The First Session of the 108th Legislature began on Wednesday, January 4th! So far I have introduced 15 bills, been appointed to the General Affairs and Urban Affairs Committees (I will still serve on the Health and Human Services Committee), and have been elected Chair of the State-Tribal Relations Special Committee. I will post brief summaries of my bills here as they are introduced and, eventually, I will update this page to include the fact sheets my office creates as well. This session will last 90 days and take us into early-June. My priorities over these next few months are protecting Nebraskans’ access to health care, engaging in the Rules debate that will begin on January 17th and familiarizing myself with the responsibilities of the Special Committee chairperson role. More frequent updates on what we’re up to can be found on my Facebook and Twitter pages.

2023 Legislation

LB 64 and LB 65  (Fact Sheet) – LB 64 will require that parents whose child or children attended a childcare facility at the time allegations of child abuse be notified of those allegations. LB 65, like LB 64, came out of discussions with Rosewood Academy parents and grew from our interim study, LR 266. This bill would change the Department of Health and Human Services’ licensure reporting system to differentiate between self-reported violations, and complaint-related licensing violations in its database, and all public reporting created by the complaint tracking system.

LB 78 (Fact Sheet) – This bill redefines massage therapy as a health care service and broadens the definition of its therapeutic purposes to include “enhancing wellness”.

LB 84 (Fact Sheet) – LB 84 eliminates the SNAP eligibility sunset. This legislation was introduced in 2021 by Sen. McCollister.

LB 85 (Fact Sheet) – This is legislation I brought last biennium as LB 857, but with a brand new bill number! LB 85 provides for express lane eligibility under the Medical Assistance Act and CHIP.

LB 126 (Fact Sheet) – I am excited to be bringing back this bill on homestead exemptions for disabled veterans. This bill is similar to what I brought last year, but we are using a flat rate instead of the calculations we used last session to determine the amount of the exemption. This bill will be heard in the Revenue Committee.

LB 127 (Fact Sheet) -This bill will put an end to youth life without parole sentences for children in Nebraska. Currently, Nebraska is alone in the Midwest in imposing this sentence on minors. North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Kansas have all banned the practice. LB 127 would not require parole be given, but provide minors with a parole hearing.

LB 391 (Fact Sheet) – This bill will ensure that Nebraska women are not prosecuted for pregnancy outcomes. The legislation seeks to clarify that patients themselves will not be investigated after miscarriages and other medical emergencies that affect a pregnancy outcome.

LB 558 (Fact Sheet) – This bill will ensure a living wage for all Nebraska public school employees.

LB 675 (Fact Sheet) – I brought this bill, with the help of former Senator Adam Morfeld, in response to the voter ID ballot initiative.

LB 676 (Fact Sheet) – This bill will appropriate funds to the Nebraska Diaper Distribution Program through the Department of Health and Human Services.

LB 677 (Fact Sheet) – This bill establishes the Knowing is Doing Something (KIDS) Pilot Program within DHHS. This program will assist TANF recipients by removing barriers to education and employment.

LB 678 (Fact Sheet) – This bill updates definitions in the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act relating to disability.

LB 679 (Fact Sheet) – This bill creates the Holocaust and Genocide Education Training Grant Program, which will appropriate funds for the holocaust education bill I introduced that passed last year.

LB 680 (Fact Sheet) – This bill came from our interim study on the Parkinson’s Disease Registry and updates some of the language pertaining to physicians in the original statute.

These bills reflect a lot of what my energy will be going toward over the next few months, but I will also be crafting legislative resolutions, discussing possibilities for interim studies and working with my colleagues on legislation as well. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have thoughts, concerns or questions on legislation or our work here at the Capitol. I am excited to get to work for you!

Sincerely,

Senator Jen Day