Last week, Speaker Hilgers announced the legislature will adjourn on Thursday, May 27th. The vast majority of the legislature’s work should be complete by the end of this week and May 27th will be reserved for votes to override any gubernatorial vetoes of legislation.
Final vote on SNAP bill tomorrow
Tomorrow, the Legislature will take its final vote on LB108, a bill introduced and prioritized by Senator John McCollister to reduce the cliff effect in our SNAP program. The cliff effect occurs when families on SNAP are put in the tough position of passing up raises or better jobs because they would lose more in food benefits than they would gain in pay. LB108 fixes this problem by increasing the “gross income” eligibility limit for the program while also smoothing the step-down of benefits, allowing more Nebraskans to advance in the workplace and keep food on the table.
Your voice matters! Send an email to your senator TODAY and urge them to support LB108. Click here to send an email.
Meatpacking worker protections bill stopped from advancing
Unfortunately, the legislature voted yesterday to “bracket” LB241, the Meatpacking Employees COVID-19 Protection Act, which effectively stops it from moving forward this session. We want to extend our gratitude and thanks to Senator Tony Vargas for his hard work and leadership on this legislation, which he has fought for tirelessly since the pandemic began, and to other senators who strongly supported this bill.
Throughout the pandemic, meatpacking workers, family members, and communities across the state have expressed their deep concern about the health and safety conditions in meatpacking and poultry plants. This important legislation would have provided greater protection to the more than 20,000 Nebraskans who do essential work in meat and poultry processing facilities.
Unemployment benefits access for DREAMers advances
Senator Mike McDonnell’s priority bill, LB298, advanced to select file yesterday. Nebraska is the only state where DACA and TPS recipients and other work authorized immigrants cannot access unemployment benefits that they have earned and that their employer has paid. LB298 would update state law to create parity in the system and allow DACA and TPS holders to access these benefits when needed. Because there are only a few legislative days left in the calendar, this bill will likely return in the 2022 session for further debate.
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