All Nebraska families deserve the opportunity to live “the good life,” but for many years, policies that encourage families to build & sustain assets as a means of financial security have left lower income families out. New ways to help families build assets have demonstrated success and are a potential…...
A win-win for health – Tobacco Tax increase raises revenue and reduces smoking
March 13, 2013 To: Chairman Hadley and members of the Revenue Committee From: Courtnay VanDeVelde, Policy Associate Re: Support for LB 439 – Change cigarette and tobacco tax provisions. In the last few years, states have taken steps to reduce the population of tobacco users by increasing the excise taxes…...
Another opportunity on school-based health centers
Last year, we at Voices for Children watched with disapointment as Governor Heineman vetoed a bill to provide grants to help with the start-up costs of new school-based health centers. The bill failed to garner enough votes to have the veto overidden. Today, LB 275 will receive a hearing before the Education…...
Choosing the right path: Diverting youth from the Juvenile Justice System
When a young person breaks the law, we have to respond carefully to ensure that each youth is both held accountable for their actions and put on a path towards a bright, productive adulthood. Unfortunately, involvement in the formal juvenile justice system often unnecessarily puts low-risk youth deeper into the…...
Create rules for use of seclusion in Nebraska’s youth facilities – LB 562
Children in our juvenile justice system deserve services that give them a true chance to succeed. This means both keeping youth in the least-restrictive setting possible, close to home and family, and for those youth who need secure care, ensuring conditions, policies, and practices that give them a real chance…...
