Nebraska's 106th Legislature (2019-2020)
Life and Human Dignity
LB13 (Sen. Carol Blood): Sales Tax Exemption for Breast Pumps & Supplies
Description: Removes the sales tax requirement imposed on breast pumps intended for home use and breast pump repair and supplies.
Status: Portions/provisions of LB13 amended into LB209.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB141 (Sen. Wendy DeBoer): Violence against Pregnant Women
Description: Provides an enhanced penalty for suffocation and strangulation when the victim is a pregnant woman.
Status: Signed by Governor on March 27, 2019.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB166 (Sen. Megan Hunt): SOGI & Evidentiary Prohibitions
Description: Creates special protections for ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ when courts and juries consider certain types of evidence in legal proceedings.
Status: Hearing held on Thursday, February 7, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB167 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Ban on Talk Therapy for Adults and Children
Description: Prohibits children and adults from seeking certain forms of therapy (e.g., talk therapy, faith-based counseling, spiritual direction) when grappling with same-sex attraction and gender identity issues. To learn more, click here.
Status: Hearing held on Thursday, February 7, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB168 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Talk Therapy for Children as Child Abuse
Description: Classifies certain forms of therapy (e.g., talk therapy, faith-based counseling) and resources for minors dealing with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues as child abuse. To learn more, click here.
Status: Withdrawn by sponsoring senator.
NCC Position: Oppose
LB209 (Sen. Joni Albrecht): Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act
Description: Gives mothers a second chance at choice by requiring an abortionist to inform a mother that the effects of the abortion pill could be reversed if she changes her mind. To learn more, click here.
Status: Signed by Governor on June 6, 2019.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB294 (Mainline Budget Bill): Title X Provision
Description: Prohibits taxpayer dollars from funding abortion services through the federal Title X program.
Status: Preliminarily rejected by the Appropriations Committee (3-5) on February 12, 2019.
NCC Position: Support
LB423 (Sen. Sara Howard): Abortion & Contraception in School-Based Health Centers
Description: Lifts restriction for school-based health centers to provide access to abortion and contraceptive services to school children.
Status: Hearing held on February 21, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB499 (Sen. Adam Morfeld): SOGI & Psychologists
Description: Seeks to insert ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ into the rules and regulations governing non-discrimination within the practice of psychology, which would have an adverse effect on faith-based practitioners and institutions.
Status: Committee hearing scheduled for March 27, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB501 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Mandate Insurance Coverage for In Vitro Fertilization
Description: Requires public and private insurance plans to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization procedures.
Status: Hearing held on March 4, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB503 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Eliminate Physician Presence Requirement for Abortion
Description: Repeals the requirement that an abortionist to be physically present when performing an abortion, which would allow, for example, the abortion pill to be distributed via the mail or webcam.
Status: Committee hearing held on March 20, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB504 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Gender Identity & Criminal Offenses
Description: Seeks to define ‘gender identity’ into state statute for the first time by amending state law governing hate crimes.
Status: Hearing held on February 7, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB535 (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh): SOGI & Nebraska Advantage Act
Description: Creates special protections for ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ within the Nebraska Advantage Act, which would require the state to discriminate against business owners and entities which have a certain moral or religious view about marriage and human sexuality.
Status: Hearing held on March 15, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB555 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Abortifacient Emergency Contraception & Hospitals
Description: Requires all hospitals—regardless of their sincerely held moral or religious views about human life—to dispense abortifacient emergency contraception to victims of sexual assault.
Status: Hearing held on March 14, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB627 (Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks): SOGI & Employment, Housing, and Public Accommodations
Description: Creates special protections for ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ in the contexts of housing, public accommodations, and employment law.
Status: Debated by the full Legislature on March 4-5, 2019. No action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB629 (Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks): Restrictions on Title X Funding
Description: Creates unnecessary conditions on accessing Title X grant funds, which would eliminate the ability of non-traditional organizations to qualify for Title X funds and provide needed services such as natural family planning to low-income individuals and people in remote areas of the state.
Status: Hearing held on March 21, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB689 (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh): SOGI & Real Estate Transactions
Description: Creates special protections for ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ in the context of real estate and lease transactions, which would allow the state to discriminate against property owners and real estate agents based on their sincerely held moral or religious belief on marriage and human sexuality.
Status: Hearing held on March 1, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB690 (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh): Healthy Pregnancies for Incarcerated Women Act
Description: Prohibits the use of restraints on an incarcerated woman who are known to be pregnant, in labor and delivery, or in post-partum recovery.
Status: Approved by Governor on May 30, 2019.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB692 (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh): Restrictions on Nonviable Birth Certificates
Description: Eliminates the requirement that a health care practitioner inform a mother about a nonviable birth certificate when she receives a diagnosis of a nonviable birth of her unborn child.
Status: Hearing held on March 22, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB814 (Sen. Suzanne Geist): Ban Dismemberment Abortion
Description: Bans the barbaric practice of dismemberment abortion in Nebraska, enact criminal penalties against abortionists who violate the law, and help protect society from the degrading effects of tolerating such a practice.
Status: Hearing held on Feburary 20, 2020. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB872 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Repeal Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act
Description: Repeals LB209 from 2019 which gives mothers a second chance at choice by requiring an abortionist to inform a mother that the effects of the abortion pill could be reversed if she changes her mind.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
Education
LB206 (Sen. Adam Morfeld): Free Speech & Student Journalists
Description: Creates special protections for student journalists in private post-secondary colleges or universities, which violates the 1st Amendment protections of religious colleges and universities.
Status: Placed on General File on February 26, 2019.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB670 (Sen. Lou Ann Linehan): Opportunity Scholarships Act
Description: Provides more scholarship opportunities for low-income and working-class children to attend a private school of their choice.
Status: Debated by the full Legislature on May 13, 2019. No action was taken.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB920 (Sen. Mike Groene): Lottery Fund Reallocation & Education Programs
Description: Reallocates state lottery funds that support a variety of education programs, such as the Excellence in Teaching Cash Fund and the Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship Cash Fund which assist Catholic school students and teachers.
Status: Hearing held on January 21, 2020.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB1080 (Sen. Steve Lathrop): School Policies regarding Sexual Misconduct
Description: Requires all K-12 schools to adopt certain minimum policies regarding appropriate relationship between a student and a school teacher or other school employee, such as prohibiting sexual conduct by school teachers and other school employees with a current or former student.
Status: Placed on General File on February 18, 2020.
NCC Position: Support
LB1202 (Sen. Lou Ann Linehan): Adopt the Opportunity Scholarships Act
Description: Provides more scholarship opportunities for low-income children to attend a private school of their choice.
Status: Hearing held on February 19, 2020. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB766, LB991, LB1048, LB1210 (Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Sen. Steve Halloran, Sen. Dan Quick, Sen. Tony Vargas): Sexual Misconduct with Students
Description: Create criminal prohibitions and penalties for any school teacher or school employee who uses their position of trust and authority to manipulate children to engage in sexual conduct and provide for additional avenues for communication between state and local government agencies to ensure relevant government agencies are notified about alleged child abuse and neglect.
Status: Hearing held on February 20, 2020. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
Marriage and Family
LB426 (Sen. Wendy DeBoer): Allow Any Two People to Adopt
Description: Allows for any two people to jointly adopt a minor child.
Status: Hearing held on February 7, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB498 (Sen. Anna Wishart): Expanded Contraception for Low-Income families
Description: Expands contraceptive services to low-income families by expanding the percentage of federal poverty level for those who may qualify.
Status: Hearing held on February 22, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB748 (Sen. Carol Blood): Fertility Fraud Act
Description: Creates criminal penalties for health care providers who use, without consent of the client, either their own sperm or ovum or the reproductive material (including embryonic human life) of another person to treat a client for infertility.
Status: Hearing held on Thursday, January 30, 2020
NCC Position: Neutral Read testimony here.
LB873 (Sen. Megan Hunt): Change Sex on Birth Certificate & Gender Neutrality on Driver’s Licenses
Description: Creates easier processes for a person suffering from gender dysphoria to change the sex on their birth certificate and adds a third gender—gender neutral—on state operator’s licenses and identification cards.
Status: Hearing held on Wednesday, January 29, 2020
NCC Position: Oppose Read testimony here.
LB900 (Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh): Creates “Property” Rights in Unfertilized Harvested Human Ovum
Description: Establishes sole property ownership interests of an unfertilized human ovum with the person from whom the ovum has been harvested.
Status: Hearing held on Thursday, January 30, 2020
NCC Position: Neutral Read testimony here.
Social and Human Development
LB44 (Sen. Ernie Chambers): Abolition of Death Penalty
Description: Abolishes the death penalty and replaces capital offenses with life imprisonment without parole.
Status: Debated by full Legislature on April 25, 2019. Failed to advance to the second round of debate.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB169 (Sen. Megan Hunt) & LB402 (Sen. Robert Hilkemann): Food Assistance for Former Felons
Description: Amends provisions related to eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and expands the ability for former drug felons to receive food assistance.
Status: Debated by full Legislature on March 27, 2019. Motion to invoke cloture (stop a filibuster) failed.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB369 (Sen. Tony Vargas): Notifications & Enforcement of Immigration Laws
Description: Requires law enforcement to notify the governing body overseeing them about any agreements to enforce federal immigration law and further requires the governing body to provide for public notice and hearing regarding the immigration enforcement agreement.
Status: Placed on General File on May 23, 2019.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB516 (Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks): Social Services for Child Victims of Human Trafficking
Description: Ensures that all children in Nebraska who are being sold for sex trafficking are recognized as abused and neglected children and are connected to needed services and supports.
Status: Provisions/portions of LB516 amended into LB519.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB518 (Sen. Lou Ann Linehan): Support for Trafficking Survivors Act
Description: Creates the Office of Support for Trafficking Survivors within the Department of Health and Human Services to help ensure the safety, well-being, and economic stability of those who have been commercially sexually exploited.
Status: Advanced from Select File to Final Reading on February 6, 2020.
NCC Position: Support
LB628 (Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks): Increase Earned Income Tax Credit
Description: Phases in an increase to the refundable earned income tax credit which is provided to low-income and working-class persons and families.
Status: Hearing held on February 7, 2019. No committee action was taken.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB745 (Sen. Carol Blood): T & U Immigrant Visa Certification Requirements for Law Enforcement
Description: Provides a uniform certification process for victims of human trafficking and other violent crimes who are immigrants petitioning for a T or U visa.
Status: Amended (38-0) to LB518, which advanced from Select File to Final Reading on February 6, 2020.
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
LB994 (Sen. Dave Murman): Organ Transplant Non-Discrimination for Persons with Disabilities
Description: Protects persons with disabilities from being discriminated against in the organ transplant process solely because of their disability
Status: Hearing on Thursday, January 30, 2020
NCC Position: Support Read testimony here.
