In the next few months, it will be my job to tell people about a recent Nebraska Appleseed “win.” This year, Nebraska Appleseed, along with Senator Harms from Scottsbluff and numerous advocates and supporters, worked to pass LB 458, legislation that allows families that participate in the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) program to pursue […]
“The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” MLK Jr. Read More »
Congress took two big steps closer to health reform in the last two days. Tuesday, the House of Representatives released a health care reform bill which is the result of a joint effort between three committees: Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, and Education and Labor. Then on Wednesday, the Health, Education, Labor, and
Movement on Reform . . . We Must Not Wait Read More »
The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a federal and state law enacted in 1978 to curb the practice of state child welfare agencies removing Native American children from their homes and placing them in non-Indian foster and adoptive homes. This practice had become so widespread that, at the time of ICWA’s enactment, 25 to
The Enforcement of the Indian Child Welfare Act in Nebraska Read More »
Our failure to create a workable immigration system continues to wreak havoc on many other community policies – the latest example is a new extension of the federal program to enlist local police in federal immigration enforcement duties. Asking state and local law enforcement to don a second hat as federal immigration officers has dangerous
Involving Local Police in Federal Immigration Enforcement Is Dangerous Policy Read More »
Nebraska newspapers recently reported that our state has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 4.4%. Certainly, this is a positive sign for Nebraska’s economy – and it’s good that we are not seeing the record breaking unemployment rates of over 10% in Nevada, Oregon, Michigan, and California. However, in our role as an
Hidden Heartache in Nebraska’s Unemployment Numbers Read More »
It has been five years since I was sworn into my first bar in the state of Wisconsin. In fact, just the other day, I received information in the mail from my law school about our upcoming class reunion. The ABA’s Young Lawyers Division defines a “young lawyer” as a lawyer under the age of
Lessons from a Young Lawyer Read More »
What does a good public assistance program look like? From the Appleseed point of view, basic principles would apply: Folks would have all the information they need to make good decisions, clients would have opportunities for choice and self-determination, and all people would be treated with dignity and respect. Our legal and public policy reform efforts continually
As the Fourth of July weekend recedes into the distance, I am happily left with thoughts of picnics, Nebraska summer days, and what makes us great as a country. A couple of weeks ago we reported on Nebraska Is Home events that were scheduled to take place in three different Nebraska towns. In the days
Celebrating Shared Values Read More »
A not so famous, but entirely important psychologist, Alfred Adler once said, “Trust movement. Life happens at the level of events, not words. Trust movement.” I was reminded of these words as I stood on top of Upper Senate Park last week and looked over the thousands of people standing in the blistering sun rallying
Trust Movement: Health Care Reform in Action Read More »
On Friday, the Nebraska Supreme Court issued precedent-setting decisions in two cases in which Appleseed was involved. In the first case, In re Interest of Angelica L. and Daniel L., the Nebraska Supreme Court determined that the state acted improperly by terminating the rights of a Guatemalan mother to her two children on the basis
Appleseed Helps Secure Two Child Welfare Victories at the Nebraska Supreme Court Read More »