Welcome to looong days at the legislature—we are at that point in the session, friends!
The Speaker, Senators and Committees have identified their priority bills and with only 23 remaining legislative days on the calendar (counting today), it’s going to be a tight schedule with very full days moving forward. Below we’ve outlined some of the priority bills that would impact gender equity. We’ll do our best to keep you updated when they are scheduled for debate.
At this point in the session, the strongest action you can take is to directly contact your senator and let them know how you want them to vote on the floor.
A Few Important Updates
While there was a lot of promising talk about supporting survivors of gender-based violence early this session, we are disheartened to see that the bills prioritized are focused on adding more criminal penalties as opposed to prevention or supporting services for survivors. One bill that could have helped survivors the most, LB 1088, would have required domestic violence offenders to surrender firearms. Adding to the frustration, since half of domestic abuse-related deaths in our state are caused by firearms, is that the legislature is aware that the presence of a gun increases the risk of violence as they voted to protect themselves by advancing legislation that would remove firearms from the Capitol.
In other news, committee hearings wrapped up last week. We provided supportive testimony for LB 907, Sen. Margo Juarez’s bill to prohibit ICE agents from entering protected spaces such as rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters without a warrant. This bill is important to ensure everyone, regardless of immigration status, has access to the care they need in crisis situations and prevents further traumatization that can occur when ICE agents enter these spaces. We also testified in opposition to Sen. Dave Murman’s LB 1242, which would enforce child support payments for a fetus or embryo. This is harmful to reproductive health access in that it establishes a fetus or embryo as a human with rights, and it also potentially further legally entangles domestic violence survivors with their abusers.
And on Friday last week, two bills passed final reading at the end of last week LB 110 (Sen. Jana Hughes) would ensure that health care providers cannot perform pelvic exams on an unconscious person without prior consent, and LB 751 (Sen. Ashlei Spivey), requires a study to improve the reporting and investigation of missing Black women and children. Both of these bills are wins for gender equity!
Priority Bills Impacting Gender Equity
✅ LB 304 eliminates a sunset date for child care subsidies. Introduced last session by Sen. Wendy DeBoer and prioritized by her this session, the bill would maintain current eligibility levels for federal child care subsidies which means that low-income families who rely on assistance for affordable child care won’t lose it.
✅ LB 878 requires paid maternity leave for state employees. Introduced and prioritized by Sen. Dunixi Guereca, this bill would meet the needs of new parents who need paid time off to care for their growing families without missing a paycheck.
✅ LB 965, introduced by Sen. Eliot Bostar and prioritized by the Judiciary Committee, prohibits sexual abuse of a probationer, conservator, guardian or child welfare provider and expands the definition of incest to include foster families. This provides important protections against sexual abuse for those in vulnerable positions.
✅ LB 966, introduced by Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh and prioritized by Sen. Megan Hunt, adopts the Hunger-Free Schools Act to ensure more school children in our state have access to free breakfasts and lunch.
✅ LB 1089 reinstates the ability for employees to take legal action against employers who violate their right to earned paid sick leave, originally included in the ballot initiative passed by 75% of voters in November 2024 before being removed by lawmakers last year. This bill was introduced by Sen. Hughes and has been prioritized by Sen. Christy Armendariz.
✅ LB 1181, introduced by Sen. Carolyn Bosn and designated as a Speaker Priority, expands the definition of “homicide victim” to include extended family and others close to the victim, allowing for their notification of bond modification in domestic violence cases. Additionally, it ensures their right to read victim impact statements aloud at sentencing hearings.
❌ LB 512, an anti-abortion bill from last session, has been prioritized by the introducer, Sen. Rick Holdcroft. Already significantly restricted, LB 512 would put further barriers in place for people seeking abortion care while also adding criminal penalties for doctors.
❌ LB 730, introduced and prioritized by Sen. Kathleen Kauth, would ban trans and gender-expansive people from using restrooms at state agencies (like the DMV and courthouses) and from bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools (K-12 plus colleges and universities). Gender discrimination and harmful bills like LB 730 result in gender policing, scrutiny and harassment of anyone who looks or acts outside the confines of someone else’s idea of femininity. This puts ALL girls and women at risk by reinforcing the very stereotypes we’ve been fighting for decades.
❌ LR 24CA is a carryover resolution from last session that would end Nebraska’s system of splitting electoral votes and replace it with a winner-take-all approach. Prioritized by the Governor-Appointed Sen. Fred Meyer, this takes us further away from true representative democracy and dilutes the voices of voters. LR 24CA would provide more voting power to areas with lower populations than areas with a more dense population, which is fundamentally anti-democratic.
As always, stay connected with us and we’ll let you know when action is needed to protect and advance gender equity in Nebraska!