With a unicameral legislature, in Nebraska, the people truly are the “second house.” That’s why NFA is dedicated to empowering people to stand up for faith, family, and freedom at our state capitol. Below are the most important bills NFA is advocating for and against in the current legislative session.

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2021 Bill Tracker

– 107th Legislature, 1st Session –

Life

LB 276: Legalize telemedicine abortion - OPPOSE
LB 276 eliminates the requirement that a physician be physically present in the room during an abortion, which would expand abortion in Nebraska by allowing for webcam abortions and for the abortion pill to be distributed through the mail.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on March 12, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LB 67: Planned Parenthood in schools - OPPOSE
LB 67 would allow school-based health centers to dispense, prescribe, and counsel for contraceptive drugs and devices in schools.
The Health & Human Services Committee held a hearing on February 18, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LB 20: Mandate insurance coverage of contraceptives/abortifacients - OPPOSE
LB 20 would require public and private insurers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, including those that can cause early abortions.
The Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee held a hearing on March 1, 2021. The committee removed the mandate from the bill and advanced it from committee with 6 “Yes” votes, 1 “No” vote, and 1 “Present-Not-Voting.”
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LB 597: Support for parents of stillborn babies - SUPPORT
LB 597 supports grieving families by providing parents of a stillborn baby with a $2,000 refundable income tax-credit. This helps ease some of the burden that falls on families at a time of intense grief and recognizes the dignity and humanity of preborn children.
PASSED: The Revenue Committee held a hearing on February 5, 2021. The committee amended LB 597 into an omnibus tax reform bill, LB 432. The bill passed all three rounds with broad, bi-partisan support after several failed attempts by pro-choice senators to remove the one-time tax credit for families who lose a child to stillbirth from the bill.
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Religious Freedom

LB 167: Churches are essential - SUPPORT
When the government treats churches worse than casinos, gyms, and abortion clinics, the Constitution is violated. LB 167 ensures churches and religious organizations cannot be treated worse than secular organizations and bars government officials from prohibiting religious organizations from operating during a state of emergency.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on February 26, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LB 231: Talk therapy ban - OPPOSE
LB 231 violates the free-speech and religious freedom rights of licensed counselors and engages in viewpoint discrimination by forcing counselors to only be able to counsel in favor of transgenderism and same-sex attraction. Everyone who seeks counseling has the right to choose their own path, and a counselor shouldn’t be used as a tool to impose the government’s views on their patients.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on February 26, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LB 120 & 230: Sexual orientation and gender identity protected class - OPPOSE
LB 120 & 230 undermines constitutional freedoms, targets small businesses, threatens women’s equality and privacy, and empowers the government to punish people with religious beliefs on marriage and sexuality. These laws are used as a sword against people of faith rather than a shield against discrimination.
The Judiciary Committee held hearings on February 26, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bills remain in committee.
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Human Trafficking

LB 204: Require trafficking offenses be part of sex offender registry - SUPPORT
LB 204 would update Nebraska’s Sex Offender Registration Act by requiring those who are guilty of sex trafficking crimes to be part of the sex offender registry.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on March 4, 2021. The bill advanced from committee with 7 “Yes” votes and 1 “Present-Not-Voting” and awaits debate by the full legislature.
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LB 461: Require human trafficking informational posters in casinos - SUPPORT
Casinos are routinely identified as hubs for sex trafficking. In response to the legalization of casinos in Nebraska, LB 461 updates state statute by requiring informational posters on human trafficking with the national hotline number be posted in casinos. This will help provide a lifeline to victims and increase awareness in an area it is needed most.
PASSED: The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on February 5, 2021. The bill advanced from committee unanimously and was signed into law by the Governor on April 16, 2021, after advancing through the Legislature unanimously. 
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Marriage & Family

LR 2CA: Legalize recreational marijuana - OPPOSE
If passed by the Legislature, LR 2CA would put the legalization of recreational marijuana on the ballot for the 2022 General Election.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on February 19, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LR 20CA: Remove marriage definition from Nebraska Constitution - OPPOSE
LR 20CA seeks to remove the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman from the Nebraska Constitution, undermining the truth about marriage that was placed in the state constitution by voters.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on January 29, 2021. LR 20CA was advanced from committee 5-2 and awaits debate by the full legislature.
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LB 357: SOGI requirements in foster care - OPPOSE
The ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ nondiscrimination provision in LB 357 would force children in state care to share restrooms and sleeping areas with other individuals who choose to self-identity as the opposite sex. Parents who object to cross-sex hormone therapy and sex-change operations in children would also be at risk of no longer being eligible to serve as foster parents.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on January 28, 2021. The bill advanced from committee with 5 “Yes” votes, 1 “No” vote, and 2 “Present-Not-Voting.”
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LB 517: No gender - OPPOSE
LB 517 provides for genderless state ID cards and driver’s licenses and allows for the sex listed on birth certificates to be changed. These changes elevate gender dysphoria into law and encourage sex-changes for minors.
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on February 26, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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Education & School Choice

LB 364: School choice scholarships and tax credits - SUPPORT
LB 364 creates more freedom and choice in education by establishing a tax credit for private donations to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations, which will generate more scholarship opportunities for low-income families to send their children to a private school of their choice.
The Revenue Committee held a hearing on January 28, 2021. Senator Linehan designated LB 364 as her 2021 Senator Priority Bill, and the bill failed to overcome a filibuster during first round debate by the full legislature. 29 senators voted “Yes,” 18 senators voted “No,” and 2 senators were “Present-Not-Voting.” 33 votes were needed. 
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LB 92: Ensure homeschool graduates are treated equally - SUPPORT
Homeschool high school graduates are not considered in-state students and must go through burdensome administrative hurdles in order to obtain in-state tuition rates at public universities. LB 92 changes the law so that homeschool graduates in Nebraska are automatically considered in-state students and must be treated the same as public and private school graduates.
PASSED: The Education Committee held a hearing on January 26, 2021. LB 92 advanced from committee with 7 “Yes” votes and 1 “Present-Not-Voting,” and it was designated a Speaker Priority Bill for 2021. LB 92 was signed into law by the Governor on April 21,2021, after passing through the Legislature on a final vote of 43-0.
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LB 210: Allow homeschool students to join extracurricular activities - SUPPORT
LB 210 requires school boards to establish policies and procedures to allow home school students to participate in extracurricular activities to the same extent as public school students.
The Education Committee held a hearing on January 25, 2021. LB 210 advanced from committee unanimously with an amendment stating that a homeschool student shall be required to take no more and no less than ten credit hours in any semester to participate in extracurricular activities.
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Gambling

LB 545: Legalize sports betting and poker as games of skill - OPPOSE
LB 545 seeks to classify sports betting and poker as “games of skill” in order to authorize commercialized sports betting, including online wagering, across the state. LB 545 would substantially expand gambling in Nebraska, exploit the poor and financially desperate, and increase gambling losses and addition.
The General Affairs Committee held a hearing on February 1, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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LB 561 - Regulate casinos - SUPPORT
LB 561 establishes the statutory framework necessary to implement the casino gambling ballot initiatives that were approved by voters in the 2020 election. NFA supported the final version of the bill after keno expansion was removed and stronger consumer protections and limitations on sports gambling were added, including prohibiting credit cards, requiring self-exemption lists, no in-game wagering on in-state college teams, no gambling on in-state college teams playing in-state, and requiring oversight and accountability for the Gaming Commission.
PASSED: After numerous amendments and hours of debate at every round, LB 561 passed through the Legislature with a final vote of 44-3.
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LR 26CA: Allow the Legislature to authorize sports betting - OPPOSE
LR 26CA removes the power to authorize and regulate sports betting from Nebraska voters and gives it to the Legislature. Commercialized sports betting would substantially expand gambling in Nebraska, exploit the poor and financially desperate, and increase gambling losses and addition.
The General Affairs Committee held a hearing on February 1, 2021. The committee took no immediate action, and the bill remains in committee.
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