We are officially more than halfway through the 2026 Legislative Session!
Last week, senators and committees finalized and designated their personal priority bills for the session. We are excited to share that several Appleseed priority bills have been prioritized, and we’ll be sure to share updates as these bills move through the legislative process.
Here are the bills that have been prioritized by senators that we’ll be monitoring for the rest of the 2026 session. ⤵️
Supporting young people navigating the child welfare system
✅ LB1032 recognizes tribal customary adoptions in Nebraska state law. Tribal customary adoptions allow Native children to be adopted without severing their relationship with their biological family, respecting the traditions, values, and laws of their tribes. (Sen. Wendy DeBoer)
❌ LB730, prohibits schools and state agencies from allowing people to access a restroom or locker room designated for a gender different than their gender assigned at birth. (Sen. Kathleen Kauth)
Expanding food and nutrition access
✅ LB966, aka the Hunger-Free Schools Act, makes more students eligible for free school meals by using state funds to make all reduced-price eligible student meals free. (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh)
Strengthening worker safety, wages, and protections
✅ LB921 protects hardworking Nebraskans and whole communities by requiring additional notice to workers if their place of employment will close or have a mass layoff. (Sen. Teresa Ibach)
✅ LB1089 (Sen. Jana Hughes) protects Nebraska workers by ensuring that employees can pursue legal action if their employer violates their rights under our current paid sick leave law. This bill reinstates the private right of action that the legislature removed from the voter-approved paid sick leave law last year.
Supporting families navigating the rising cost of living
✅ LB304 helps parents afford the child care they need by maintaining the child care subsidy’s income eligibility level, which is otherwise set to decrease this year. If this bill doesn’t pass this year, over 2,000 families will lose access to funding for child care. (Sen. Wendy DeBoer)
Ensuring equitable access to healthcare
✅ LB779 creates safeguards for Nebraskans by prohibiting interest on medical debt for 90 days, and by capping interest rates after that. This bill also protects primary residences from foreclosure and liens stemming from medical debt collection. (Sen. Danielle Conrad)
✅ LB929 protects Nebraskans’ access to care through Medicaid by prohibiting Nebraska DHHS from requiring Medicaid enrollees to pay copays that aren’t required by federal law, and by requiring Nebraska DHHS to set the new copays for Medicaid expansion enrollees required by HR1 at the lowest amount possible. (Sen. John Fredrickson)
Protecting immigrant community members and asylum seekers from deportation and family separation
✅ LB1034 keeps Nebraska children and learning environments safe by preventing ICE from entering schools without a judicial warrant. This bill would reinstate ICE’s own previous guidelines ensuring that schools are safe and protected spaces. (Sen. George Dungan)
Make Your Voice Heard This Session
Each legislative session presents an opportunity to bring long-lasting, positive change for our communities. Your voice is important in building a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive Nebraska. Here’s how you can get involved and take action during the rest of this legislative session:
- Tell your senator what matters to you:
- Watch what’s happening online:
- You can stream all hearings and legislative floor debate via Nebraska Public Media.
- Sign up for our weekly Legislative Update
- Sign up here! We’ll let you know when these priority bills come up for debate and a floor vote. Plus, we’ll let you know when our State Senators need to hear from you on big issues impacting our communities.