Vetoes, Values, & Voice of the People
May 29th, 2025
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
We’re heading into the final stretch of this year’s legislative session. Thursday, May 29th, marks our last scheduled late night, and after this Friday, only two days remain: June 2nd and June 9th. There’s some talk that we may adjourn early, on Day 89, but that depends on how many vetoes land in our lap and whether Speaker Arch decides to give any more bills a shot at floor debate. We’ll see. Like so much of this session, it’s been a lot of hurry-up-and-wait.
We’ve had some surprising developments over the last couple of weeks; some frustrating, some predictable, and a few that remind me why we do this work, even when it feels like pushing a boulder uphill. From the Legislature’s disappointing failure to move forward on medical cannabis regulations, to the messy procedural politics around efforts to ignore the voter-approved minimum wage increases, to the many harmful vetoes issued by Governor Pillen, there’s a lot to unpack, and even more to push back against.
Late Wednesday night, LB89, a bill to ban trans kids from playing sports with their friends, was passed in a disgusting, deliberate attack on Nebraska kids and families. Senators chose fear and cruelty over love and understanding. This policy will do real harm. Make no mistake: every senator who voted for this bill is responsible for the harm it will cause. They are responsible for the students who will be outed, bullied, isolated, or worse. The final vote is pictured below. We are heartbroken. We are furious. And we are not going anywhere.
Last week, we saw the Education Committee’s priority bill package, LB306, get postponed after Senator Lippincott insisted on attaching his radical bill, LB550, to allow students to miss class for off-site religious education. Religious lobbying groups like LifeWise Academy pushed for LB550, and we must be vigilant: what looks like a harmless compromise today can quickly become the foundation for state-endorsed discrimination and religious indoctrination tomorrow. After LB550 was removed from the package (see my comments here + vote here), the so-called 'deal' fell apart, revealing just how fragile the bipartisan cooperation in our body really is. The final vote on the large committee amendment was 22-23, effectively killing important, widely supported proposals like Senator Spivey’s bill to give teachers paid leave for major life events. After the amendment failed, LB306 was passed over last week to give the body more time to come to a new 'compromise'.
This week, we resumed debate on LB306, but this time it is a pared-down version that includes clean-up language on higher ed policies. We considered individual amendments from the original package one at a time, giving each a separate up-or-down vote on its merits. One amendment from Sen. Andersen, requiring Nebraska colleges to report funding from foreign adversaries, has already been adopted. But not all additions have succeeded. Sen. Spivey’s amendment to allow paid teacher leave for major life events failed, Sen. Dungan’s amendment for special education loan forgiveness was also rejected, and Sen. Lippincott ultimately withdrew his latest attempt to revive LB550.
The only amendment that succeeded this week was Sen. Hallstrom’s AM1626, which expands eligibility for the Nebraska Career Scholarship to students with a qualifying SAT score or a GPA of 3.0 or higher, in addition to the existing ACT requirement. With that, LB306 advanced to Final Reading, but without most of the original reforms its supporters had hoped to pass.
Let’s change topics to the Legislature's failure to advance Senator Hansen's LB677, the last realistic chance this session to establish a framework for (voter-approved!!!) medical cannabis regulation. This wasn’t just a missed opportunity, it was an abdication of our responsibility. Without legislative guidance, authority now shifts to the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission, which must send all proposed regulations through the Attorney General and the Governor’s office; two actors who have made their opposition to medical cannabis crystal clear. It's a handoff from inaction to obstruction, and it's exactly what opponents of LB677 were warned about. Meanwhile, AG Hilgers is still working to dismantle the initiative law that created this commission in the first place. So, where does that leave us? Back at square one, while patients continue to suffer.
Another major development this week was the advancement of LR19CA, which would allow voters to decide whether to extend term limits from two consecutive four-year terms to three terms. I introduced a nearly identical version of this measure earlier in the session (LR27CA), so I’m glad to see the question put to the voters. This change could strengthen our Unicameral by preserving institutional knowledge and experience, something we desperately need as term limits continue to churn out knowledgeable, effective lawmakers before they can reach their full potential. Term limits can support accountability, but they shouldn't come at the cost of competence. I’ll always support policies that prioritize a better-functioning, more representative legislature, and I encourage voters to give this proposal a serious look when it appears on the ballot in 2026. (And before you ask, no, I will not run again!)
Lastly, let’s talk about the ban on most consumable hemp and THC products, which passed on Tuesday as part of LB316. We need to be honest about the bigger picture. We can’t treat policy like a game of whack-a-mole, banning synthetic products without addressing the legitimate needs that drive people to seek out alternatives in the first place. Regulation should come with compassion, not just criminalization. LB316 redefines hemp, prohibits conduct relating to certain hemp products, and sets the stage for a confusing enforcement framework that offers no real path forward for Nebraskans seeking safe, legal access to cannabis products.
As we head into the final days, I hope you’ll keep paying attention. Call your senator. Watch the floor debates. Share what’s happening with your neighbors. These moments matter. This work matters. There’s still time left on the clock.
Best,
Meg
Governor Pillen's Vetoes
Lawmakers reversed course under pressure, and Nebraskans in need were left behind. These vetoes reflect a larger failure to prioritize justice, dignity, and accountability.
Governor Pillen vetoed critical legislation that would have provided food assistance to reentering citizens, relief for low-income families living in pest-infested housing, and essential funding for our public institutions. And while some of those vetoes were tossed out due to his own procedural incompetence, the damage he’s doing to our state is far from over. As a reminder, a veto override needs 30 affirmative votes to be successfully overturned.
Pillen's Punishment: Sentencing Nebraskans to Hunger
LB319 was a common-sense, bipartisan measure introduced by Senator Roundtree to end a cruel, outdated, and discriminatory policy that permanently denied food assistance to Nebraskans with past felony drug convictions. The veto override failed. People who have served their time and are trying to rebuild their lives deserve our support, not continued punishment. I’ve championed this issue for years because food is a human right, and nobody should be sentenced to hunger.
The bill passed with overwhelming support. But when it came time to override the Governor’s veto, seven senators who originally voted yes flipped their votes out of fear—Armendariz, Clouse, Dover, Meyer, Moser, Sanders, and Von Gillern (with Sen. Bostar absent). They caved under pressure rather than standing up for what’s right. Instead of honoring their power as a coequal branch of government, they let the Governor strong-arm them into silence. Nebraskans deserve legislators with more backbone than that. And at the same time, our state became the first in the nation to ban soda and energy drinks from SNAP eligibility. We are layering cruelty upon cruelty. The override attempt may have failed, but the fight isn’t over. You can expect this bill to keep coming back until this harmful ban is ended.
OHA Bed Bug Bill Vetoed: Homes Infested & Ignored
The Urban Affairs Committee priority bill, LB287, which Sen. McKinney spearheaded, is a response to horrifying conditions in Omaha Housing Authority (OHA) buildings, where families live among bed bugs, mold, and decay. Senator McKinney brought this bill forward to hold the OHA accountable and bring basic dignity to tenants in publicly subsidized housing. The Governor vetoed it. In his eyes, the suffering of low-income, disabled, and elderly Nebraskans isn’t worth his attention.
The bill initially passed on Final Reading with 34 yes votes. On Tuesday, the body took up LB287's veto override measure (view my comments here). After nearly three hours of debate, my colleagues failed once again to act in Nebraskans' best interests by voting to sustain this harmful veto and allowing OHA to continue to harm and ignore its residents.
Governor Pillen’s Budget Vetoes Nullified: A Constitutional and Procedural Embarrassment
In perhaps a first-ever instance, Speaker Arch informed the body that the Governor's line-item vetoes of the budget were found to be invalid due to a procedural mistake. Since Pillen had planned to cut spending by about $15 million with these vetoes but was unsuccessful, other measures with associated appropriations might now be on the chopping block.
Pillen’s budget vetoes attempted to gut funding for public health, the Fire Marshal, and even our state Supreme Court, which were so sloppily submitted that they didn’t even meet constitutional standards. This is either gross negligence or a stunning misunderstanding of how government works. Either way, it’s clear that Governor Pillen sees himself as above the law.
Nebraskans are paying attention. And so am I.
Summer EBT is Back!
Every kid deserves to eat, even when school is out. That’s why I want to make sure you know that Nebraska will be participating in the Summer EBT program again in 2025! This year, more students will be required to fill out an application to receive Summer EBT benefits because of new USDA regulations.
This program helps school-aged kids who qualify for free or reduced-price meals access $120 in grocery benefits per child over the summer. These benefits will be mailed to families on a debit-style EBT card and can be used at most local food retailers.
Who Qualifies?
Children who meet income guidelines for free/reduced school meals—or who attend schools that offer those meals—are eligible. However, due to new federal rules, some families will need to submit an application, especially if their kids attend Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools. See a list of CEP schools here.
Students who receive free breakfast and lunch due to attending a CEP school and who do not participate in a means-tested public benefits program (including SNAP, TANF, FDPIR, Medicaid benefits that align with school nutrition programs free or reduced-price meals income guidelines), will need to fill out an application this year.
What to Do:
To check your eligibility, update your address, or fill out the 2025 application, visit: dhhs.ne.gov/SummerEBT
Let’s make sure every eligible child in Nebraska gets this support. Please share this info with your friends, family, schools, and community organizations. It’s one small way we can fight hunger and support working families while kids are home for the summer.
Every time I walk into the chamber, I’m thinking about the people who don’t have a voice in that room: families in unsafe housing, kids who go without food in the summer, people rebuilding after incarceration.
This week, I watched powerful people turn their backs on those Nebraskans. And I saw how easy it was for fear to win over courage.
But I also saw something else: you. The people who write, testify, organize, and hold the line when others won’t. That’s the energy that keeps me going.
If you believe in what I’m doing and you want to see more of it, please consider contributing. We need strong, independent voices in this Legislature, and that means building a campaign that answers to people, not power.
District 8 Events
Benson Neighborhood Assoc. Meeting
- Held on the last Monday in June, August, and October
- 7pm at Benson Baptist Church (6319 Maple St.)
Dundee-Memorial Park Assoc. Meeting
- Brownell Talbot School (400 N. Happy Hollow Blvd.) at 7 p.m.
- Held quarterly on the 2nd Monday of the month
Joslyn Castle Neighborhood Assoc. Meeting
- Held monthly on the 2nd Monday
- Social time 6:30pm, Meeting from 7-8pm at Cali Commons (40th & California St.)
- First Friday of the month in Benson Creative District from 5pm-2am
- View a map of participating locations here
- Enjoy a night filled with art, live performances/music, local vendors, food, & community.
Benson Community Center Open Skate
- Free Youth Open Skate: Every Thurs.-Sat. 3-8 p.m., skateboards & helmets provided (waiver required)
- Adult Open Skate: Every Sunday 3-8 p.m.
- Also host several different classes/camps
Picnic at the Castle
- Tuesday, June 3rd from 5:30-8pm at Joslyn Castle (3902 Davenport St.).
- Held on the first Tuesday in June, July and August at the same time.
- There will be a food truck, live music, and activities for the kids. This is a free community event, and everyone is welcome.
- Live music by Kyle Knapp and Abra Kebabra food truck for June picnic.
Memorial Park Concert Pre-Party
- Friday, June 27th from 4-6pm
- Join before making your way down to Memorial Park to grab your seat and enjoy the live performance from Ringo Starr.
- Arrive early to Dundee and explore the neighborhood before the Summer Concert and Fireworks show! Grab dinner or a drink, check out local shops, and enjoy everything Dundee has to offer before an evening of music and entertainment.
- Aug. 23rd at 50th and Underwood Streets
- Family-friendly street festival celebrates and highlights the Dundee neighborhood with a parade, 5k run, art and craft vendors, book sale, pancake breakfast, food trucks, live music, live art drawing, and beer garden.
Our Office in the News
Unicameral Update - Vote on limits to state minimum wage reconsidered
Nebraska Examiner - Late attempt to shield physicians who recommend medical cannabis in Nebraska fails
Unicameral Update - Political ad disclaimer rule changed
Nebraska Examiner - Nebraska ed package blows up, as push to infuse religion into public schools fails
KETV - Tensions rise as Nebraska lawmakers debate bill to implement voter-approved paid sick leave
Unicameral Update - Veto of SNAP eligibility expansion sustained
The Nation - How Democrats Crushed a Despicable Anti-Trans Campaign and Won a Major Election
Nebraska Examiner - Lawmakers back Pillen veto, kill bill to lift lifetime ban on food aid for some with drug pasts
Nebraska Examiner - ‘Constitution was not followed’: Legislature questions line-item vetoes to Nebraska budget bills
KETV - 'Protects fairness': Nebraska lawmakers pass Stand With Women Act
1011 Now - Nebraska Legislature passes ‘Stand With Women Act’ after heated debate
Local KSNB 4 - Lippincott pulls Released Time for Religious Instruction amendment from education package
Nebraska Examiner - Lawmakers define male, female in Nebraska law for school sports
Connect with Me
- Please follow me on Facebook, X, YouTube, or Instagram to stay up to date with my latest activities.
- I invite you to visit my office (room 2102) in Lincoln at the Nebraska State Capitol. Call my office to coordinate. (402) 471-2722
- You can watch the Legislature live on NET TV or find NET's live stream here.
