State lawmakers opened their 2026 session January 7 for the short, 60-day, final session of the 109th Nebraska Legislature. It also is the final session for 10 term-limited senators and two who have indicated they will not run for re-election. Senator Fred Meyer will represent District 41 this session. He was appointed by the Governor to fill the legislative seat vacated by Senator McKeon.
Senators had until January 21 to introduce new bills to be considered in addition to bills carried over from 2025. Every bill introduced in the Unicameral receives a hearing. Hearings for new bills began the week of January 20.
Nebraska is facing a $471 million budget shortfall, making budget decisions a central issue for policymakers this session. The shortfall has intensified debate over priorities such as education funding, health care and property tax relief.
State Senators Introduce FFN Priority Bills
State Senators have introduced several FFN priority bills this session. They are:
- LB721 (Quick) – Helps intergenerational care facilities, including for-profit facilities serving Medicaid residents, receive grant funding to help cover expansion costs. The Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on LB721 on January 22. Read FFN’s hearing testimony | Read the LB721 Policy Brief
- LB773 (Dungan) – Removes the sunset date from 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. Read the LB773 Policy Brief
- LB891 (Hansen) – Addresses several administrative burdens identified by child care providers that impact staffing needs and program viability. Read the 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. Read the 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 Food Program at the higher Tier 1 level and provide additional reimbursement for all meals and supplements.
Now that all bills for this session have been introduced, FFN will release a full list of legislation we’re tracking. To stay current on bills’ status, and to see any requests for support on specific issues, follow FFN on Facebook, LinkedIn or X, and check our website’s Legislative Watchlist. (Bills currently on the Watchlist did not pass in 2025 and were carried over to this year.) Watch live coverage of debate and hearings on Nebraska Public Media.
