Soon after the Supreme Court ruling becomes official, the Nebraska Legislature will convene for a special session and once again, try to pass a total ban on abortion in our state. Though the legislature successfully blocked a bill to ban abortion this year, we didn’t protect the right to abortion in our state for good. We only bought more time for Nebraskans to organize, unite, and strategize for a future in Nebraska without legal abortion care. If the Nebraska Legislature does convene a special session to ban abortion, I can promise that anti-choice politicians will have an uphill battle, because they will have to go through me.

On April 6th, the Nebraska Legislature took a historic vote to block LB 993, a total abortion ban that would have also banned IVF, Plan B, emergency contraception, and prevented people with ectopic pregnancies from accessing healthcare. The bill failed in a 31 to 15 vote. Nebraskans made their voices clear. We want to ensure access to reproductive justice.

LB121 would remove the lifetime Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ban that denies food assistance to Nebraskans that have had certain drug-related convictions. Under current statute, an individual with a drug-related conviction is ineligible to receive SNAP benefits for life. This ban is counterproductive to the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals.

The Unicameral is back in session! Bill introduction is officially over and below you can find a brief overview of my 2022 legislative agenda, testifying procedure updates, bills I support, and proposals I oppose that have been introduced this session.

As a mom, I know firsthand that the decision about whether and when to become a parent is one of the most consequential life decisions we make. That’s why I believe so strongly that Nebraskans should have the freedom to make their own choices about what is best for their lives and their families, including decisions about abortion care.

We need to look comprehensively at how to address property tax relief. In this newsletter, you can read more about the systemic change Nebraska needs rather than the short-term solutions we have seen so many times before. You can also find a legislative update, COVID-19 vaccine information, and district 8 events.

Below you can find a brief overview of each of the bills I have introduced for 2021, as well as a few of the nearly 80 proposals I am co-sponsoring with my colleagues. The text of these bills is available on the Nebraska Legislature's website. This is a great tool to use to find information on hearing dates, the progress of a bill, and other relevant documents. Note that this year, written testimony will need to be submitted by noon the day before the bill's hearing, a change from 5 pm in previous years. Guidance on hearings may continue to change depending on COVID-19, but I will make sure that you hear of any changes and are able to testify on the bills that matter to you.

Although I have had my hands in lots of different enterprises and projects, I have always worked with dedication and discipline to follow through on my pursuits, my passions, and my promises, even if it means burning the midnight oil. That same promise of commitment and dedication is what I pledge to bring, for you, to Lincoln in the Nebraska Legislature. I’ve been a working mother since my baby’s first day, and I promise to work hard to make it easier for all the other parents out there trying to do the same thing I’m doing—working to make a better world for the next generation.