Growing up, I hated the smell of potpourri. Sometimes my Grandma would have it in her house, or I’d sometimes smell it in a certain aisle in Walgreen’s. I still hate the smell. Despite my aversion for the aroma, I like to use the word “potpourri” when I’m providing an update on a mixture of legislative topics—the word fits well. So, let’s dig in.
Catholics at the Capitol. Before you know it, it’s going to be Wednesday, April 9th, and we’ll be having Catholics at the Capitol—and I really hope you’ll be there. This is our annual legislative advocacy day for Catholics across the state. You’ll get a chance to learn about important legislative bills from key elected officials and NCC staff. Our seating is limited, so register now at www.NEcatholic.org, where you’ll find more details about the event.
School Choice Hearing Bonanza. Last week, four school choice bills had legislative hearings, one in the Appropriations Committee and the other three in the Education Committee.
Introduced by Senator Rob Dover of Norfolk, LB427 would provide $20 million in education scholarships to low-income and at-risk students.
Introduced by Senator Christy Armendariz of Omaha and Senator Ben Hansen of Blair, LB557 and LB633 would provide scholarship funding to attend a non-public school for students who are denied “option enrollment” into a public school.
Introduced by Senator Bob Andersen, LB427 would provide $1500 (which is the current amount of state funding every public school student, at minimum, receives) to a student in non-public schools for tuition and fees or other eligible educational expenses.
School choice is growing like wildfire across the country. Regardless of the November ballot loss, we will keep pursuing school choice for parents who need better educational options for their children.
Bills on the Move. Bills are making their way through legislative committees or floor debate. A few bills along those lines we are supporting are the following.
Introduced by Senator Dan Quick of Grand Island, LB192 would maintain the state’s eligibility for food assistance (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) at 165% of the federal poverty level. For context, 165% of federal poverty is around $54,000 in yearly income for a family of four. LB192 is an important measure to make sure our state’s working poor have food on the table. LB192 advanced from the Health and Human Services Committee on a 6-1 vote.
With unanimous support, the Revenue Committee advanced LB709, introduced by Senator Eliot Bostar of Lincoln. This simple, but important legislation would provide a state refundable income tax credit equal to 10% of the federal tax credit for adoption. This bill helps ease the financial burden that the noble act of adoption often is.
After a lengthy debate, the full body of the Unicameral advanced LB504, introduced by Senator Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln at the request of Governor Jim Pillen. This critical legislation requires online platforms to limit harmful content, provide parental controls, and restrict data collected on minors. The bill received extensive debate, but ultimately had bipartisan support to advance, which means we are one step closer to helping combat the negative impact on youth mental health and welfare created by social media companies.
Money, Money, Money. Hopefully you recited those words with ABBA in mind. Last Friday, the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Board met to discuss the state’s fiscal health. This board’s purpose is to “develop a consensus projection of economic activity in Nebraska and provide an advisory forecast of General Fund Revenue receipts.” Going into this legislative session, the Governor and Nebraska Legislature anticipated over $400 million in revenue shortfalls, which has led to budget proposals with significant budget cuts.
The Economic Forecasting Board reduced the shortfall to under $200 million. As a final budget is crafted, the Legislature and the Governor will have more revenue to budget with than originally anticipated. The question now: how will it get spent and invested? That remains to be seen.
Keep bearing the light of Christ in the public square, and especially pray for our elected officials to make good and holy policy decisions! And don’t forget to register for Catholics at the Capitol!
