Nebraska Legislation Affecting Early Childhood

Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh
Status: 03/13/2019 Approved by Governor, hearing on 03/12/2019
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Safety

This bill changes terminology relating to shaken baby syndrome.

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Sponsor: Matt Hansen
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits

This bill would require cities to assess the supply of quality licensed early childhood education programs and evaluate the availability and utilization of licensed child care providers as part of their comprehensive plans. The comprehensive plans shall also promote early childhood health and education measures that benefit the community LB66 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Mike Groene
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education, Child Safety, Physical & Mental Health

This bill would allow teachers or school administrators to physically restrain a student if the student becomes physically violent towards another person or towards school property. The teacher or administrator shall not be subject to any legal or administrative action, so long as they were acting in a reasonable manner. This bill would also give teachers the authority to have a student removed from the classroom if the teacher can show the student has repeatedly interfered with the teacher’s ability to communicate with other students and if the student has shown to have a disruptive or unruly behavior in the classroom.

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Sponsor: Dan Quick et al.
Status: 03/21/2019 Approved by Governor, hearing on 03/21/2019
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits

This bill would allow communities to direct some of their Local Option Municipal Economic Development funds (LB840) to develop or expand quality early childhood programs. LB160 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Megan Hunt
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education

This bill would require each school board to adopt a policy that would prohibit the suspension or expulsion of any early childhood education or kindergarten student unless the school principal determines that such student has caused or threatened serious bodily injury to a student or another person while in school, on school grounds, in a school-owned vehicle, or at a school-sponsored activity.

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Sponsor: Kate Bolz
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education, Budget/Taxes

This bill would allow the school board of any school district to impose a local option income surtax for property tax reduction or building construction, remodeling, and site acquisition. This bill would also allow the school board, by majority vote, pass a resolution to place the issue of enacting a local option income surtax at any primary, general or special election.

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Sponsor: Brett Lindstrom
Status: 08/12/2020 Passed on Final Reading, hearing on 08/12/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Early Childhood Workforce, Budget/Taxes, Child Care

This bill provides language that fixes interpretation issues that led to self-employed child care providers and certain classifications of child care programs being ineligible for the School Readiness Tax Credit. LB266 testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Lou Ann Linehan et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

This bill amends sales tax provisions in order to enable the state to collect sales tax from online vendors.

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Sponsor: Speaker Scheer at the request of the Governor
Status: 05/31/2019 Provisions/portions amended into another bill amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB174 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB181 amended into LB294 by AM1746 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB199 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB292 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB327 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB403 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB404 amended into LB294 by AM1329 05/31/2019, Provisions/portions of LB678 amended into LB294 by AM1329
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

This bill is the mainline budget bill

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Sponsor: Brett Lindstrom at the request of the Governor
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

Increases the amount of relief granted under the Property Tax Credit Act from $224 M to $275 M for tax year 2019 and each year thereafter.

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Sponsor: Sue Crawford et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Family Support

This bill creates the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund to enable employees to take 12 weeks for their child during the first year of birth, adoption, or placement through foster care; 12 weeks due to serious illness of the employee; 6 weeks for weeks to care for a family member with a health condition; 6 weeks to care for a service member; 6 weeks for qualifying exigency leave. The bill also sets levels for the amount of wage replacement to be paid based on income level.

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Sponsor: Kate Bolz
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Family Support

Moves family eligibility for the Child Care Subsidy from 130% of the federal poverty level (FPL) up to 165% FPL; removes the 24-month maximum for transitional child care assistance; makes transitional child care assistance available for families between 165% FPL and 200% FPL. Any fee for processing applications or background checks must not exceed the actual cost of processing and administration.

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Sponsor: John Arch
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Family Support

Removes the 24-month maximum for transitional child care assistance; changes the income level at which you lose transitional child care assistance within an eligibility year from 185% federal poverty level (FPL) to 85% state median income (SMI); at the end of an eligibility period, the family will stay eligible for transitional child care if their income is below 185% FPL. LB341 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Lynne Walz et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Education

This bill cleans up language related to TEEOSA and adds the early childhood allowance and community achievement plan allowance to the list of eligible deductions from a school district's general fund operating expenditures for fiscal year 2020-21 and each year thereafter. The bill also changes the state aid calculations related to early childhood students.

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Sponsor: Mike Groene
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Budget/Taxes

Changes the base limitation and local effort rate, as well as certification dates for distribution of aid, certification of budget limitations, and duties of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee.

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Sponsor: Health and Human Services Committee
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Child Safety

Requires a person applying to be a licensed child care provider to undergo a national criminal history record information check for themselves and each child care staff member and prospective child care staff member at the applicant's expense. Each child care staff member must undergo a national criminal history record information check not less than once during a 5-year period and must submit a complete set of fingerprints to the Nebraska State Patrol. LB459 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Lou Ann Linehan
Status: 05/31/2019 Provisions/portions amended into another bill amended into LB610 by AM1771
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education

This bill would open a 529 savings account for every child in Nebraska. The state of Nebraska would appropriate $100 for every child savings account opened. The purpose of this program is to promote access to postsecondary educational opportunities.

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Sponsor: Justin Wayne
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education, Budget/Taxes

This bill amends current statute and would allow employers to contribute to an employee's educational savings plan trust. This bill also states that any government program that provides benefits or aid to an individual based on financial need shall not consider employer contributions

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Sponsor: Kate Bolz
Status: 05/30/2019 Approved by Governor, hearing on 05/29/2019
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Development, Child Care

LB564 revises the definition of facilities eligible to receive grant funding under the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund to include child care, among other things.

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Sponsor: Tom Briese
Status: 04/18/2019 Approved by Governor, hearing on 04/17/2019
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Systems/Governance, Child Care, Early Childhood Workforce

Child care licensing staff will use the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System (NECPRS) to verify training levels for licensed child care providers. Licensed child care programs will maintain provider profiles and employees will report credentials and training levels in NECPRS. LB590 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Adam Morfeld
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Physical & Mental Health

Creates the Medicaid Expansion Implementation Task Force to facilitate the implementation process.

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Sponsor: Robert Hilkemann et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Safety

This bill would require vehicles used by schools or edcuation units are required to have a 3-point safety belt system; there are a few restrictions that apply.

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Sponsor: Justin Wayne
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Budget/Taxes

Provides state support for 48% of aggregate general fund operating expenditures of school districts; replaces TEEOSA with a new funding formula.

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Sponsor: Curt Friesen
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Budget/Taxes

Terminates the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA) on July 1, 2022.

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Sponsor: Tony Vargas et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education, Early Childhood Workforce

The State Board of Education will issue a teacher certification to individuals in good standing with a teaching certificate from another state. Temporary certificates will be offered to persons with a bachelor's degree that is enrolled in an alternate certification program.

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Sponsor: Mike Groene
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Budget/Taxes

Drops maximum levy from $1.05 to 98.7 cents per $100 of taxable valuation of property and changes how property tax relief is allocated to schools.

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Sponsor: Wendy DeBoer et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Budget/Taxes

Creates a 20-member School Financing Review Commission to review and make recommendations on school financing, with reports in even-numbered years for the Governor, State Board of Education, and the Legislature.

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Family Support

Provides a location within the State Capitol Building to express breast milk, other than a bathroom, and shielded from view and intrusion by the public.

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes, School Funding

Increases cigarette tax and adds vape products to tobacco products for taxation purposes; changes allocation of funds from cigarette tax, including 2% for the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System, 5% for K-12, and 2.5% for family and medical leave start-up costs.

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Sponsor: Mark Kolterman (Kolterman Priority Bill)
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes, Economic Development

This bill would create the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, a new business development tax-incentive program that will eventually replace the Nebraska Advantage Act. LB720 FFN Testimony.pdf

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Sponsor: Lynne Walz et al.
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: School Funding, Physical & Mental Health, Education

Schools districts and Educational Service Units (ESUs) that designate an employee to serve as a community-based mental health liason can be reimbursed for 80% of mental health expenditures. Creates and funds the School Mental Health Resources Fund for the purposes of reimbursing school districts and ESUs.

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Sponsor: John Arch
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care

This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to seek the maximum amount of federal funding to help child care providers and child care staff members with the costs of the fingeprinting and national criminal history record information check.

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Sponsor: Justin Wayne
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits

would ensure that employers who contribute to their employee’s 529 account will not be charged state income tax and that no employee loses their state aid benefits in any way if their employer contributes to their 529 account. This bill would also ensure that any state income tax refund at the end of the year can be rolled directly into a 529 account and have the forms updated accordingly.

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Sponsor: Matt Hansen
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Child Care

This bill would give cities the option to increase their local option sales tax, property tax, or any other general tax to pay for early childhood infrastructure as part of an economic development plan.

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Physical & Mental Health, Budget/Taxes

This bill would appropriate an additional $200,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services so they can contract with the Universty of Nebraska Medical Center for the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative

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Sponsor: Megan Hunt
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care

This bill would allow public officials to use campaign funds to pay for child care services incurred by an officeholder for members of his or her immediate family when involved in activities related to the duties of his or her public office.

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Sponsor: Revenue Committee
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes, Education

This bill would increase state funding for K-12 schools in order to reduce their reliance on property taxes.

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Sponsor: Carol Blood
Status: 01/22/2020 Bill Withdrawn
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Early Childhood Workforce, Child Care

This bill would direct revenue generated from the regulation of fantasy contests to professional development for the early childhood care and education workforce.

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Sponsor: Jim Scheer
Status: 08/11/2020 Approved by Governor, hearing on 08/06/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

Governor's main budget bill

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Sponsor: Brett Lindstrom
Status: 07/27/2020 Approved by Governor, hearing on 07/24/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Systems/Governance

LB1014 amends the Multiemployer Welfare Arrangement (“MEWA”) Act to allow self-employed individuals who are members of associations to participate in a multiemployer welfare arrangement in Nebraska.

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Sponsor: Kate Bolz
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Child Care, Development, Budget/Taxes

This bill would expand eligibility for the child care subsidy program and use carryover funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to offset expenses incurred, including any administrative costs

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Sponsor: Anna Wishart
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Development, Budget/Taxes

This bill would create the Intergenerational Care Facility Incentive Cash Fund which the Department of Health and Human Services would use to award grants to nursing facilities for one-time startup coss to provide child care in nursing facilities

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Sponsor: Sue Crawford
Status: 07/27/2020 Approved by Governor, hearing on 07/24/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Physical & Mental Health, Child Welfare

This bill provides guidance for the types of Child Welfare cases that can utilize alternative response, gives the department certain responsibilities for developing procedures, rules, and regulations for these cases, and how they must be reported

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Sponsor: Matt Hansen
Status: 08/11/2020 Approved by Governor, hearing on 08/10/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Systems/Governance, Data

This bill would require the Department of Labor, in cooperation with stakeholders in education and workforce, to develop a plan to establish the Nebraska Educational Reporting System, a lifelong learning and workforce longitudinal data system. The Nebraska Workforce and Educational Reporting System will be a comprehensive, sustainable, robust, data system to enable the training of tomorrow’s workforce, today. As part of this system, the Department of Labor will identify the long-term return on investment from early education programs.

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Sponsor: Health and Human Services Committee
Status: 08/11/2020 Approved by Governor, hearing on 08/07/2020
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Safety, Child Care

This bill would require license-exempt child care providers seeking to accept the child care subsidy to meet federal background check standards.

LB1185 FFN Testimony

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Sponsor: Tony Vargas
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Systems/Governance, Child Care

This bill would require child care professionals to report their educational degrees, professional credentials, relevant training, and work history to the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System.

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Sponsor: Curt Friesen
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Development

This bill would provide grants for the assistance of businesss that are located or intend to locate in a micropolitan statistical area (10,000 - 50,000 population) that do not qualify for incentives under the main tax incentive program.

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Sponsor: Tom Brewer
Status: 08/13/2020 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Education, Budget/Taxes

This proposed constitutional amendment states that no more than thirty-three percent of school funding shall come from property taxes.

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