Yesterday we hit Day 45, marking the halfway point in the 2025 session. Last week, senators and committees finalized their 2025 legislative priorities. This week, floor debate will continue in the mornings, followed by committee hearings each afternoon. All-day floor debate will begin on March 31.
Last Week’s Highlights
We were pleased to see a few of Appleseed’s priority bills receive priority designation:
✅ LB192 (Senator Dan Quick) preserves access to food for thousands of Nebraska families by maintaining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)’s income eligibility level, which will decrease in October unless the legislature acts now.
✅ LB275 (Senator Megan Hunt) provides more transparency, opportunities for engagement, and access to benefits for young people in foster care receiving social security benefits.
✅ LB319 (Senator Victor Rountree) helps Nebraskans get the food they need by eliminating the lifetime ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for people with certain drug felony convictions.
We also testified or submitted comments on the following bills last week:
✅ LB153, introduced by Senator Dunixi Guereca, ensures that postpartum health care is available to all women and people who need it, which is critical for keeping babies, families, and our communities healthy.
✅ LB275, introduced by Senator Megan Hunt, provides more transparency, opportunities for engagement, and access to benefits for young people in foster care receiving social security benefits.
✅ LB283, introduced by Senator Ashlei Spivey, saves Nebraska families’ time and resources by streamlining the enrollment process for Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).
✅ LB318, introduced by Senator Victor Rountree, ensures that young people in juvenile justice facilities have access to the health care they need by enrolling them in Medicaid when possible.
THIS WEEK’S HEARINGS
Yesterday, we testified in support of ✅ LB189 (Senator Machaela Cavanaugh), which would support workers and help Nebraska businesses by creating the Nebraska Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act (FMLA) for covered individuals dealing with serious health conditions or pregnancy, or to care for a new child, a family member, or a covered service member who is next of kin.
There is another important hearing this week that you can attend in person, stream online, or submit a comment:
✅ LB157 (Senator Danielle Conrad) – Adopt the Child Tax Credit Act
- Wednesday, March 19 in the afternoon in Room 1524 in front of the Revenue Committee
- This bill helps families fight the rising cost of living by adopting the Child Tax Credit Act (CTC), which would create a fully refundable tax credit of $1,000 per child age 6 or under
- TAKE ACTION: Appleseed SUPPORTS this bill – submit a comment here by Wednesday, March 19 at 8:00 AM CT
Take Action: Tell Your Senator to OPPOSE AM545 to LB415!
The Business and Labor Committee has prioritized LB415 (Sen. Beau Ballard), including a pending amendment (❌ AM545) that would exempt several groups of workers from receiving earned sick leave – including seasonal and temporary agricultural workers, and workers under the age of 16. Additionally, AM545 exempts businesses with 10 or fewer employees from having to provide paid sick leave, and it removes important protections for workers who face retaliation from their employers for using paid sick leave.
> > Contact your senator and tell them to OPPOSE AM545 to LB415 to make sure they know this isn’t what 75% of Nebraskans voted for last November. We want ALL Nebraska workers to be able to earn and use paid sick leave – WITHOUT retaliation.
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Thank you for fighting for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans!