Sen. Megan Hunt

District 8

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March Newsletter
March 15th, 2021

Dear friends and neighbors,

On March 12th, after weeks of passionate hearings and testimony, the committee hearings came to a close. The legislature has now moved to floor debate – beginning with priority bill selections. I hope you continue to stay in touch with me on any issue that is of importance to you throughout this process.

Each Senator is allowed to designate one bill as a personal priority bill and each committee can designate two committee priority bills. In addition, the Speaker designates another 25 priority bills. This session, I have prioritized LB260 – a bill to classify caring for a family member with a serious health condition as a qualification for unemployment. This would allow workers who need to temporarily leave employment to care for a family member with a serious health condition to be eligible for unemployment if they are ready and willing to rejoin the workforce.

This session, I am seeking a speaker priority on three bills – LB 121, LB 250, and LB 357: LB 121 would remove the lifetime ban on SNAP eligibility for people with certain drug convictions; LB 250 creates a voluntary registration for interior designers, allowing them to stamp their own documents if they choose; and LB 357 creates a “Youth in Care Bill of Rights” to inform foster and juvenile system-involved youth of their rights at regular intervals and ensure they know how to advocate for themselves. Each of these bills is vital in providing equitable support and assistance to our Nebraska residents.

Speaker Hilgers will be selecting his priority bills this Wednesday, March 17th. If you’d like to support any of these bills, I encourage you to reach out to Speaker Hilgers at mhilgers@leg.ne.gov or (402) 471-2673 and urge him to select them as speaker priorities. The significance of priorities is that these bills will jump to the top of the line in debate, essentially guaranteeing that it will get a chance to be debated and voted on by the full body before we adjourn. Since we hear so many bills and there’s not enough time to debate all of them each year, those selected as priority have the best chance of passage.

All the best,
Meg

Legislative Update

As the committee hearings are drawing to a close, below is an update on bills Senator Hunt has introduced. You can get more information on each bill by clicking on the bill number.

LB 121 – Lift SNAP ban for people with drug convictions
- Advanced to General File on March 9th.
- Requested a Speaker priority
LB 250 – Adopt the Interior Design Voluntary Registration Act
- Advanced to General File on February 17th.
- Requested a Speaker priority
LB 260 – Unemployment for caregivers under the Employment Security Law
- Advanced to General File on March 12th.
- Designated as my personal priority
LB 277 – Change Mobile Home Landlord and Tenant Act
- Added to Judiciary Housing Package via LB 320 (Cavanaugh, J.)
- Expected floor debate on Thursday, March 18th
LB 357 – Youth in Care Bill of Rights
- Advanced to General File on March 12th.
- Requested a Speaker priority on this bill.

Bills Yet to be Voted Out of Committee

To help move these bills out of committee – I need your help! I urge anybody passionate about these bills to reach out to the committee members and advocate for their progression to floor debate. Your voice can make a difference in our community!

LB 120 – LGBTQ+ Employment Nondiscrimination (Judiciary Committee)
LB 122 – Eliminate Tipped Minimum Wage (Business and Labor Committee)
LB 183 – Sexual Assault Emergency Care Act (Health and Human Services Committee)
LB 205 – Place Cap on Rental Late Fees (Judiciary Committee)
LB 230 – LGBTQ+ Public Accommodation Nondiscrimination (Judiciary Committee)
LB 231 – Prohibit Conversion Therapy for Minors (Judiciary Committee)
LB 276 – Telemedicine Medical Abortions (Judiciary Committee)
LB 517 – Gender Neutral ID (Judiciary Committee)

March in Review

On March 2nd, I had the opportunity to attend Nebraska’s 2021 Day of Empathy Virtual Lobby event – “No New Prisons: Building Empathy & Alternatives.” I was able to discuss the legislative impact on the criminal justice system and how I am addressing prison overcrowding in Nebraska through my work.

Planned Parenthood facilitated a conversation and training with supporters about abortion rights nationally and in Nebraska. I had the opportunity to speak about my work in creating safe, equitable care for women in Nebraska through my legislation with telemedicine abortions and access to emergency contraception.

The current pandemic has provided new challenges for us all – and the legislature has been no exception. There have been many changes across our legislature as a whole to ensure the safety of everyone, but there is one thing that has not changed – your support. During this session, we received hundreds of passionate in-person and written testimony from across the country. The pictures above are with testifiers who traveled from all over to advocate for the passage of these critical bills. We couldn’t do this without you, your support is vital in passing these bills and bettering our community! Thank you to all who have testified this year.

Civic Nebraska – Virtual Capitol Experience

I had the opportunity to collaborate with Civic Nebraska and my fellow senators to aid in their Virtual Capitol Experience. Here, you can explore the history of our unicameral Legislature, learn more about our state government, explore facts and features of the art and architecture of our Nebraska State Capitol, and hear personal insights from myself and other government officials.

Civic Nebraska

COVID-19 Updates

Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) is providing vaccinations to those 65 and over at the following times and locations:

TUE/WED – Christ Community Church, located at 404 S. 108th St., vaccinations will be given from 9 A.M. – 5 P.M.

WED/FRI – CHI Immanuel Medical Center, located at 72nd Street and Sorensen Parkway, vaccinations will be given from 9 A.M. – 5 P.M.

THU/SUN – Nebraska Medicine Testing & Vaccination Clinic, located at 144th Street and Millard Avenue, vaccinations will be given from 9 A.M. – 5 P.M on Thursdays and 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. on Sundays

SAT – Creighton University Rasmussen Center, located at 702 N. 17th Street, vaccinations will be given from 9 A.M. – 9 P.M.

Contact the COVID-19 Information Line at (402) 444-3400

Schedule an Appointment

Vaccine FAQ

Housing, Utility, and Financial Stability Resources

DHHS LIHEAP Program
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides heating assistance, cooling assistance, year-round crisis assistance, emergency furnace repair, and replacement, fan program, and weatherization services for eligible Nebraska citizens/households.

Heartland Family Service
The Homeless Prevention program provides assistance to prevent individuals from losing their housing and becoming homeless. This can include helping them preserve their current housing situation or identifying alternate appropriate housing option. Additionally, they provide rapid rehousing services to provide temporary housing relocation and stabilization services and financial assistance for 1-12 months.

Together Omaha
Together provides short-term financial assistance for rent, utilities, and deposits to individuals and families that are currently enrolled in the Horizon Programs to avoid or end homelessness.

Legal Assistance
Legal Aid of Nebraska provides a comprehensive tenants overview page with links to legal documents you might need if you are facing evictions.

The Nebraska Bar Association has a website to provide a virtual legal advice clinic for qualifying users to post civil legal questions at no cost.

The Civil Clinic, through the University of Nebraska Law School, provides representation for low-income clients. You can contact them at (402) 472-3271.

The Creighton Law School Clinic also provides representation for low-income clients. Their phone number is (402) 280-3068.

Nebraska Appleseed
You can access their basic questions and answers about utility shut-offs and weatherization assistance here.

Pennies for Power
This is an energy assistance program established to help disadvantaged families pay energy-related expenses. To apply, Call 2-1-1 (or 402-444-6666) and ask about NPPD’s Pennies for Power Program.

Douglas County COVID Relief Fund
You can access Douglas County CARES assistance programs for rent and utilities here.