Nebraska State Capitol, (Nebraska Legislature, Courtesy)
LINCOLN — As the Unicameral enters the final third of this year’s legislative session, state lawmakers have ended committee hearings and begun full-day floor debate on bills that have advanced from committee.
Bills that carry a large fiscal note or have not been prioritized are unlikely to progress this session. Instead, those that have not been indefinitely postponed or amended into other bills will be carried over to the 2026 session.
The Appropriations Committee has until April 29 to place the biennium budget on General File for debate by the full Legislature. With a $289 million shortfall, tough decisions will be necessary before the budget is approved.
First Five Nebraska testified and submitted letters of support and opposition for a wide range of bills focused on early childhood issues and maternal and child health. They include:
LB22, introduced by Senator Dungan (Dist. 26), will allow evidence-based nurse home visiting providers to bill Medicaid for their services using targeted case management as the billing code. LB104, introduced by Senator Jane Raybould (Dist. 28), defines evidence-based home visiting in Nebraska statute and was amended (AM348) into LB22. Senators passed LB22 on a 47-0-2 vote and the Governor signed it into law April 10.
FFN hearing testimony | FFN Policy Brief | Read a guest blog post by nurse home visitor Kelly Mackling from the Visiting Nurse Association
LB41, introduced by Senator Merv Riepe (Dist. 12), updates Nebraska’s existing statute for prenatal screens for syphilis. Statute currently requires one screening in the first trimester. LB41 follows best practices in child and maternal health by adding two more screenings (at the third trimester and at delivery) to address Nebraska’s 1,100% increase in the rate of babies born with syphilis. LB41 passed 47-0-2 and the Governor signed it April 9.
FFN hearing testimony | FFN Policy Brief
LB51, introduced by Senator Teresa Ibach (Dist. 44), signs Nebraska onto the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact. The Compact makes the federal and interstate background check process more efficient for professions, including child care. It was passed on a 48-0-1 vote and the Governor signed it into law on February 25. FFN Letter of Support
LB248, introduced by Senator Rita Sanders (Dist. 45), exempts from state licensing requirements child care programs on military bases or federal property, as well as programs licensed as a family child care provider by the military. Senators passed the bill on a 47-0-2 vote April 3 and the Governor signed it April 7. FFN Letter of Support
LB457, introduced by Senator Eliot Bostar (Dist. 29), requires early childhood programs to adopt an anaphylaxis policy if they are caring for a child with a known food allergy. Programs have the option of adopting a model policy to be developed by the state. LB457 passed Final Reading with a 47-1-1 vote and the Governor signed it into law April 14. FFN hearing testimony