With just 14 days left in the 2024 legislative session, senators will continue their all-day debate on Speaker and personal priority bills. Debate typically takes place from 9am-12pm and 1:30pm-5pm, with the potential to go later into the evening.
Health and Human Services Package Advances
Last week, LB1215 (Senator Ben Hansen), a package of health and human services-related bills, advanced to final reading after being broadened to include four additional measures. Two of Appleseed’s priority bills were added as amendments to LB1215 before it moved forward:
✅ LB1106 (Senator Jen Day) improves access to lactation consulting services for Nebraskans with Medicaid so that newborns and their families have the resources they need. Many Nebraskans face barriers to breastfeeding, including a lack of support and access to resources. LB1106 would require Medicaid to cover a minimum of 10 lactation consultations for every mother or child covered under Medicaid. It also would increase current lactation consultant provider rates by 145%.
✅ LB1107 (Senator Jen Day) improves access to breast pumps for Nebraskans with Medicaid so that newborns and their families have the resources they need. Breastfeeding can provide benefits and improved health outcomes to both babies and moms. LB1107 would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to provide Medicaid coverage for electric breast pumps for every qualified pregnant person, beginning no later than Jan. 1, 2025.
This Week’s Debate
Yesterday, ✅ LB906 (Senator Merv Riepe) advanced to final reading. LB906 responds to a recent federal investigation that discovered more than 30 children were employed to clean Nebraska meatpacking facilities in 2022. Large-scale meatpacking continues to be one of Nebraska’s most dangerous industries; this bill takes a step in the right direction by increasing penalties for child labor violations. As our state continues to address labor violations in the meatpacking industry, we urge the state to hold corporate actors accountable for these violations (rather than individual people like parents).
This week, the Legislature will continue debating the second round of the budget and priority bills.
Follow along: You can livestream all legislative happenings through Nebraska Public Media.
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