Every two years, state agencies in Nebraska publish a biennial budget proposal outlining potential priorities for funding and budget cuts. This year, in light of projected reductions in state revenue receipts, Governor Ricketts has asked state agencies to identify general fund budget cuts amounting to 8 percent in laying out…...
The Ordinance, or the Little Town that Could
Thanks to all who attended the film screening of “The Ordinance” on Wednesday evening. “The Ordinance” is a documentary about the efforts of faith leaders and service providers in small town Temple, Texas to rein in the worst abuses of payday lending in their community. After the film screening, Traci…...
The Cost of Being Poor
Thanks to all who attended the event on Friday,”The Cost of Being Poor: How Small Debt Lawsuits are Hurting Nebraska Families.” At the event, speaker Paul Kiel from Propublica shared the findings from him research for the article “For Nebraska’s Poor, Get Sick and Get Sued” and local panelists State…...
Voices Releases 2016 Vote Kids Candidate Survey
Child policy issues often receive little discussion within campaigns and elections. This is not because candidates and the public do not care about the issues. They do. But child policy issues often do not lend themselves to simple sound bites. They are not considered “hot button” issues that shape many…...
Back to School: Is Your School a Hunger-Free Zone?
August means that it’s back to school season in Nebraska! As students and teachers gear up for a full year of learning in the classroom, we at Voices are turning our attention to an important factor in academic success: proper nutrition. Research tells us that hunger negatively impacts academic performance,…...
Voices for Children Releases 2016 Legislative Scorecard
Since 2012, Voices for Children has produced a scorecard at the end of each legislative biennium, tracking every senator’s votes on a broad range of issues related to kids. Nebraska’s 104th Legislature adjourned in April after the second session of its biennium, and over the course of those two years,…...
Legislature to consider making more schools hunger-free
We all want kids to succeed in the classroom. This week, the Legislature has the opportunity to fuel students’ learning by making more Nebraska schools hunger-free zones through LB 1066, which would include provisions of LB 1004 and LB 1065 through a committee amendment. The underlying bill is the annual technical…...
2015 National KIDS COUNT Data Book: Economic Well-being
Last week the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2015 Kids Count Data Book highlighting state trends in child well-being and providing state rankings. Typically, Nebraska fares quite well in the report, with rankings near the top every year. This year our state ranked number 10, meaning that children in Nebraska have higher…...
Legislative Resolutions 2015
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…...
