On Monday afternoon, Nebraska took one step closer to deciding how best to use its $1.04 billion allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding with the adoption of AM2580 into LB1014, which was referred out of the Appropriations Committee earlier this month....
Tag: nebraska legislature
Policy Leadership Academy focuses on navigating the legislative process
With the 2022 legislative session now in full swing, the Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy (PLA) focused its January workshop on how citizen advocates can influence the policymaking process in state government. The online event featured a slate of...
Nebraska Legislature to convene in early January 2022
Nebraska State Senators will convene the 60-day session of the 107th Legislature Jan, 5, 2022. It will be the second session of the two-year biennium.
Child care professionals: Apply now for the School Readiness Tax Credit
Nebraska licensed child care professionals, now is the time to apply for the School Readiness Tax Credit to file with your 2021 tax return. Applying for the credit is a multiple-step process, so it’s important to begin as soon as possible. It will take time to verify...
Policy Advisor Sara Howard offers policy options on maternal depression
Maternal depression is the most common pregnancy and postpartum complication in America, impacting one in every seven women who cease to be pregnant.[1] Even with those statistics, many provider groups agree that this condition remains underdiagnosed, which means even...
FFN testifies on using ARPA to invest in early childhood workforce
FFN Director Jason Prokop said ARPA funds can help stabilize Nebraska’s early childhood workforce in testimony before the Appropriations Committee this week.
2021 Nebraska Legislature: Early childhood policy highlights
The first session of the 107th Nebraska Legislature adjourned sine die May 27. During the scheduled 90-day session, state senators debated and passed critical pieces of legislation, including a biennium budget, a Social Security tax cut and a bill to temporarily...
LB351 seeks to remove unnecessary barriers to increase child care capacity, quality
First Five Nebraska Policy Advisor Adam Feser recently testified before the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee in support of LB351, Senator Lou Ann Linehan's bill that would make it possible for child care providers changing their license type to retain...
Legislative report highlights serious challenges for early childhood programs due to COVID-19
First Five Nebraska (FFN) recently collaborated with early childhood partners and policymakers on the release of the Appropriations Committee of the Nebraska Legislature Legislative Resolution 390 (LR390) Interim Study Report, “Examination of the Fiscal and Economic...
Sara Howard joins FFN
We're happy to announce that former State Senator Sara Howard has joined our staff as Policy Advisor. She joins the policy team after serving eight years in the Nebraska Legislature representing District 9 in midtown Omaha. She was elected to the Omaha Public Power...
New report explores state, nationwide use of tax credits to spur early childhood investment
Nebraska consistently ranks among the top states with all available parents in the workforce. Before the pandemic, it ranked 5th highest among all states for working mothers of young children. Despite the high need, Nebraska faces a crisis of inadequate capacity of...
LB531: Incentivizing child care quality, capacity through private investment
The Legislature’s Revenue Committee heard testimony this week on LB531: Adopt the Nebraska Child Care Tax Credit Act. Introduced by Senator Tom Briese, District 41, the legislation would offer financial incentives to taxpayers—including businesses and individuals—to...