Today is Day 83, meaning we have just seven days remaining in the 2023 Legislative Session.
Last week, senators passed a two-year $10.7 billion state budget package. We’re still keeping a close eye on the Department of Health and Human Services’ plans for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds and will watch how this new budget is implemented over the next few years.
LB574: Gender-Affirming Care + Abortion Bans Passed
On Friday afternoon, 33 senators decided to legislate away Nebraskans’ rights and ability to access safe, medically-backed, and life-saving health care by passing LB574, which was signed into law yesterday by Governor Pillen.
Their decision to take this harmful step does not mean that the fight is over. Now we fight to get our rights back. Nebraskans deserve better than this.
Thank you for speaking up – showing up – to say that that all Nebraskans should be able to access the health care they need, in their own communities, when they need it.
Stay tuned for what comes next. Sign up for updates from the Nebraskans For Abortion Access coalition and OutNebraska email lists to stay in the loop.
LB514: Voter ID Legislation Advanced
When a voter ID ballot initiative was passed last November, it was left up to the Legislature to determine how exactly that requirement should work.
Yesterday, on a 44-1 vote, senators advanced LB514, an elections-related bill that included provisions to fulfill this new mandate.
Our democracy is strongest when all eligible voters have access to the ballot and their voices are heard on election day. We were glad to see senators pass a version of this bill that would allow voters to use a variety of student, government, or tribal identification documents – including expired IDs – as long as the documents show the person’s name and a photo.
We’ll keep you updated on when LB514 is up for debate again in the second round.
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