department to allow the status of a permit to carry a concealed handgun and the dates of issuance and expiration of such permit to be recorded on the permitholder's record provided for in section 60-483. The Nebraska State Patrol shall use the system to record the issuance or renewal of a permit to carry a concealed handgun. The transmission of notice of the issuance or renewal of such permit shall include the applicant's name, the applicant's motor vehicle operator's license number or state identification card number, and the dates of issuance and expiration of the permit to carry a concealed handgun.

(2) An abstract of a court record of every case in which a person's permit to carry a concealed handgun is revoked shall be transmitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles using the abstracting system provided for in section 60-497.01. Such abstract shall contain the name of the revoked permitholder, his or her motor vehicle operator's license number or state identification card number, and the date of revocation of the permit to carry a concealed handgun.

A valid license or permit to carry a concealed handgun issued by any other state or the District of Columbia shall be recognized as valid in this state under the Concealed Handgun Permit Act if (1) the holder of the license or permit is not a resident of Nebraska and (2) the Attorney General has determined that the standards for issuance of such license or permit by such state or the District of Columbia are equal to or greater than the standards imposed by the act. The Attorney General shall maintain and publish a list of such states and the District of Columbia which he or she has determined have standards equal to or greater than the standards imposed by the act.

The Nebraska State Patrol shall inform each permitholder, upon the issuance or renewal of a permit to carry a concealed handgun, that if a handgun, or other firearm, owned by such permitholder is lost or stolen, the permitholder should notify his or her county sheriff or local police department of that fact.

Sections 69-2501 to 69-2507 shall be known and may be cited as the Plastic Container Coding Act.

For purposes of the Plastic Container Coding Act:

(1) Code shall mean a molded, imprinted, or raised symbol on or near the bottom of a plastic bottle or rigid plastic container;

(2) Department shall mean the Department of Environment and Energy;

(3) Plastic shall mean any material made of polymeric organic compounds and additives that can be shaped by flow;

(4) Plastic bottle shall mean a plastic container intended for a single use that:

(a) Has a neck smaller than the body of the container;

(b) Is designed for a screw-top, snap cap, or other closure; and

(c) Has a capacity of not less than sixteen fluid ounces or more than five gallons; and

(5) Rigid plastic container shall mean any formed or molded container intended for a single use, composed predominately of plastic resin, that has a relatively inflexible finite shape or form with a capacity of not less than eight ounces or more than five gallons. Rigid plastic container shall not include a plastic bottle.

(1) This section and any rules or regulations adopted and promulgated under the Plastic Container Coding Act shall be interpreted to conform with nationwide plastics industry standards.

(2) No person shall manufacture or distribute a plastic bottle or rigid plastic container unless such bottle or container is imprinted with a code identifying the appropriate resin type used to produce the structure of the container. The code shall consist of a number placed within three triangulated arrows and letters placed below the triangle of arrows. The triangulated arrows shall be equilateral, formed by three arrows with the apex of each point of the triangle at the midpoint of each arrow, rounded with a short radius. The arrowhead of each arrow shall be at the midpoint of each side of the triangle with a short gap separating the arrowhead from the base of the adjacent arrow. The triangle, formed by the three arrows curved at their midpoints, shall depict a clockwise path around the code number.

(3) The codes shall be:

(a) 1 and PETE, representing polyethylene terephthalate;

(b) 2 and HDPE, representing high density polyethylene;

(c) 3 and V, representing vinyl;

(d) 4 and LDPE, representing low density polyethylene;

(e) 5 and PP, representing polypropylene;

(f) 6 and PS, representing polystyrene; and

(g) 7 and OTHER.

(4) The department shall maintain a list of the symbols and provide a copy of the list to any person on request.

(1) After being notified by the department that a plastic bottle or rigid plastic container does not comply with section 69-2503 or the rules and regulations promulgated under such section, a person violating such section shall be subject to a civil penalty of fifty dollars for each violation up to a maximum of five hundred dollars and may be enjoined from further violations.

(2) For any violation of section 69-2503 or the rules and regulations promulgated under the Plastic Container Coding Act, the Attorney General or county attorney shall institute proceedings to recover the civil penalty imposed under this section.

Administrative costs incurred in implementing the Plastic Container Coding Act shall not exceed five thousand dollars and shall be paid solely from the Integrated Solid Waste Management Cash Fund.

The Plastic Container Coding Act shall apply to plastic bottles and rigid plastic containers manufactured or distributed on or after January 1, 1994.

Sections 69-2601 to 69-2619 shall be known and may be cited as the Assistive Technology Regulation Act.

For purposes of the Assistive Technology Regulation Act, the definitions found in sections 69-2603 to 69-2613 apply.

Assistive device means any device, including a demonstrator, that a consumer purchases or accepts transfer of in this state which is used for a major life activity, including, but not limited to, manual wheelchairs, motorized wheelchairs, motorized scooters, and other aides that enhance the mobility of an individual; hearing instruments, telephone communication devices for the deaf (TTY), assistive listening devices, and other aides that enhance an individual's ability to hear; voice synthesized computer modules, optical scanners, talking software, braille printers, and other devices that enhance a sight-impaired individual's ability to communicate; environmental control units; and any other assistive device that enables a person with a disability to communicate, see, hear, or maneuver.

Assistive device dealer means a person who is in the business of selling assistive devices.

Assistive device lessor means a person who leases an assistive device to a consumer under a written lease or who holds the lessor's rights under a written lease.

Collateral costs means expenses incurred by an assistive device lessor or a consumer in connection with the repair of a nonconformity, including the costs of sales tax and of obtaining an alternative assistive device.

Consumer means any of the following:

(1) An individual or entity purchasing an assistive device if the assistive device was purchased from an assistive device dealer or manufacturer for purposes other than resale;

(2) An individual or entity to whom the assistive device is transferred for purposes other than resale if the transfer occurs before the expiration of an express warranty applicable to the assistive device;

(3) An individual or entity who may enforce the warranty; or

(4) An individual or entity who leases an assistive device from an assistive device lessor under a written lease.

Demonstrator means an assistive device used primarily for the purpose of demonstration to the public.

Major life activity means a function such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Manufacturer means a person who manufactures or assembles assistive devices and agents of that person, including an importer, a distributor, a factory branch, a distributor branch, and any warrantors of the manufacturer's assistive device, but not including an assistive device dealer.

Nonconformity means a condition or defect that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of an assistive device and that is covered by an express warranty applicable to the assistive device or to a component of the assistive device but does not include (1) a condition or defect that is the result of abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification or alteration of the assistive device by a consumer or (2) a condition that is the result of normal use which could be resolved through fitting adjustments, cleaning, or proper care.

Reasonable allowance for use means an amount up to a maximum of the amount obtained by multiplying the total amount for which the written lease obligates the consumer by a fraction, the denominator of which is one thousand eight hundred twenty-five and the numerator of which is the number of days that the consumer used the assistive device before first reporting the nonconformity to the manufacturer, assistive device lessor, or assistive device dealer.

Reasonable attempt to repair means within the terms of an express warranty applicable to a new assistive device:

(1) Any nonconformity within the warranty that has been repaired by the manufacturer, the assistive device lessor, or any of the manufacturer's authorized assistive device dealers on at least two previous occasions and a nonconformity continues; or

(2) The assistive device is out of service for repair for an aggregate of at least thirty cumulative days because of warranty nonconformity.

(1) A manufacturer who sells an assistive device to a consumer, either directly or through an assistive device dealer, shall furnish the consumer with an express warranty for the assistive device. The duration of the express warranty shall be not less than one year after first delivery of the assistive device to the consumer. If a manufacturer fails to furnish an express warranty as required by this section, the assistive device shall be covered by an express warranty for a period of one year as if the manufacturer had furnished an express warranty to the consumer as required by this section.

(2) An express warranty does not take effect until the consumer takes possession of the new assistive device.

(3) If a new assistive device does not conform to an applicable express warranty and the consumer reports the nonconformity to the manufacturer, the assistive device lessor, or any of the manufacturer's authorized assistive device dealers and makes the assistive device available for repair before one year after first delivery of the device to a consumer, the nonconformity shall be repaired or a refund or replacement shall be made pursuant to section 69-2615.

(1) The manufacturer shall:

(a) Accept an offer to return or an offer to transfer possession of any nonconforming assistive device by a consumer. Within thirty days after such offer, the manufacturer shall provide the consumer with a comparable new assistive device or refund to the consumer and to any holder of a perfected security interest in the consumer's assistive device, as the interest may appear, the amount paid by the consumer at the point of sale, plus any finance charge and collateral costs, less a reasonable allowance for use; or

(b) Accept an offer to return or an offer to transfer possession of any nonconforming assistive device by an assistive device lessor. Within thirty days after such offer, the manufacturer shall provide the assistive device lessor with a comparable new assistive device or refund to the assistive device lessor and to any holder of a perfected security interest in the assistive device, as the interest may appear, the amount paid by the assistive device lessor at the time of purchase, plus any finance charge and collateral costs incurred by both the assistive device lessor and the consumer, and the amount paid by the consumer to date under the written lease, less a reasonable allowance for use.

(2)(a) To receive a comparable new assistive device or a refund, a consumer shall:

(i) Offer to return the assistive device having the nonconformity to its manufacturer. When the manufacturer provides a comparable new assistive device or a refund pursuant to subdivision (1)(a) of this section, the consumer shall return to the manufacturer the assistive device having the nonconformity; or

(ii) Offer to transfer possession of the assistive device having the nonconformity to the manufacturer of the assistive device. When the manufacturer provides the comparable new assistive device or a refund pursuant to subdivision (1)(a) of this section, the consumer shall return the assistive device having the nonconformity to the manufacturer along with any endorsements necessary to transfer real possession to the manufacturer.

(b) If the consumer has leased the assistive device from an assistive device lessor, the consumer shall return the assistive device having a nonconformity to the assistive device lessor. The assistive device lessor shall provide to the consumer from the manufacturer a comparable new assistive device or a refund pursuant to subdivision (3)(b) of this section.

(3)(a) To receive a comparable new assistive device or a refund, an assistive device lessor shall:

(i) Offer to return the assistive device having the nonconformity to its manufacturer. When the manufacturer provides a comparable new assistive device or a refund pursuant to subdivision (1)(b) of this section, the assistive device lessor shall return the nonconforming assistive device to the manufacturer; or

(ii) Offer to transfer possession of the assistive device having the nonconformity to its manufacturer. When the manufacturer provides a comparable new assistive device or a refund pursuant to subdivision (1)(b) of this section, the assistive device lessor shall return the nonconforming assistive device to the manufacturer along with any endorsements necessary to transfer real possession to the manufacturer.

(b) The assistive device lessor shall refund to the consumer the amount that the consumer paid under the written lease and collateral costs paid by the consumer, less a reasonable allowance for use.

(1) No assistive device returned by a consumer or assistive device lessor in this state or in any other state may be sold or leased again in this state unless full written disclosure of the reasons for return is made to any prospective buyer or lessee.

(2) No person may enforce the lease against the consumer after the consumer receives a refund.

(1) The Assistive Technology Regulation Act shall not limit rights or remedies available to a consumer under any other law.

(2) Any waiver of rights by a consumer under the act shall be void.

(3) In addition to pursuing any other remedy, a consumer may bring an action to recover for any damages caused by a violation of the act. The court shall award a consumer who prevails in such an action the amount of any pecuniary loss, together with costs, disbursements, reasonable attorney's fees, and any equitable relief that the court determines is appropriate.

(1) If an assistive device covered by a manufacturer's express warranty is tendered by a consumer to the dealer from whom it was purchased or exchanged for the repair of any nonconformity to which the warranty is applicable and at least one of the conditions described in subdivision (a) or (b) of this subsection exists, the manufacturer shall provide directly to the consumer for the duration of the repair period a rental assistive device reimbursement of up to twenty dollars per day. The applicable conditions are:

(a) The repair period exceeds ten working days, including the day on which the device is tendered to the dealer for repair; or

(b) The nonconformity is the same for which the assistive device has been tendered to the dealer for repair on at least two previous occasions.

(2) The provisions of this section regarding a manufacturer's duty shall apply for the period of the manufacturer's express warranty or for one year from delivery of the assistive device to the consumer, whichever period of time is longer.

The Assistive Technology Regulation Act shall apply to assistive devices delivered after September 13, 1997, and shall in no way be applied retroactively.

(1) For purposes of this section, Master Settlement Agreement means the settlement agreement (and related documents) entered into on November 23, 1998, by the state and leading United States tobacco manufacturers.

(2) The Tobacco Enforcement Fund is created. Any money received by the state from the State Enforcement Fund established as part of the Master Settlement Agreement shall be deposited into the Tobacco Enforcement Fund. The fund shall be used by the Attorney General to enforce the Master Settlement Agreement and to investigate and litigate potential violations of state tobacco laws. The Attorney General may contract with the Nebraska State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies to assist with the investigation. The contractual costs may be paid from the fund. Any money in the fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

For purposes of this section and section 69-2703:

(1) Adjusted for inflation means increased in accordance with the formula for inflation adjustment set forth in Exhibit C to the Master Settlement Agreement;

(2) Affiliate means a person that directly or indirectly owns or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or control with, another person. Solely for purposes of this subdivision, the terms owns, is owned, and ownership means ownership of an equity interest, or the equivalent thereof, of ten percent or more, and the term person means an individual, a partnership, a committee, an association, a corporation, or any other organization or group of persons;

(3) Allocable share means allocable share as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement;

(4) Cigarette means any product that contains nicotine, is intended to be burned or heated under ordinary conditions of use, and consists of or contains (a) any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not containing tobacco; (b) tobacco, in any form, that is functional in the product, which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette; or (c) any roll of tobacco wrapped in any substance containing tobacco which, because of its appearance, the type of tobacco used in the filler, or its packaging and labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette described in subdivision (a) of this subdivision. The term cigarette includes roll-your-own tobacco (i.e., any tobacco which, because of its appearance, type, packaging, or labeling is suitable for use and likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco for making cigarettes). For purposes of this definition, nine-hundredths of an ounce of roll-your-own tobacco shall constitute one individual cigarette;

(5) Days means calendar days unless specified otherwise;

(6) Importer means any person in the United States to whom non-federal-excise-tax-paid cigarettes manufactured in a foreign country are shipped or consigned, any person who removes cigarettes for sale or consumption in the United States from a customs bonded manufacturing warehouse, or any person who smuggles or otherwise unlawfully brings cigarettes into the United States;

(7) Indian country means (a) all land in this state within the limits of any Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, including rights-of-way running through the reservation, (b) all dependent Indian communities within the borders of this state, and (c) all Indian allotments in this state, the Indian titles to which have not been extinguished, including rights-of-way running through such allotments;

(8) Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians under the laws of the United States;

(9) Master Settlement Agreement means the settlement agreement entered into on November 23, 1998, between the state and specific United States tobacco product manufacturers and related documents to such agreement;

(10) Qualified escrow fund means an escrow arrangement with a federally or state-chartered financial institution having no affiliation with any tobacco product manufacturer and having assets of at least one billion dollars where such arrangement requires that such financial institution hold the escrowed funds' principal for the benefit of releasing parties and prohibits the tobacco product manufacturer that places such funds into escrow from using, accessing, or directing the use of the funds' principal except as consistent with subdivision (2)(b) of section 69-2703;

(11) Released claims means released claims as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement;

(12) Releasing parties means releasing parties as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement;

(13) Tobacco product manufacturer means an entity that after April 29, 1999, directly and not exclusively through any affiliate:

(a) Manufactures cigarettes anywhere that such manufacturer intends to be sold in the United States, including cigarettes intended to be sold in the United States through an importer (except when such importer is an original participating manufacturer (as that term is defined in the Master Settlement Agreement) that will be responsible for the payments under the Master Settlement Agreement with respect to such cigarettes as a result of the provisions of subsection II(mm) of the Master Settlement Agreement and that pays the taxes specified in subsection II(z) of the Master Settlement Agreement, and provided that the manufacturer of such cigarettes does not market or advertise such cigarettes in the United States);

(b) Is the first purchaser anywhere for resale in the United States of cigarettes manufactured anywhere that the manufacturer does not intend to be sold in the United States; or

(c) Becomes a successor of an entity described in subdivision (13)(a) or (13)(b) of this section.

The term tobacco product manufacturer does not include an affiliate of a tobacco product manufacturer unless such affiliate itself falls within any of subdivisions (13)(a) through (13)(c) of this section; and

(14) Units sold means the number of individual cigarettes sold in the state by the applicable tobacco product manufacturer, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, during the year in question, in packs required to bear a stamp pursuant to section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01 or, in the case of roll-your-own tobacco, on which a tax is due pursuant to section 77-4008.

Any tobacco product manufacturer selling cigarettes to consumers within the state, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, after April 29, 1999, shall do one of the following:

(1) Become a participating manufacturer, as that term is defined in section II(jj) of the Master Settlement Agreement, and generally perform its financial obligations under the Master Settlement Agreement; or

(2)(a) Place into a qualified escrow fund on a quarterly basis, no later than thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter in which sales are made, the following amounts, as such amounts are adjusted for inflation:

(i) 1999: $.0094241 per unit sold after April 29, 1999;

(ii) 2000: $.0104712 per unit sold;

(iii) For each of the years 2001 and 2002: $.0136125 per unit sold;

(iv) For each of the years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006: $.0167539 per unit sold; and

(v) For the year 2007 and each year thereafter: $.0188482 per unit sold.

(b) A tobacco product manufacturer that places funds into escrow pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of this section shall receive the interest or other appreciation on such funds as earned. Such funds shall be released from escrow only under the following circumstances:

(i) To pay a judgment or settlement on any released claim brought against such tobacco product manufacturer by the state or any releasing party located or residing in the state. Funds shall be released from escrow under this subdivision (2)(b)(i) in the order in which they were placed into escrow and only to the extent and at the time necessary to make payments required under such judgment or settlement;

(ii) To the extent that a tobacco product manufacturer establishes that the amount it was required to place into escrow on account of units sold in the state in a particular year was greater than the Master Settlement Agreement payments, as determined pursuant to section IX(i) of that Agreement including after final determination of all adjustments, that such manufacturer would have been required to make on account of such units sold had it been a participating manufacturer, the excess shall be released from escrow and revert back to such tobacco product manufacturer;

(iii) To the extent not released from escrow under subdivision (2)(b)(i) or (2)(b)(ii) of this section, funds shall be released from escrow and revert back to such tobacco product manufacturer twenty-five years after the date on which they were placed into escrow; or

(iv) An Indian tribe may seek release of escrow deposited pursuant to this section on cigarettes sold on an Indian tribe's Indian country to its tribal members pursuant to an agreement entered into between the state and the Indian tribe pursuant to section 77-2602.06. Amounts the state collects on a bond under section 69-2707.01 shall not be subject to release under this section.

(c) Each tobacco product manufacturer that elects to place funds into escrow pursuant to subdivision (2) of this section shall annually certify to the Attorney General that it is in compliance with subdivision (2) of this section. The Attorney General may bring a civil action on behalf of the state against any tobacco product manufacturer that fails to place into escrow the funds required under this section. Any tobacco product manufacturer that fails in any calendar quarter to place into escrow the funds required under this section shall:

(i) Be required within fifteen days to place such funds into escrow as shall bring the manufacturer into compliance with this section. The court, upon a finding of a violation of subdivision (2) of this section, may impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed five percent of the amount improperly withheld from escrow per day of the violation and in a total amount not to exceed one hundred percent of the original amount improperly withheld from escrow;

(ii) In the case of a knowing violation, be required within fifteen days to place such funds into escrow as shall bring the manufacturer into compliance with this section. The court, upon a finding of a knowing violation of subdivision (2) of this section, may impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed fifteen percent of the amount improperly withheld from escrow per day of the violation and in a total amount not to exceed three hundred percent of the original amount improperly withheld from escrow. Such civil penalty shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska; and

(iii) In the case of a second knowing violation, be prohibited from selling cigarettes to consumers within the state, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary, for a period not to exceed two years.

(d) An importer shall be jointly and severally liable for escrow deposits due from a nonparticipating manufacturer with respect to nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes that it imported and which were then sold in this state, except as provided for by an agreement entered into pursuant to section 77-2602.06.

(e) Each failure to make a quarterly deposit required under this section constitutes a separate violation.

If the amendments to subdivision (2)(b)(ii) of section 69-2703 made by Laws 2004, LB 944, are held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional, then the changes made by Laws 2004, LB 944, shall be deemed repealed and subdivision (2)(b)(ii) of section 69-2703 shall be deemed to be in the form as it existed prior to such amendments. Neither a holding of unconstitutionality nor an implied repeal of the amendment shall affect, impair, or invalidate any other portion of section 69-2703 or the application of such section to any other person or circumstance and those remaining portions of section 69-2703 shall at all times continue in full force and effect.

(1) Notwithstanding subdivision (2)(b) of section 69-2703, a tobacco product manufacturer that elects to place funds into a qualified escrow fund pursuant to subdivision (2)(a) of section 69-2703 may make an irrevocable assignment of its interest in the fund to the benefit of the State of Nebraska. Such assignment shall be permanent and apply to all monetary amounts in the subject qualified escrow fund or that may subsequently come into the fund, including those deposited into the qualified escrow fund prior to the assignment being executed, those deposited into the qualified escrow fund after the assignment is executed, and interest or other appreciation on the amounts. The tobacco product manufacturer, the Attorney General, and the financial institution where the qualified escrow fund is maintained may make such amendments to the qualified escrow fund agreement, the title to the account, and the account itself as may be necessary to effectuate an assignment of rights executed pursuant to this subsection (1) or a withdrawal of amounts from the qualified escrow fund pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. An assignment of rights executed pursuant to this section shall be in writing, shall have received prior approval issued in writing by the Attorney General, shall be signed by the tobacco product manufacturer or a duly authorized representative of the tobacco product manufacturer making the assignment, and shall become effective upon delivery of the assignment to the Attorney General and the financial institution where the qualified escrow fund is maintained.

(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (2)(b) of section 69-2703, any escrow amounts assigned to the State of Nebraska pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be withdrawn by the state upon request by the State Treasurer and approval by the Attorney General. Any amounts withdrawn pursuant to this subsection shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska, and shall be calculated on a dollar-for-dollar basis as a credit against any judgment or settlement described in subdivision (2)(b) of section 69-2703 which may be obtained against the tobacco product manufacturer who has assigned the amounts in the subject qualified escrow fund. Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve a tobacco product manufacturer from any past, current, or future obligations the manufacturer may have pursuant to sections 69-2701 to 69-2711.

The Legislature finds that violations of sections 69-2702 and 69-2703 threaten the integrity of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, the fiscal soundness of the state, and the public health. The Legislature finds that enacting procedural enhancements will aid the enforcement of sections 69-2702 and 69-2703 and thereby safeguard the Master Settlement Agreement, the fiscal soundness of the state, and the public health.

For purposes of sections 69-2704 to 69-2711:

(1) Brand family means all styles of cigarettes sold under the same trademark and differentiated from one another by means of additional modifiers or descriptors, including, but not limited to, menthol, lights, kings, and 100s, and includes any brand name, alone or in conjunction with any other word, trademark, logo, symbol, motto, selling message, or recognizable pattern of colors, or any other indicia of product identification identical or similar to, or identifiable with, a previously known brand of cigarettes;

(2) Cigarette has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(3) Cigarette inputs means any machinery or other component parts typically used in the manufacture of cigarettes, including, without limitation, tobacco whether processed or unprocessed, cigarette papers and tubes, cigarette filters or any component parts intended for use in the making of cigarette filters, and any machinery typically used in the making of cigarettes;

(4) Days has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(5) Directory means the directory compiled by the Tax Commissioner under section 69-2706 or, in the case of references to another state's directory, the directory compiled under the similar law in that other state;

(6) Importer has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(7) Indian country has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(8) Indian tribe has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(9) Master Settlement Agreement has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(10) Nonparticipating manufacturer means any tobacco product manufacturer that is not a participating manufacturer;

(11) Nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes means cigarettes (a) of a brand family that is not included in the certification of a participating manufacturer under subsection (1) of section 69-2706, (b) that are subject to the escrow requirement under subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 because the participating manufacturer in whose certification the brand family is included is not generally performing its financial obligations under the Master Settlement Agreement, or (c) of a brand family of a participating manufacturer that is not otherwise listed on the directory under subsection (2) of section 69-2706;

(12) Package means any pack or other container on which a state stamp or tribal stamp could be applied consistent with and as required by sections 69-2701 to 69-2711 and 77-2601 to 77-2622 that contains one or more individual cigarettes for sale. Nothing in such sections shall alter any other applicable requirement with respect to the minimum number of cigarettes that may be contained in a pack or other container of cigarettes. References to package do not include a container of multiple packages;

(13) Participating manufacturer has the same meaning as in section II(jj) of the Master Settlement Agreement;

(14) Person means any natural person, trustee, company, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity, including any Indian tribe or instrumentality thereof;

(15) Purchase means any acquisition in any manner or by any means for any consideration. The term includes transporting or receiving product in connection with a purchase;

(16) Qualified escrow fund has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(17) Retailer includes retail dealers as defined in section 77-2601 or anyone who is licensed under sections 28-1420 to 28-1422;

(18) Sale or sell means any transfer, exchange, or barter in any manner or by any means for any consideration. Sale or sell includes distributing or shipping product in connection with a sale;

(19) Shortfall amount means the difference between (a) the full amount of the deposit required to be made by a nonparticipating manufacturer for a calendar quarter under section 69-2703 and (b) the sum of (i) any amounts precollected by a stamping agent and deposited into escrow for that calendar quarter on behalf of the nonparticipating manufacturer under section 69-2708.01, (ii) the amount deposited into escrow by the nonparticipating manufacturer for that calendar quarter under section 69-2703, (iii) any amounts deposited into escrow for that calendar quarter under subdivision (2)(d) of section 69-2703 by an importer on such nonparticipating manufacturer's cigarettes, and (iv) any amounts collected by the state for that calendar quarter under the bond posted by the nonparticipating manufacturer under section 69-2707.01. The shortfall amount, if any, for a nonparticipating manufacturer for a calendar quarter shall be calculated by the Attorney General within fifteen days following the date on which the state determines the amount it will collect on the bond posted by the nonparticipating manufacturer as provided in section 69-2707.01;

(20) Stamping agent means a person that is authorized to affix stamps to packages or other containers of cigarettes under section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01 or any person that is required to pay the tobacco tax imposed pursuant to section 77-4008 on roll-your-own cigarettes;

(21) Tax Commissioner means the Tax Commissioner of the State of Nebraska;

(22) Tobacco product manufacturer has the same meaning as in section 69-2702;

(23) Units sold has the same meaning as in section 69-2702; and

(24) Unstamped cigarettes means any cigarettes that are not contained in a package bearing a stamp required under section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01.

(1)(a) Every tobacco product manufacturer whose cigarettes are sold in this state, whether directly or through a distributor, retailer, or similar intermediary or intermediaries, shall execute and deliver on a form prescribed by the Tax Commissioner a certification to the Tax Commissioner and the Attorney General no later than the thirtieth day of April each year, certifying under penalty of perjury that, as of the date of such certification, such tobacco product manufacturer either is a participating manufacturer in compliance with subdivision (1) of section 69-2703 or is a nonparticipating manufacturer in full compliance with subdivision (2) of section 69-2703.

(b) A participating manufacturer shall include in its certification a list of its brand families. The participating manufacturer shall update such list thirty calendar days prior to any addition to or modification of its brand families by executing and delivering a supplemental certification to the Tax Commissioner and the Attorney General.

(c) A nonparticipating manufacturer shall include in its certification (i) a list of all of its brand families and the number of units sold for each brand family that were sold in the state during the preceding calendar year and (ii) a list of all of its brand families that have been sold in the state at any time during the current calendar year (A) indicating by an asterisk any brand family sold in the state during the preceding or current calendar year that is no longer being sold in the state as of the date of such certification and (B) identifying by name and address any other manufacturer of such brand families in the preceding calendar year. The nonparticipating manufacturer shall update such list thirty calendar days prior to any addition to or modification of its brand families by executing and delivering a supplemental certification to the Tax Commissioner and the Attorney General.

(d) In the case of a nonparticipating manufacturer, such certification shall further certify:

(i) That such nonparticipating manufacturer is registered to do business in the state or has appointed an agent for service of process in Nebraska and provided notice thereof as required by section 69-2707;

(ii) That such nonparticipating manufacturer has established and continues to maintain a qualified escrow fund pursuant to a qualified escrow agreement that has been reviewed and approved by the Attorney General or has been submitted for review by the Attorney General;

(iii) That such nonparticipating manufacturer is in full compliance with subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 and this section and any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant thereto;

(iv)(A) The name, address, and telephone number of the financial institution where the nonparticipating manufacturer has established such qualified escrow fund required pursuant to subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 and all rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant thereto; (B) the account number of such qualified escrow fund and any subaccount number for the State of Nebraska; (C) the amount such nonparticipating manufacturer placed in such fund for cigarettes sold in the state during the preceding calendar year, the dates and amount of each such deposit, and such evidence or verification as may be deemed necessary by the Attorney General to confirm the foregoing; and (D) the amounts and dates of any withdrawal or transfer of funds the nonparticipating manufacturer made at any time from such fund or from any other qualified escrow fund into which it ever made escrow payments pursuant to subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 and all rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant thereto;

(v) That such nonparticipating manufacturer consents to be sued in the district courts of the State of Nebraska for purposes of the state (A) enforcing any provision of sections 69-2703 to 69-2711 and any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated thereunder or (B) bringing a released claim as defined in section 69-2702; and

(vi) The information required to establish that such nonparticipating manufacturer has posted the appropriate bond or cash equivalent required under section 69-2707.01.

(e) A tobacco product manufacturer shall not include a brand family in its certification unless (i) in the case of a participating manufacturer, the participating manufacturer affirms that the brand family is to be deemed to be its cigarettes for purposes of calculating its payments under the Master Settlement Agreement for the relevant year in the volume and shares determined pursuant to the Master Settlement Agreement and (ii) in the case of a nonparticipating manufacturer, the nonparticipating manufacturer affirms that the brand family is to be deemed to be its cigarettes for purposes of subdivision (2) of section 69-2703. Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting or otherwise affecting the state's right to maintain that a brand family constitutes cigarettes of a different tobacco product manufacturer for purposes of calculating payments under the Master Settlement Agreement or for purposes of section 69-2703.

(f) Tobacco product manufacturers shall maintain all invoices and documentation of sales and other such information relied upon for such certification for a period of five years unless otherwise required by law to maintain them for a greater period of time.

(2) The Tax Commissioner shall develop, maintain, and make available for public inspection or publish on its website a directory listing all tobacco product manufacturers that have provided current and accurate certifications conforming to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section and all brand families that are listed in such certifications, and:

(a) The Tax Commissioner shall not include or retain in such directory the name or brand families of any tobacco product manufacturer that has failed to provide the required certification or whose certification the commissioner determines is not in compliance with subsection (1) of this section unless the Tax Commissioner has determined that such violation has been cured to his or her satisfaction;

(b) Neither a tobacco product manufacturer nor brand family shall be included or retained in the directory if the Attorney General recommends and notifies the Tax Commissioner who concludes, in the case of a nonparticipating manufacturer, that (i) any escrow payment required pursuant to subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 for any period for any brand family, whether or not listed by such nonparticipating manufacturer, has not been fully paid into a qualified escrow fund governed by a qualified escrow agreement that has been approved by the Attorney General or (ii) any outstanding final judgment, including interest thereon, for violations of section 69-2703 has not been fully satisfied for such brand family and such manufacturer;

(c) As a condition to being listed and having its brand families listed in the directory, a tobacco product manufacturer shall also (i) certify annually that such manufacturer or its importer holds a valid permit under 26 U.S.C. 5713 and provide a copy of such permit to the Tax Commissioner and the Attorney General, (ii) upon request of the Tax Commissioner or Attorney General, provide documentary proof that it is not in violation of subdivision (1) of section 59-1520, and (iii) certify that it is in compliance with all reporting and registration requirements of 15 U.S.C. 376 and 376a;

(d) The Tax Commissioner shall update the directory no later than May 15 of each year to reflect certifications made on or before April 30 as required in subsection (1) of this section. The Tax Commissioner shall continuously update the directory as necessary in order to correct mistakes and to add or remove a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family to keep the directory in conformity with the requirements of sections 69-2704 to 69-2711;

(e) The Tax Commissioner shall transmit by email or other practicable means to each stamping agent notice of any removal from the directory of any tobacco product manufacturer or brand family. Unless otherwise provided by agreement between the stamping agent and a tobacco product manufacturer, the stamping agent shall be entitled to a refund from a tobacco product manufacturer for any money paid by the stamping agent to the tobacco product manufacturer for any cigarettes of the tobacco product manufacturer still held by the stamping agent on the date of notice by the Tax Commissioner of the removal from the directory of that tobacco product manufacturer or the brand family or for any cigarettes returned to the stamping agent by its customers under subsection (8) of section 69-2709. The Tax Commissioner shall not restore to the directory the tobacco product manufacturer or the brand family until the tobacco product manufacturer has paid the stamping agent any refund due; and

(f) Every stamping agent shall provide and update as necessary an electronic mail address to the Tax Commissioner for the purpose of receiving any notifications as may be required by sections 69-2704 to 69-2711.

(3) The failure of the Tax Commissioner to provide notice of any intended removal from the directory as required under subdivision (2)(e) of this section or the failure of a stamping agent to receive such notice shall not relieve the stamping agent of its obligations under sections 69-2704 to 69-2711.

(4) It shall be unlawful for any person (a) to affix a Nebraska stamp pursuant to section 77-2603 to a package or other container of cigarettes of a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family not included in the directory, (b) to affix a tribal stamp to a package or other container of cigarettes of a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family not included in the directory except as authorized by an agreement pursuant to section 77-2602.06, or (c) to sell, offer, or possess for sale in this state cigarettes of a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family in this state not included in the directory.

(1) Any nonresident or foreign nonparticipating manufacturer that has not registered to do business in the state as a foreign corporation or business entity shall, as a condition precedent to having its brand families included or retained in the directory created in subsection (2) of section 69-2706, appoint and continually engage without interruption the services of an agent in Nebraska to act as agent for the service of process on whom all process, and any action or proceeding against it concerning or arising out of the enforcement of sections 69-2703 to 69-2711, may be served in any manner authorized by law. Such service shall constitute legal and valid service of process on the nonparticipating manufacturer. The nonparticipating manufacturer shall provide the name, address, telephone number, and proof of the appointment and availability of such agent to the Tax Commissioner and Attorney General.

(2) The nonparticipating manufacturer shall provide notice to the Tax Commissioner and Attorney General thirty calendar days prior to termination of the authority of an agent and shall further provide proof to the satisfaction of the Attorney General of the appointment of a new agent no less than five calendar days prior to the termination of an existing agent appointment. In the event an agent terminates an agency appointment, the nonparticipating manufacturer shall notify the Tax Commissioner and Attorney General of the termination within five calendar days and shall include proof to the satisfaction of the Attorney General of the appointment of a new agent.

(3) Any nonparticipating manufacturer whose products are sold in this state who has not appointed and engaged the services of an agent as required by this section shall be deemed to have appointed the Secretary of State as its agent for service of process. The appointment of the Secretary of State as agent shall not satisfy the condition precedent required in subsection (1) of this section to have the nonparticipating manufacturer's brand families included or retained in the directory.

(1) All nonparticipating manufacturers subject to the certification requirements of section 69-2706, or whose sales are authorized pursuant to an agreement under section 77-2602.06, shall post a bond, or its cash equivalent, for the benefit of the state, which is subject to execution under subsection (5) of this section. The bond shall be posted by corporate surety located within the United States. The cash equivalent of the bond shall be posted by the nonparticipating manufacturer in an account approved by the Attorney General.

(2) The amount of the bond, or its cash equivalent, shall be the greater of:

(a) One hundred thousand dollars;

(b) The greatest required escrow amount due from the nonparticipating manufacturer, or its predecessors, successors, affiliates, importers, or stamping agents, as such terms may be defined and liabilities may be established within sections 69-2701 to 69-2711, for any of the preceding twenty calendar quarters; or

(c) The greatest required annual total of quarterly escrow amounts due from the nonparticipating manufacturer, or its predecessors, successors, affiliates, importers, or stamping agents, as such terms may be defined and liabilities may be established within sections 69-2701 to 69-2711, for any of the preceding five calendar years, if the Attorney General deems the nonparticipating manufacturer to pose an elevated risk for noncompliance.

(3) The Attorney General may deem a nonparticipating manufacturer to pose an elevated risk for noncompliance if:

(a) The nonparticipating manufacturer or its brands or brand families, or any predecessor, successor, affiliate, or importer or any of their brands or brand families, has failed to deposit fully the amount due on an escrow obligation with respect to any state at any time during the calendar year or within the preceding five calendar years unless either:

(i) The nonparticipating manufacturer did not underdeposit knowingly or recklessly and promptly cured the underdeposit within one hundred eighty days of notice of the underdeposit; or

(ii) The underdeposit or lack of deposit is the subject of a good faith dispute in the form of ongoing litigation that has not reached a final order as reasonably documented to the Attorney General and the underdeposit is cured within one hundred eighty days of entry of a final order establishing the amount of the required escrow deposit;

(b) Any state has removed the nonparticipating manufacturer or its brands or brand families, or any predecessor, successor, affiliate, or importer or any of their brands or brand families, from the state's tobacco directory for noncompliance with the state's escrow deposit or tobacco tax laws at any time during the calendar year or within the preceding five calendar years, unless such removal is subject to a good faith dispute in the form of an ongoing challenge under administrative procedure or litigation that has not reached a final order as reasonably documented to the Attorney General;

(c) Any state has an unsatisfied final judgment against the nonparticipating manufacturer or its brands or brand families, or any predecessor, successor, affiliate, or importer or any of their brands or brand families, for escrow or for penalties, fees, costs, refunds, or attorney's fees related to noncompliance with state escrow laws;

(d) The nonparticipating manufacturer, or any predecessor, successor, or affiliate, sells its cigarettes or tobacco products directly to consumers via remote or other non-face-to-face means;

(e) A state or federal court determines that the nonparticipating manufacturer, or any predecessor, successor, or affiliate, has violated any tobacco tax or tobacco control law or engaged in unfair business practices or unfair competition;

(f) Any state has suspended or revoked a license granted to the nonparticipating manufacturer, or any predecessor, successor, or affiliate, to engage in any aspect of tobacco business, unless the suspension or revocation is subject to a good faith dispute in the form of an ongoing challenge under administrative procedure or litigation that has not reached a final order as reasonably documented to the Attorney General;

(g) Any state or federal court has determined that the nonparticipating manufacturer, or any predecessor, successor, or affiliate, failed to comply with state or federal law imposing marking, labeling, and stamping requirements or requiring information to be affixed to, or contained in, the labels, markings, or packaging; or

(h) The nonparticipating manufacturer fails to submit or complete any required forms, documents, certification, or notices, in a timely manner or to the satisfaction of the Attorney General or Tax Commissioner, unless such failure is subject to a good faith dispute in the form of an ongoing challenge under administrative procedure or litigation that has not reached a final order as reasonably documented to the Attorney General.

(4) A nonparticipating manufacturer shall post the bond or its cash equivalent and shall provide evidence of such posting to the Attorney General and Tax Commissioner both annually, as required by section 69-2706, and at least ten days in advance of each calendar quarter as a condition to the nonparticipating manufacturer and its brands or brand families being included in the directory.

(5) If a nonparticipating manufacturer that posted a bond pursuant to this section has failed to make, or have made on its behalf by an entity with joint and several liability, escrow deposits equal to the full amount owed for a quarter within fifteen days following the due date for the quarter under section 69-2703, the state may execute upon the bond, first to recover delinquent escrow, which amount shall be deposited into a qualified escrow account under section 69-2703, and then to recover civil penalties and costs authorized under such section. Escrow obligations above the amount collected on the bond remain due from that nonparticipating manufacturer and, as provided in subdivision (2)(d) of section 69-2703 and section 69-2708.01, from the importers and stamping agents that sold its cigarettes during that calendar quarter.

(1) Not later than fifteen days following the end of each month, each stamping agent shall submit, in the manner directed by the Tax Commissioner, such information as the Tax Commissioner requires to facilitate compliance with sections 69-2704 to 69-2711, including, but not limited to (a) a list by brand family of the total number of cigarettes or, in the case of roll-your-own, the equivalent stick count for which the stamping agent affixed stamps during the previous month or otherwise paid the total due for such cigarettes, the total number of cigarettes contained in the packages to which it affixed each respective type of stamp, and by name and number of cigarettes, the tobacco product manufacturers and brand families of the packages to which it affixed each respective type of stamp or similar information for roll-your-own on which tax was paid and (b) the total number of cigarettes acquired by the stamping agent during that month for sale in or into the state or for sale from this state into another state, sold in or into the state by the stamping agent during that month and held in inventory in the state or for sale into the state by the stamping agent as of the last business day of that month, in each case identifying by name and number of cigarettes, (i) the manufacturers of those cigarettes and (ii) the brand families of those cigarettes. In the case of a stamping agent that is a retailer, reports under subdivision (1)(a) of this section do not have to include cigarettes contained in packages that bore a stamp required under section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01 at the time the stamping agent received them and that the stamping agent then sold at retail. The stamping agent shall also submit a certification stating that the information provided to the Tax Commissioner is complete and accurate. The stamping agent shall maintain, and make available to the Tax Commissioner, all invoices and documentation of sales of all nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes and any other information relied upon in reporting to the Tax Commissioner for a period of five years.

(2) The Attorney General may require at any time from the nonparticipating manufacturer proof, from the financial institution in which such manufacturer has established a qualified escrow fund for the purpose of compliance with section 69-2703, of the amount of money in such fund, exclusive of interest, the amounts and dates of each deposit to such fund, and the amounts and dates of each withdrawal from such fund.

(3) In addition to the information required to be submitted pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the Tax Commissioner or Attorney General may require a stamping agent, distributor, or tobacco product manufacturer to submit any additional information, including, but not limited to, samples of the packaging or labeling of each brand family, as is necessary to enable the Tax Commissioner or Attorney General to determine whether a tobacco product manufacturer is in compliance with sections 69-2704 to 69-2711.

(4) The Tax Commissioner or the Attorney General may require production of information sufficient to enable the Tax Commissioner or Attorney General to determine the adequacy of the amount of a quarterly escrow deposit under subdivision (2) of section 69-2703. The Tax Commissioner may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations implementing how tobacco product manufacturers subject to subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 make quarterly payments.

(1) A stamping agent shall be responsible for escrow deposits required under subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 in the event it receives notice from the Attorney General that there is a shortfall amount with respect to nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes stamped by it.

(2) The liability of a stamping agent for escrow deposits shall be calculated as follows: If there is a shortfall amount for a nonparticipating manufacturer for a calendar quarter, each stamping agent that sold cigarettes of that nonparticipating manufacturer during the calendar quarter shall deposit into such escrow account as shall be designated by the state an amount equal to the applicable shortfall amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of cigarettes of that nonparticipating manufacturer sold in or into the state by the stamping agent during that calendar quarter and the denominator of which is the total number of cigarettes of that nonparticipating manufacturer sold by all stamping agents in or into the state during that calendar quarter, except that any nonparticipating manufacturer cigarettes sold in or into the state by a stamping agent during the calendar quarter in which the stamping agent collected and deposited the required escrow deposit amount on or before the due date for deposits for that quarter under subdivision (2) of section 69-2703 shall be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator of the fraction. To the extent a stamping agent makes payments with respect to a shortfall amount under this subsection, such stamping agent shall have a claim against the nonparticipating manufacturer for such amount.

(3) A stamping agent shall not be liable for escrow deposits under subsections (1) and (2) of this section if, at the time of purchase of such nonparticipating manufacturer's cigarettes:

(a) The nonparticipating manufacturer is on the directory pursuant to section 69-2706; and

(b) The state denotes on the directory that the nonparticipating manufacturer has posted the appropriate bond required under section 69-2707.01.

(1) In addition to or in lieu of any other civil or criminal remedy provided by law, upon a determination that a stamping agent has violated subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated pursuant thereto, the Tax Commissioner may revoke or suspend the license of any stamping agent in the manner provided by section 77-2615.01. For each violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or the rules and regulations, the Tax Commissioner may also impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed the greater of five hundred percent of the retail value of the cigarettes or five thousand dollars upon a determination of violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or any rules or regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant thereto. Such penalty shall be imposed in the manner provided by section 77-2615.01.

(2) The license of a stamping agent shall be subject to termination if the stamping agent:

(a) Fails to provide a report required under section 69-2708, 69-2710.01, or 77-2604.01;

(b) Files an incomplete or inaccurate report required under section 69-2708, 69-2710.01, or 77-2604.01 or files an inaccurate certification required under section 69-2708, subsection (2) of section 77-2603, or section 69-2710.01;

(c) Fails to pay taxes as provided in section 77-2602 or deposit escrow as provided in section 69-2708.01;

(d) Sells cigarettes in or into the state in a package that bears a stamp required under section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01 that is not the correct stamp and provides for a lower level of tax than the correct stamp;

(e) Sells unstamped cigarettes in, into, or from the state or possesses unstamped cigarettes in the state except as provided in section 77-2607;

(f) Purchases, sells in or into the state, or affixes a stamp to a package containing cigarettes of a manufacturer or brand family that is not at the time listed in the directory, or possesses such cigarettes more than ten days after receiving notice that the manufacturer or brand family is not in the directory, unless such stamping agent possesses a directory license under section 77-2603 or unless expressly permitted under sections 69-2701 to 69-2711 or sections 77-2601 to 77-2622; or

(g) Purchases or sells cigarettes in violation of subsection (5) of this section or section 69-2710.02.

(3) In the case of a violation under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section that was not knowing or intentional, the stamping agent shall be entitled to cure the violation within ten days after receipt of notice of such violation. The license of a stamping agent that fully cures the violation during that period shall not be terminated on account of that violation.

(4) In the case of a knowing or intentional violation under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, or of any violation described in subdivision (2)(e) or (f) of this section, the stamping agent shall for a first violation be subject to a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars and be guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor and for a second or subsequent violation be subject to a civil penalty of up to five thousand dollars per violation and be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor. In the case of violations described in subdivision (2)(d), (e), or (f) of this section, each sale constitutes a separate offense.

(5) The Tax Commissioner shall promptly remove any stamping agent whose license is terminated from the list required by subsection (4) of section 77-2603 and shall publish a notice of the termination on the Tax Commissioner's website and send notice of the termination to all stamping agents and to all persons listed in the directory. Beginning ten days following the publication and sending of such notice, no person may sell cigarettes to, or purchase cigarettes from, the stamping agent whose license has been terminated.

(6) If a stamping agent whose license has been terminated is a tobacco product manufacturer, the tobacco product manufacturer and its brand families shall be removed from the directory.

(7) A stamping agent whose license is terminated shall be eligible for reinstatement:

(a) Ninety days following the termination, in the case of a first failure under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section that was not knowing or intentional;

(b) One hundred eighty days following the termination, in the case of a second failure under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section that was not knowing or intentional;

(c) One year following the termination, in the case of a third or subsequent failure under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section that was not knowing or intentional;

(d) One year following the termination, in the case of a first knowing or intentional failure under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section or a first violation described in subdivision (2)(e), (f), or (g) of this section; and

(e) Three years following the termination, in the case of a second or subsequent knowing or intentional failure under subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section or a second or subsequent violation described in subdivision (2)(e), (f), or (g) of this section.

(8) Any cigarettes that have been sold, offered for sale, or possessed for sale in this state in violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706 shall be deemed contraband under section 77-2620 and such cigarettes shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture as provided in section 77-2620, except that all such cigarettes so seized and forfeited shall be destroyed and not resold. The stamping agent shall notify its customers for a brand family with regard to any notice of removal of a tobacco product manufacturer or a brand family from the directory and give its customers a seven-day period for the return of cigarettes that become contraband.

(9) The Attorney General, on behalf of the Tax Commissioner, may seek an injunction to restrain a threatened or actual violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or section 69-2708 by a stamping agent and to compel the stamping agent to comply with subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or section 69-2708. In any action brought pursuant to this section, the state shall be entitled to recover the costs of investigation, costs of the action, and reasonable attorney's fees. This subsection shall not apply to a stamping agent purchasing cigarettes which are not in violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706 or section 69-2708.

(10) It is unlawful for a person to (a) sell or distribute cigarettes for sale in this state or (b) acquire, hold, own, possess, transport, import, or cause to be imported cigarettes that the person knows or should know are intended for distribution or sale in the state in violation of subsection (4) of section 69-2706. A violation of this subsection is a Class III misdemeanor.

(11) If a court determines that a person has violated any portion of sections 69-2704 to 69-2711, the court shall order the payment of any profits, gains, gross receipts, or other benefits from the violation to be remitted to the State Treasurer for distribution in accordance with Article VII, section 5, of the Constitution of Nebraska. Unless otherwise expressly provided, the remedies or penalties provided by sections 69-2704 to 69-2711 are cumulative to each other and to the remedies or penalties available under all applicable laws of this state.

(12) It is unlawful for any manufacturer, importer, or stamping agent to knowingly submit any false information required pursuant to sections 69-2703 to 69-2711. A violation of this subsection is a Class IV felony. Knowing submission of false information shall also be grounds for removal of a tobacco product manufacturer from the directory.

(13) A tobacco product manufacturer that knowingly or intentionally sells cigarettes in violation of subsection (5) of this section or section 69-2710.01 and its brand families shall be removed from the directory.

(14) A nonparticipating manufacturer whose total nationwide reported sales on which federal excise tax is paid exceed the sum of its nationwide reports under 15 U.S.C. 375 et seq. and any intrastate sales reports under 15 U.S.C. 375 et seq. by more than five percent of its total sales or one million cigarettes, whichever is less, shall be subject to removal from the directory unless it cures or satisfactorily explains the discrepancy within ten days after receipt of notice of the discrepancy from the Attorney General pursuant to section 69-2708.01.

(15) Any person that is not a stamping agent or tobacco product manufacturer that fails to file a complete and accurate report required under section 69-2708, 69-2710.01, 77-2604, or 77-2604.01 shall be entitled to cure the failure within ten days after receipt of notice of the discrepancy from the Attorney General pursuant to section 69-2708.01. If the person fails to fully cure the failure within such period, it shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars per violation and shall be ineligible to hold any license of the state regarding cigarette sales until the date specified by subsection (7) of this section for violations of subdivision (2)(a) of this section.

(16) A directory license shall be subject to termination if the licensee acts inconsistently with its certification under subsection (2) of section 77-2603 or violates sections 69-2701 to 69-2711.

(17) Any person that knowingly or intentionally purchases or sells cigarettes in violation of subsection (5) of this section or section 69-2710.01 or that knowingly or intentionally sells cigarettes in or into the state in a package that bears a stamp required under section 77-2603 or 77-2603.01 that is not the correct stamp and provides for a lower level of tax than the correct stamp shall for a first violation be subject to a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars and be guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor and for a second or subsequent violation be subject to a civil penalty of up to five thousand dollars per violation and be guilty of a Class II misdemeanor. Each sale constitutes a separate violation.

(1) Before any tobacco product manufacturer may be removed from the directory, the Tax Commissioner shall provide the tobacco product manufacturer thirty days' notice of the intended action and shall post the notice in the directory. The tobacco product manufacturer shall have thirty days to come into compliance with sections 69-2703 to 69-2711 or, in the alternative, secure a temporary injunction against removal in the district court of Lancaster County. For purposes of the temporary injunction sought pursuant to this subsection, loss of the ability to sell tobacco products as a result of removal from the directory shall constitute irreparable harm. If after thirty days the tobacco product manufacturer remains in noncompliance and has not obtained a temporary injunction pursuant to this subsection, the tobacco product manufacturer shall be removed from the directory.

(2) If the Tax Commissioner determines that a tobacco product manufacturer shall not be included in the directory, such manufacturer may request a contested case before the Tax Commissioner under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Tax Commissioner shall notify the tobacco product manufacturer in writing of the determination not to include it in the directory. A request for hearing shall be made within thirty calendar days after the date of the determination that the manufacturer shall not be included in the directory and shall contain the evidence supporting the manufacturer's compliance with sections 69-2703 to 69-2711. The hearing shall be held within sixty days after the request. At the hearing, the Tax Commissioner shall determine whether the tobacco product manufacturer is in compliance with sections 69-2703 to 69-2711 and whether the manufacturer should be listed in the directory. A final decision shall be rendered within thirty days after the hearing. Any decision of the Tax Commissioner may be appealed. The appeal shall be in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

(1) Any person that during a month acquired, purchased, sold, possessed, transferred, transported, or caused to be transported in or into this state cigarettes of a tobacco product manufacturer or brand family that was not in the directory at the time shall, within fifteen days following the end of that month, file a report in the manner prescribed by the Tax Commissioner and certify to the state that the report is complete and accurate. The report shall contain, in addition to any further information that the Tax Commissioner may reasonably require to assist the Tax Commissioner in enforcing sections 69-2701 to 69-2711 and 77-2601 to 77-2622 and the Tobacco Products Tax Act, the following information:

(a) The total number of those cigarettes, in each case identifying by name and number of cigarettes (i) the manufacturers of those cigarettes, (ii) the brand families of those cigarettes, (iii) in the case of a sale or transfer, the name and address of the recipient of those cigarettes, (iv) in the case of an acquisition or purchase, the name and address of the seller or sender of those cigarettes, and (v) the other states in whose directory the manufacturer and brand family of those cigarettes were listed at the time and whose stamps the person is authorized to affix; and

(b) In the case of acquisition, purchase, or possession, the details of the person's subsequent sale or transfer of those cigarettes, identifying by name and number of cigarettes (i) the brand families of those cigarettes, (ii) the date of the sale or transfer, (iii) the name and address of the recipient, (iv) the number of stamps of each other state that the person affixed to the packages containing those cigarettes during that month, (v) the total number of cigarettes contained in the packages to which it affixed each respective other state's stamp, (vi) the manufacturers and brand families of the packages to which it affixed each respective other state's stamp, and (vii) a certification that it reported each sale or transfer to the taxing authority of the other state by fifteen days following the end of the month in which the sale or transfer was made and attaching a copy of all such reports. If the subsequent sale or transfer is from this state into another state in packages not bearing a stamp of the other state, the report shall also contain the information described in subdivision (2)(c) of section 77-2604.01.

(2) Reports under this section shall be in addition to reports under sections 69-2708, 77-2604, and 77-2604.01.

(1) The license of a stamping agent may be subject to termination if its similar license is terminated in any other state based on acts or omissions that would be grounds for license termination under subsection (2) of section 69-2709, unless the stamping agent demonstrates that its termination in the other state was effected without due process. If a stamping agent's license is terminated in another state for a violation similar to a violation listed in subdivision (2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of section 69-2709 that was not knowing or intentional, the stamping agent shall not be subject to license termination if the stamping agent fully cures such violation and provides notice of such cure to the Department of Revenue within ten days after receipt of notice of such violation. A stamping agent whose license is terminated under this subsection shall be eligible for reinstatement upon the earlier of the date specified by subsection (7) of section 69-2709 for the act or omission in question or reinstatement of its license by the other state.

(2) A tobacco product manufacturer and its brand families may be removed from the directory if it is removed from the directory of another state based on acts or omissions that would, if done in this state, be grounds for removal from the directory under section 69-2706, 69-2707, 69-2707.01, or 69-2710 or subsection (6) of section 69-2709, unless the tobacco product manufacturer demonstrates that its removal from the other state's directory was effected without due process, that it fully cured such violation and provided notice of such cure to the Department of Revenue within thirty days after receipt of notice of the violation, or that it secured a temporary injunction against removal from the directory in the district court of Lancaster County. For purposes of a temporary injunction sought pursuant to this subsection, loss of the ability to sell tobacco products as a result of removal from the directory shall constitute irreparable harm. If, after thirty days, the tobacco product manufacturer remains in noncompliance and has not obtained a temporary injunction pursuant to this subsection, the tobacco product manufacturer shall be removed from the directory. A manufacturer that is removed from the directory under this subsection shall be eligible for reinstatement upon the earlier of the date on which it cures the violation or is reinstated to the directory in the other state.

(3) The applicable procedures under section 77-2615.01 shall apply to terminations and removals under this section.

The Tax Commissioner may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations necessary to effect the purposes of sections 69-2703 to 69-2711.

If a court of competent jurisdiction finds that the provisions of sections 69-2704 to 69-2711 and of sections 69-2702 and 69-2703 conflict and cannot be harmonized, then the provisions of sections 69-2702 and 69-2703 shall control. If sections 69-2704 to 69-2711 or any part of any such sections causes sections 69-2702 and 69-2703 to no longer constitute a Qualifying or Model Statute, as those terms are defined in the Master Settlement Agreement, then that portion of sections 69-2704 to 69-2711 shall not be valid.