The 2020 session of the 106th Nebraska Legislature is in its third week. Because it’s a short session, senators have only 60 days to discuss and pass legislation. They introduced 482 new legislative proposals this year, and over the next 30 days, the 14 standing committees will conduct a public hearing for each new introduced bill.
Committees hearing bills pertinent to early childhood this session include:
Health and Human Services, Senator Sara Howard, Chair
Education, Senator Mike Groene, Chair
Appropriations, Senator John Stinner, Chair
Urban Affairs, Senator Justin Wayne, Chair
Government Military and Veterans Affairs, Senator Tom Brewer, Chair
Business and Labor, Senator Matt Hansen, Chair
Judiciary, Senator Steve Lathrop, Chair
New early childhood proposals introduced
Although property taxes and a new business development tax incentive program will be the top priorities this session, First Five Nebraska is excited to see several senators introduce a variety of early childhood bills. We look forward to testifying in support of several of these new policy proposals.
At this point in the session, the full legislative body has started floor debate in the mornings and is conducting public hearings in the afternoon. Senators have spent the past few weeks debating carryover bills from last session. As issues make their way through the committee process, senators will begin debating 2020 priority bills.
This session, First Five Nebraska has been fortunate to work with Senator Brett Lindstrom on LB266. LB266 is a carryover bill from last session that was placed on General File, the first round of full floor debate. LB266 corrects implementation problems with the School Readiness Tax Credit. Legislators have discussed the merits of the bill in floor debate and have advanced it to Final Reading. We’re excited to see so many senators support this important legislation and we’re eager to continue working with them to pass it.
Follow legislation on our website
First Five Nebraska will continue to monitor the Legislature and provide updates on all early childhood bills. Please view our website’s Nebraska Legislation page to get the latest information. As always, First Five Nebraska will continue to support policies that provide quality early learning environments for all children.
Elizabeth Everett
Senior Policy Associate
First Five Nebraska