Nebraska Legislation Affecting Early Childhood

Sponsor: Jen Day et al.
Status: 02/03/2021 Notice of Hearing, hearing on 02/10/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Family Support, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Child Care

LB68 would allow providers to bill for children utilizing the child care subsidy based on enrollment rather than attendance.

FFN Letter of Support for LB68

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Sponsor: Tony Vargas
Status: 03/11/2021 Placed on General File
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Early Childhood Workforce, Child Care

LB137 requires employees of licensed child care providers to utilize the Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System by 9/1/2021.

FFN Testimony for LB137

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh
Status: 04/13/2021 Placed on General File
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Family Support, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits

LB290 would allow qualifying individuals to take paid family and medical leave up to 12 weeks to care for a new child after birth, adoption, or placement through foster care; to care for a family member with a serious health condition; to care for a servicemember; to a qualifying exigency; or because of a serious health condition to the individual and be reimbursed at 90% of average weekly wage if at or below 50% the state average weekly wage or 50% if it is above the state average weekly wage.

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Sponsor: John Stinner
Status: 02/10/2021 Notice of Hearing, hearing on 02/19/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

LB342 would appropriate $5 million over two years to the Department of Education for the Nebraska Early Learning Endowment Fund.

FFN Letter of Support for LB342

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Sponsor: Lou Ann Linehan
Status: 04/07/2021 Approved by Governor, hearing on 04/07/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care

LB351 allows providers operating on a provisional license due solely to a change in license type to maintain their rating in Step Up to Quality.

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Sponsor: Mike Hilgers
Status: 04/13/2021 Advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

LB380 would is the main budget bill for the biennium ending on June 30, 2023. This bill was introduced by Speaker Hilgers at the request of the Governor. This bill fully funds the early childhood budget lines.

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh et al.
Status: 01/21/2021 Notice of Hearing, hearing on 01/28/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Physical & Mental Health

LB416 requires implicit bias training for specified credentialed healthcare providers and requires the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Program to develop and provide instruction to appropriate health care professionals for maternal health screenings and conditions with specific information on the health of mothers of color. The bill also requires to state to apply for a Medicaid waiver to extent Medicaid coverage for eligible women to 12 months postpartum, and creates and funds the Maternal Health Care Cash Fund.

FFN Letter of Support for LB416
 

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Sponsor: Machaela Cavanaugh
Status: 01/28/2021 Notice of Hearing, hearing on 02/04/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Child Safety

LB447 requires children entering child care to be immunized or provide certification of a medical reason they cannot be from a physician. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain a data base for submission of immunization reports.

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Sponsor: Wendy DeBoer
Status: 03/30/2021 Placed on General File
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Family Support

LB485 changes eligibility for the child care subsidy from up to 130% federal poverty level to 185% federal poverty level and eligibility for transitional child care from 185% federal poverty level to 200% federal poverty level. If funding from the Child Care and Development Block Grant is insufficient to pay for these changes, LB485 allows for the use of TANF funds.

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Sponsor: Tom Briese
Status: 01/22/2021 Referred to Committee, hearing on 02/04/2021 Revenue Committee 01/22/2021, Notice of hearing for February 04, 2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

LB531 would enable taxpaying individuals and businesses to claim a nonrefundable income tax credit for qualifying contributions that promote quality child care programs in Nebraska. The tax credit program would be available from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2027. Fifteen million dollars would be available for each taxable year.

FFN Testimony for LB531

FFN Policy Brief for LB531

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Sponsor: Jen Day
Status: 04/07/2021 Approved by Governor, hearing on 04/07/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Economic Assistance/Public Benefits

LB533 states that income from educaitonal savings accounts, scholarships or grants, post-secondary work study programs, certain types of grant research, and the School Readiness Tax Credit shall not be included in determining assets or income when applying for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, low-income home energy assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, and child child care subsidy programs.

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Sponsor: Tony Vargas
Status: 04/13/2021 Indefinitely Postponed
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Budget/Taxes

LB625 would impose a surtax on high-income individuals for the purpose of providing funds for early childhood education in Nebraska

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Sponsor: Tony Vargas
Status: 03/30/2021 Placed on General File
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Safety, Child Welfare, Physical & Mental Health

LB626 divides the current Child and Maternal Death Review Team into two teams, the State Child Death Review Team and the State Maternal Death Review Team, and assigns membership and responsibilities of each team.

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Sponsor: Lou Ann Linehan
Status: 02/03/2021 Notice of Hearing, hearing on 02/10/2021
FFN Position: Legislation to Watch
Category: Child Care, Economic Assistance/Public Benefits, Family Support

LB677 would increase eligibility for transitional child care from 185% of the federal poverty level to 200%.

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