Last Monday, the Legislature adjourned sine die, meaning the body has concluded its work for the session.
Despite some obstacles and disappointments, we are proud of how hard our team, partners, and supporters worked to advance justice and opportunity for Nebraska families and communities, including on some key Appleseed priorities.
Wrapping up Appleseed’s 2025 Legislative Priorities
We’ve listed Appleseed’s priority bills that made it to the floor during this session below. Please call or email your senator to thank them for their vote or express disappointment on the position they took on the issue. You can find your senator here.
There are a few ways senators can vote on bills. The most common are “yes” or “no”, but senators can also be “present not voting” or “excused not voting.” If a senator is “present not voting” that means that senator was checked in and present when the vote was being taken but decided not to vote “yes” or “no” on the bill. If a senator is “excused not voting” that means the senator was not in the chamber or in the building when the vote was taking place and was excused from legislative activity at that point in the day. You can read more on the lawmaking process generally here.
Current SNAP income eligibility made permanent
✅ LB192 (Senator Dan Quick) became state law on June 2, 2025. This critical bill permanently maintains our state’s current SNAP income eligibility level, preserving access to food for 10,000 Nebraska families who otherwise would have lost benefits this fall. Passing this policy has been a priority for Nebraskans and Nebraska Appleseed for many years!
As the cost of living continues to rise, LB192 makes sure that our state can continue to offer food assistance to individuals and families who need it. It also helps families gradually step down their benefits as they take raises at work and progress in their careers, greatly reducing the benefits cliff. See how your senator voted on LB192 here.
Foster youth’s Social Security benefits now protected
✅ LB275 (Senator Megan Hunt) became state law on June 4, 2025. This bill protects foster youth’s access to their social security benefits and will have a huge impact on young people throughout the state!
For years, youth in Nebraska’s foster care system who receive social security benefits have had their benefits taken by the state to pay for their foster care – without their consent or opportunity to object. Just last year, Nebraska took over $4 million in foster youth’s benefits.
LB275 will provide more transparency, opportunities for engagement, and access to benefits for these youth, allowing them to have more say in what happens to their benefits. It automatically adds almost a million more dollars back into the pockets of foster youth each year to help them prepare for adulthood. See how your senator voted on LB275 here.
Bill to end the SNAP Ban vetoed
✅ LB319 (Senator Victor Rountree) was passed on Final Reading but vetoed by Governor Pillen. A measure to override the veto failed. This bill would have helped 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.
While this is heartbreaking for the thousands of people subject to the ban and their families, many of whom will continue struggling to put food on the table, we are proud of the senators and advocates who pushed this bill the farthest it has ever gone in Nebraska. Even through setbacks, we won’t stop fighting for this until this ban is gone – it is too important.
Thank you for your advocacy on this bill throughout this legislative session. We look forward to continuing the fight to end the SNAP ban with you in the future! See how your senator voted on LB319’s veto override here.
Paid sick leave protections removed from 140,000 Nebraskans
❌ LB415 (Senator Beau Ballard) became law on June 4, 2025. This bill removes paid sick leave protections from 140,000 Nebraskans by:
- Excluding several groups of workers from receiving paid sick leave, including seasonal and temporary agricultural workers, and workers under the age of 16;
- Exempting businesses with 10 or fewer employees from having to provide paid sick leave; and
- Removing important protections for workers who face retaliation from their employers for using paid sick leave.
This bill substantially weakens the paid sick leave policy that was overwhelmingly supported by Nebraska voters, and it will prevent thousands of Nebraskans from being able to access the good life. The Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans coalition, which includes Nebraska Appleseed, is exploring all of our options to protect the will of voters on this issue. See how your senator voted on LB415 here.
Minimum wage limitations stopped (for now)
❌ LB258 (Senator Jane Raybould) has failed for the year but is expected to return in 2026. This bill would have harmed workers by severely weakening Nebraska’s minimum wage law through carving out a subminimum wage for youth workers AND restricting the cost of living increases that Nebraskans voted for.
LB258 undermines changes that were overwhelmingly approved by Nebraska voters, and if it returns next year, this bill will all but ensure that Nebraska wages once again fall behind the ever-rising cost of living. Lawmakers should defer to the will of their constituents, who spoke loud and clear in 2022 about the importance and necessity of raising wages for working Nebraskans across the state. We will continue to fight against this bill if it comes back to the floor in 2026. See how your senator voted on LB258 here.
Anti-trans legislation targeting students becomes law
❌ LB89 (Senator Kathleen Kauth) was signed into law on June 4, 2025. This bill creates harmful definitions of “male” and “female” that K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions are required to follow, and denies equal access to school activities for trans Nebraskans.
We know that Nebraskans care about our youth and don’t want to be divided or forced into false barriers. We stand with trans youth in Nebraska and believe ALL young people should feel safe to exist and participate as they are. See how your senator voted on LB89 here.
Thank You for Showing Up and Speaking Out!
Thank you for staying with us throughout a challenging session. To everyone who submitted a comment, contacted your senator, came to the Capitol, and spoke up to fight for Nebraska: We see you, and we are grateful to be in this fight with you!