Thank you to state lawmakers for advancing LB304 to the second of three rounds of debate! We also thank State Senator Wendy DeBoer for her leadership and commitment to keeping child care assistance within reach of Nebraska families and we thank our partners and advocates who worked hard to make this happen.
LB304 makes current income eligibility levels for child care assistance permanent. By making those levels permanent, we’re choosing long-term stability for our families, our kids and our state’s economy. We continue to ask lawmakers to pass this important bill this session.
LB304 is expected to be debated on Select File early next week.
See LB304: Child Care Assistance for Working Families for more information on LB304 and to learn how you can take action.
Read FFN’s FAQ on LB304 | Read FFN’s LB304 Policy Brief | Watch a short video explaining LB304
Clock is Ticking
The clock is quickly winding down for state senators, with only six legislative days remaining after today. With limited floor time remaining in a compressed short, 60-day session, lawmakers are expected to prioritize only the most urgent measures. Sine die adjournment is tentatively set for April 17.
FFN has several bills this session that are moving through the legislative process. They include:
- LB721 (Quick): Helps intergenerational care facilities, including for-profit facilities serving Medicaid residents, receive grant funding to help cover expansion costs. LB721 has advanced to Final Reading. Read FFN’s LB721 Policy Brief
- LB773 (Dungan): Removes the sunset date on the Prenatal Plus program, extends the program to cover 60 days postpartum and ensures that reporting on the efficacy of the program continues until 2034. The Health and Human Services Committee moved LB773 to General File with amendment, AM2035. Read FFN’s LB773 Policy Brief
- LB891 (Hansen): Addresses several administrative burdens identified by child care providers that impact staffing needs and program viability, including delays in processing federally required fingerprint-based background checks. This bill has advanced to Final Reading as AM2224 to LB912, the Health and Human Services Committee’s priority package. Read FFN’s LB891 Policy Brief
- LB903 (Storer): Allows case managers to consider referring families to home visiting services if they have a child under age 2, and helps ensure home visiting programs are able to draw down federal funding to support young families and sustain programs. A committee amendment (AM1869) changes the age of the child to under 3. The bill is on Final Reading. Read FFN’s LB903 Policy Brief
- LR296 (Hallstrom): This Resolution encourages Congress and the President to reimburse all family child care homes participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program at the higher Tier 1 level and provide additional reimbursement for all meals and supplements. This resolution was heard by the Health and Human Services Committee which reported it to the floor for further consideration. Read FFN’s LR296 Hearing Testimony
Check FFN’s Legislative Watchlist on our website for updates on the full list of bills we’re tracking, and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or X for timely updates. Watch live coverage of debate and hearings on Nebraska Public Media.
