On Thursday, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is the comprehensive health reform law signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. The 2-1 Court of Appeals decision joins dozens of other lawsuits challenging the ACA that have been […]
Health Reform Victory Reinforces Need to Continue Implementation Read More »
Last week National Public Radio (NPR) released a three-part, yearlong, investigative report focusing on Native American children in the child welfare systems of South Dakota and Nebraska. Specifically, the piece dealing with Nebraska follows the story of Dwayne Stenstrom who is now a history professor at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in
On Tuesday of last week, the Health and Human Services Committee of the Nebraska Legislature continued its investigation of the effects of privatization on the state’s child welfare system through the LR 37 interim study process. As part of the LR 37 process, Nebraska Appleseed conducted a survey of juvenile court attorneys across the state
Last night the Senate considered taking action that would limit states’ flexibility in serving struggling families during difficult times and would cut food assistance to 19,000 Nebraska families. Thankfully, this bad amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill was voted down on a 41-58 vote. The amendment, proposed by Senator Sessions, would have eliminated state flexibility
Near Miss for Nebraska’s Hungry Families Read More »
Written for and originally Posted at Forbes A common criticism of the U.S. immigration system is it tilts toward family admissions. This criticism rests, in part, on the mistaken notion that any close relations sponsored by U.S. citizens come to America quickly as permanent residents. However the wait times for sponsoring a close family member
The Myth of Chain Migration Read More »
This summer, I met up with Omaha graphic designer Justin Kemerling of The Match Factory to discuss an idea for an Appleseed art exhibit. We’ve worked with Justin on a number of Appleseed projects – most recently our Voices from Fremont poster exhibit chronicling how residents witnessed a sense of division, hostility, and suspicion in Fremont since the town passed a restrictive
Build A Stronger Nebraska Together Read More »
I talked with a group of working parents at the Center for People in Need this week. The hot topic there, as in the rest of the nation, was JOBS. The good folks I spoke with talked about daily schedules shuttling kids, trying to study, and working long hours. They talked about the need for
Talking Jobs: The Importance of the Building Nebraska’s Future Workforce Forum Read More »
Do the new census figures reflecting that one child in five in Nebraska struggles with poverty worry you? Have you followed recent child welfare system developments with concern? Do you think that access to prenatal care should be available to all who need it to protect the health of mothers and babies? The newspaper headlines
Here is a powerful story from The New York Times documenting the early effects of Alabama’s shameful law: hundreds of students withdrawing from local schools; stores and restaurants noticeably less busy; people – including people with legal status – who had called Alabama home for 2, 5, 10 years, gone in a matter of days.
Breaking – and Heartbreaking – News out of Alabama Read More »
Reports indicate that Governor Heineman has decided that the state should wait to fully implement a state-based exchange until the United States Supreme Court has ruled on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is critical that the state pass enabling legislation during the next legislative session to allow the state
Health Insurance Exchange Legislation Must Go Forward Read More »