Nebraska Public Service Commission

Nebraska Public Service Commission
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
2025 FY Budget:	$139,806,293
Total Seats:	5
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	6 years
Authority:	Nebraska Constitution, Article IV, Section 20
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder(s)
Eric Kamler, Christian Mirch, Tim Schram, Kevin Stocker, Dan Watermeier
Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2024
Other Nebraska Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Director • Insurance Director • Natural Resources Director • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission • Board of Regents

The Nebraska Public Service Commission is an elected state executive position in the Nebraska state government. The chairman serves as head of the five-member commission.

The commission regulates railroads, household goods and passenger carriers, telephone companies, grain warehouses and construction of manufactured homes.

Current officeholder

Office	Name	Party
Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1	Dan Watermeier	Republican
Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2	Christian Mirch	Republican
Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3	Tim Schram	Republican
Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4	Eric Kamler	Republican
Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5	Kevin Stocker	Republican

Authority

The Nebraska Constitution establishes the public service commission in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Under Article IV, Section 20:

There shall be a Public Service Commission, consisting of not less than three nor more than seven members, as the Legislature shall prescribe, whose term of office shall be six years, and whose compensation shall be fixed by the Legislature.

Not known as the public service commission until 1972, the PSC's roots date back to the Montana Railway Commission of 1885, created to regulate railroads. The railway commission lasted until 1887, when the Nebraska Legislature created a state board of transportation. The law creating the Board was found unconstitutional by a 1901 supreme court ruling. The legislature took over regulating railroads until the passage of a constitutional amendment in 1906 creating a three member elected railway commission, with members serving six-year terms. Membership was increased to five in 1964 and the state was divided into five districts, each to elect a commissioner. The name was changed to the current public service commission by a ballot measure in 1972.

Qualifications

Qualifications for members of the public service commission are outlined in the revised state statutes:

• Be resident citizens of the state
• Registered voters
• If members of or practitioners in any profession, in good standing according to the established standards of such profession
• Be a resident of the district from which he or she seeks election
• Be a resident of the district from which he or she is elected, removal from the district shall cause a vacancy in the office
• Cannot be directly or indirectly interested in any common carrier or jurisdictional utility in the state or out of it or who is in any way or manner pecuniarily interested in any common carrier
• Not hold any other office under the government of the United States, of Nebraska or any other state and shall not, while such commissioner, engage in any other occupation

Elections

Public service commissioners are elected to six-year terms.

Election results

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2030

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2028

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2026

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2024

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

Incumbent Dan Watermeier (R) won election in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Watermeier (R)	100.0	137,263

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 137,263
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

Incumbent Dan Watermeier (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Watermeier	100.0	32,590

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,590
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

Incumbent Tim Schram (R) won election in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Schram (R)	100.0	162,613

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 162,613
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

Incumbent Tim Schram (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Schram	100.0	33,306

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,306
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2022

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4

Eric Kamler (R) won election in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eric Kamler (R)	100.0	104,862

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,862
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4

Eric Kamler (R) defeated incumbent Rod Johnson (R) in the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 4 on May 10, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eric Kamler	57.6	32,418
		Rod Johnson	42.4	23,901

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,319
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5

Kevin Stocker (R) won election in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Stocker (R)	100.0	102,665

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 102,665
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5

Kevin Stocker (R) defeated incumbent Mary Ridder (R) and Dakota Delka (R) in the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 5 on May 10, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Stocker	43.4	22,590
		Mary Ridder	40.7	21,154
	Submit photo	Dakota Delka	15.9	8,260

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,004
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2020

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2

Incumbent Crystal Rhoades (D) defeated Tim Davis (R) in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Crystal Rhoades (D)	62.7	95,119
	Submit photo	Tim Davis (R)	37.3	56,698

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 151,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2

Incumbent Crystal Rhoades (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2 on May 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Crystal Rhoades	100.0	37,913

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,913
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2

Tim Davis (R) defeated Krystal Gabel (R) in the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 2 on May 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Tim Davis	55.8	11,537
		Krystal Gabel	44.2	9,131

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,668
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

Dan Watermeier (R) defeated Christa Yoakum (D) in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Watermeier (R)	51.1	73,891
		Christa Yoakum (D)	48.9	70,595

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 144,486 (100% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

Christa Yoakum (D) defeated John Atkeison (D) in the Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christa Yoakum	76.7	18,510
		John Atkeison	23.3	5,634

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 24,144
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1

Dan Watermeier (R) defeated Ron Nolte (R) and Scott Smathers (R) in the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Watermeier	59.1	15,997
		Ron Nolte	24.1	6,518
	Submit photo	Scott Smathers	16.9	4,570

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 27,085
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

General election

General election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

Incumbent Tim Schram (R) defeated Mike Forsythe (D) in the general election for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Schram (R)	62.1	99,986
	Submit photo	Mike Forsythe (D)	37.9	61,133

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 161,119
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

Mike Forsythe (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mike Forsythe	100.0	14,439

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 14,439
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3

Incumbent Tim Schram (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 on May 15, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Schram	100.0	24,596

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 24,596
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Previous election results

2016

See also: Nebraska Public Service Commission election, 2016

The general election for Public Service Commission was held on November 8, 2016.

2014

See also: Nebraska down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Nebraska Public Service Commissioner, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Crystal Rhoades	56.6%	46,405
	Republican	John Sieler	43.4%	35,519
Total Votes				81,924
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

2012

See also: Nebraska state executive official elections, 2012

Incumbents Frank Landis (R) and Tim Schram (R) ran unopposed in both the primary election and in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 1 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Frank Landis Incumbent	100%	114,019
Total Votes				114,019
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Nebraska Public Service Commission District 3 General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Schram Incumbent	100%	127,390
Total Votes				127,390
Election results via Nebraska Secretary of State

Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement to fill out the remainder of the unexpired term.

Duties

Public service commissioners are responsible for regulating the following:

• Telecommunication carriers
• Natural gas jurisdictional utilities
• Mayor oil pipelines
• Railroad safety
• Household goods movers and passenger carriers
• Grain warehouses and dealers
• Construction of manufactured and modular homes and recreational vehicles
• High voltage electric transmission lines
• Private water company rates

The commission also oversees and administers the following statutorily created funds:

• The Nebraska Universal Service Fund
• The Nebraska Enhanced Wireless 911 Fund
• The Nebraska Telecommunications Relay System Fund

Divisions

Nebraska state government organizational chart

As of January 27, 2021, the Nebraska Public Service Commission is organized into four departments:

• Telecommunications/NUSF
• State 911
• Transportation
• Natural Gas
• Grain
• Housing/RV

State budget

See also: Nebraska state budget and finances

The budget for the public service commission in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $139,806,293.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The Nebraska Constitution addresses compensation for state executive officials in Article IV, Section 25.

The officers provided for in this article shall receive such salaries as may be provided by law. Such officers, or such other officers as may be provided for by law, shall not receive for their own use any fees, costs, or interest upon public money in their hands.

2023

In 2023, the commissioners' salary was unavailable, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, each commissioner received a salary of $135,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, each commissioner received a salary of $137,025, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, each commissioner received a salary of $137,025, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, each commissioner received a salary of $137,025, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, each commissioner received a salary of $135,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, each commissioner received a salary of $153,600, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, each commissioner received a salary of $75,000, according to state law.

2014

In 2014, commissioners were paid $75,000, according to state law.

2013

In 2013, commissioners were paid an estimated $75,000, according to state law.

Historical officeholders

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Nebraska Public Service Commission has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nebraska Public Service Commission. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Nebraska Public Service Commission - Google News

Contact information

Chairman Tim Schram
Email: jerry.vap@nebraska.gov
Phone: 1-800-526-0017

Nebraska Public Service Commission
1200 N Street, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-471-3101
Toll Free: 1-800-526-0017 (Nebraska Only)
TDD: 402-471-0213
Fax: 402-471-0254

See also

• Energy policy in Nebraska

External links

Suggest a link

• Nebraska Public Service Commission

Footnotes

State executive offices

Offices

Governor • Lt. Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Schools • Insurance Commissioner • Controller • Agriculture Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commissioner

States

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Elections

2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010

Features

Chart of state executive officers • Compensation • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • How vacancies are filled in state executive offices • State executive officials serving in home states • State government trifectas • State of the state addresses • Term limits

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams, Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Victoria Edwards • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox