The Capitol Update is a regularly occurring column authored by staff members of the Nebraska Catholic Conference and published in diocesan news publications. It provides the latest public policy updates on state and federal legislative policy.
School choice programs come in various shapes and sizes. This federal program is a scholarship tax credit. A scholarship tax credit allows taxpayers to receive an income tax credit for contributions to a scholarship granting organization which will turn those funds into education scholarships.
In last week’s column, I reflected on my ten-year anniversary at the Nebraska Catholic Conference. I talked about the NCC as my dream job and shared the top three reasons my work is fulfilling. Those 800 words didn’t give me enough room, however, to reflect on the major public policy victories we’ve accomplished under the leadership of the Bishops these last ten years.
A Dream Job. Like most Catholics, I didn’t know the Nebraska Catholic Conference existed for a good chunk of my life. I had no idea the Church had a government relations and lobbying arm devoted to applying the Church’s social teaching to public policy matters.
The line between good and evil within the human heart is a thin one. Each of us must remain vigilant over our heart, as well as the hearts of our brothers and sisters, so that we might strive for what is good and true and beautiful.
Through Catholic social teaching, we recognize the fundamental moral principles required of building a just society, one that respects human dignity, honors subsidiarity, fosters solidarity, and seeks the common good.
Scholarship tax credit programs allow taxpayers to redirect a portion of their tax liability to a scholarship granting organization (“SGO”) which turns those financial contributions into scholarships for families in need.
In 2022, the feast of John the Baptist’s nativity was superseded by the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which took place on June 24 of that year. These feasts coincided on the day Roe was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. I did not and do not believe that is a coincidence. God’s Providence is a mysterious and sometimes beautifully serendipitous-seeming thing.
Thank you for all you did to make the 2025 legislative session a success and may we praise God for His goodness through it all!
Masculinity and femininity are gifts that, like our humanity, give meaning and coherence to each of us in our individuality. Our culture, to its benefit and strength, recognizes a great good in the affirmation of the individual, his capacity for creativity, and in the encouragement of the free development of natural gifts.
The Catholic Conference advocates for and against many bills every session in the Nebraska Legislature. Whether legislation is good or bad always depends, in large part, on the answers to questions about the human person.
The human person is fundamentally social and relational. We are born into the world, thick with relational ties that we need in order to fully develop. These relational ties protect, guide and influence our whole lives, but especially when we are young.
With great sorrow, we continue to mourn the loss of the late Holy Father, Pope Francis. We commend his soul to the Father of mercies, Who Pope Francis so often invoked and invited us into His love.
When we look around and see the brokenness in our political parties, politicians, and governmental branches, we need only to turn to Christ, as easy and as difficult as that can be. Christ alone makes sense of our brokenness and provides the path for restoration and wholeness.
As we enter the final third of the legislative session—always its fastest and most volatile time—I want to introduce readers to three important bills this year that address the human dignity of unborn children and their mothers. There are others deserving mention, but we’ll focus today on LB632, LB512, and LB669.
As Senators exit the bill hearing process and are more engaged in floor debate, your advocacy will be critical. Senators need to hear from you—their constituents—about which bills are important to pass and which bills should be defeated.
This legislative session, the Nebraska Catholic Conference has taken positions on 50 bills.
Gaining trust of and educating the general public about the dignity of all human life is a labor of love that takes time. It requires prudent decisions and strategies, built on prayer, fasting, and unwavering trust in God.
Last week, four school choice bills had legislative hearings, one in the Appropriations Committee and the other three in the Education Committee.
Sen. Murman’s bill would protect health care professionals in their exercise of conscience rights.
Remember, your voice matters and State Senators are influenced by Catholics when they speak up. God bless your efforts bearing the light of Christ in the public square!
For the last several years now, Catholics at the Capitol has boasted a sell-out crowd, so let’s keep it going (watch out Memorial Stadium, here we come)! Visit www.NEcatholic.org to register now, as seats are limited.
The bills we are working on run the gamut, but they all fall under our five main advocacy areas: 1) Life & Human Dignity; 2) Marriage, Family, & Human Sexuality; 3) Education; 4) Social & Human Development; and 5) Church as Institution.
