While most of our work during the legislative session focuses on legislative bills, we also keep an eye on legislative resolutions with the potential to impact the lives of Nebraska children. Legislative resolutions are formal, written motions that can be adopted by the Legislature. Resolutions can create committees and assign duties or establish an interim study to investigate particular issues. Below is a list of legislative resolutions that impact kids that we will be watching this year.
Economic Stability
- LR 33 (Krist): This resolution established a special legislative committee to continue looking at ongoing issues with the ACCESSNebraska online and phone-based system of accessing public safety net programs.
- LR 181 (Kolterman): This study will look at how to best structure public safety net programs to encourage professional growth.
- LR 222 (Crawford): This study will examine the need for earned sick days and family and medical leave in Nebraska and potential ways to address this need.
- LR 233 (Howard): This study will examine payday loans and other high-interest short-term lending products and the impact on consumers as well as potential changes to existing law.
- LR 275 (Mello): This study will look at issues relating to child care including affordability, delivery and taxation.
Health
Education
- LR 249 (Coash) and LR 314 (Kolowski): These studies will examine the use of restraints and seclusion on children in schools.
- LR 299 (Kolowski): This study will look at data on and strategies to address the opportunity gap in 3rd grade reading scores.
- LR 332 (Gloor): This study will look at how to best use tax revenues to finance public education.
- LR 344 (Education Committee): This study will look at our current system for financing public education and make recommendations for improvement.
Juvenile Justice
- LR 276 (Pansing Brooks): This study will examine bullying and cyberbullying, including identifying at-risk populations, ascertaining age-appropriate discipline or penalties, and making recommendations to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive in safe environments.
- LR 282 (Mello): This resolution will explore the higher cost of juvenile services since cases were transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Juvenile Services to Probation, including examination of service offerings, differences in cost of services, and reimbursement methods.
- LR 304 (Campbell) and LR 312 (Harr): These studies examine behavioral health needs, resources, and funding for children in Nebraska.
Child Welfare
- LR 186 (Morfeld): This study will examine services available for victims of human trafficking, considering best practices and national recommendations. It will also assess Nebraska’s implementation of the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act.
- LR 242 (Coash): The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay between developmental disability and child welfare services to ensure proper treatment and protection of the rights of state wards.
- LR 248 (Campbell): This resolution seeks to examine the implementation of the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act in Nebraska and consider any necessary changes to state law, the state plan, or DHHS policy and procedure to bring the state in accordance with federal law.
- LR 292 (Campbell): This resolution will examine issues related to public assistance programs for relative or kinship caregivers who provide full-time care for children through the formal child welfare system or through an informal arrangement.
- LR 296 (Bolz): The purpose of this resolution is to examine the financing of Nebraska’s child welfare system, including the effective utilization of federal funds and increasing accountability and transparency in state funds.
- LR 300 (Campbell): This resolution will study the out-of-state placements of children under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, including funding issues, lengths of stay, and reasons for placement out of state.
Tax & Budget
- LR 309 (Harr): This study will look at options for improving Nebraska’s personal income tax rates.
Comment(1)-
Litwinowicz says
June 17, 2015 at 4:52 pmLook who sponsors