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LGBTQ protections at crossroads in Nebraska Legislature
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature stands at a crossroads in 2023 regarding LGBTQ Nebraskans, with critical bills that could expand or limit protections. This session’s proposals include restrictions on what bathrooms transgender youths could use and which athletic teams they could participate in. Other bills could expand nondiscrimination policies to include gender identity or sexual […]
Nebraska lawmakers weigh proposal to use state funds for private school enrollment
LINCOLN — A Nebraska lawmaker encouraged a legislative committee Tuesday to allow students to use state funds toward private schools if they are denied a school district transfer. Legislative Bill 528, proposed by State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, would create the Nebraska Option Enrollment Tuition Account Program. Option enrollment is when students seek to […]
Tax credits proposed for private Nebraska pregnancy center donations
LINCOLN — As Nebraska state senators prepare for debate regarding abortion, one lawmaker presented a proposal Friday that aims to provide tax credits to private pregnancy help centers. Legislative Bill 606, proposed by State Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, would establish the Nebraska Pregnancy Help Act and offer tax credits to incentivize private donations to […]
Nebraskans reflect on support for Ukraine one year after Russian invasion
LINCOLN — Nurse Kathleen “Nene” DeRoos-Nolan watches a live feed on a Telegram channel of a Ukrainian soldier trudging along in the snow and later sleeping in a place that isn’t heated. It’s a sight different from the refugees she saw in person at a camp in Warsaw during the past year, where she provided […]
Nebraska committee considers harmonizing hemp regulation
LINCOLN — A legislative committee Tuesday considered proposals to harmonize Nebraska’s hemp regulation with federal standards and terminate the Nebraska Hemp Commission. Legislative Bill 263, introduced by the Agriculture Committee at the request of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, would amend the Nebraska Hemp Farming Act to align with the federal 2018 Farm Bill in […]
Hard feelings aired by citizens denied the opportunity to testify in Nebraska Legislature
LINCOLN — Citizens crammed the meeting rooms and hallways of the State Capitol recently to testify on hot-button issues pertaining to guns, public funding for private schools, abortion and LGBTQ rights. At least a dozen people, who had waited up to six hours for a turn to speak, were denied the opportunity because legislative committee […]
Willa Cather’s 150 years to be celebrated throughout 2023
LINCOLN — Acclaimed Nebraska novelist Willa Cather, who would have marked her 150th birthday in 2023, will be celebrated throughout the year with a series of events. The National Willa Cather Center will host events locally and nationally for Cather’s 150th birthday and also the 100th anniversaries of her Pulitzer Prize for “One of Ours” and […]
Center for Rural Affairs honors handful of Nebraska advocates
LINCOLN — The Center for Rural Affairs is honoring a handful of Nebraskans for their work in advocating for rural affairs. The center, based in Lyons, Nebraska, announced it is giving awards to four Nebraskans in its 50th year, with additional honorees from Kansas and South Dakota. The private nonprofit’s mission is to strengthen small […]
Lawmakers weigh whether to restrict local health directors’ authority over public health measures
LINCOLN — COVID-19 placed an immense strain on hospitals and the medical field with thousands of cases and deaths in the nearly three years of the pandemic in Nebraska. Public health directors as well as state and local governments issued directed health measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, action that helped “save” local hospitals […]
Proposed restrictions on Nebraska school bathrooms, sports teams trigger tense hearing
LINCOLN — Tensions rose Monday as dozens testified on a bill that would define school bathrooms and sports teams as biologically male or female. Legislative Bill 575, proposed by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha would supersede a Gender Participation Policy adopted by the Nebraska School Activities Association for sponsored athletics. The NSAA is a nonprofit […]
Nebraska lawmaker renews bill to protect physicians’ ‘right of conscience’
LINCOLN — A revived legislative proposal would protect health care providers’ “right of conscience,” allowing physicians to decline to provide a service if it would violate their beliefs. Legislative Bill 810, proposed by State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, would adopt the “Medical Ethics and Diversity Act,” defining a “right of conscience” violation as a service […]
Proposed gender-alteration ban for minors draws hundreds to Nebraska Capitol
LINCOLN — Supporters and opponents testified for about seven hours Wednesday on State Sen. Kathleen Kauth’s proposal to ban gender-altering care for minors in Nebraska. Legislative Bill 574 — the “Let Them Grow Act” — would prohibit health care providers from administering to patients younger than 19 medical interventions such as puberty blockers, hormone treatments […]