We have hit the midpoint in session when bills have to be prioritized and we see what bills will be moving forward. 

1. LB 323 Disability Employment Bill- Linehan and Crawford- Out of Committee and Prioritized
   1. Makes employment for people with disabilities easier
   2. Removes red tape and ensures more individuals can contribute to society
   3. Removes the trial work period that can cause people to lose life saving benefits
2. LB 311 Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act- Crawford and Cavanaugh Out of committee but not going anywhere this year. We need to keep up the volume so Senators know this is important.
   1. Many of our members and families have to take frequent leave in order to care for their family members making it hard to keep a job. This bill would help ensure that most businesses would provide paid leave.  The structure will work well for small businesses.
3. LR 296 Continuation
   1. Last year we were able to get a study of Long Term Care Facilities one of the main recommendations of the committee was that it be continued because there were so many horrific situations that needed to be fixed. There are several other bills addressing this.
4. LB 570 Olmstead- Walz Out of Committee and Prioritized
   1. Creates a Strategic Plan for the State to ensure people with disabilities are in the most inclusive setting possible
   2. The State is currently out of compliance with state and federal law. This bill will help to ensure they are back in compliance with both saving millions of dollars.
5. LB 733 Election Bill- Kolowski Out of Committee Likely to be Amended to Another Bill
   1. Over the last year we have been working on training, education, and helping to ensure that people with disabilities have access to vote.
   2. The Secretary of State has Federal Funds they have agreed to use in spaces we identified as problem polling locations
   3. This bill updates and harmonizes Nebraska Statute to put many of the remaining pieces in line.
6. LB 147 Restraints and Seclusion- Groene Prioritized but not Out of Committee Keep Pressure Up
   1. We have led the charge against this bill in the past and again strongly oppose
   2. This bill could allow students to be locked in a room alone or physical force on a student
   3. This disproportionately affects students with disabilities and leads to potential abuse
7. LB 540 Transition Funding Walz Amended to LB 468 which is a committee priority
   1. This bill looks to protect transition services for young people
   2. Transition is one of the most difficult times in the life of a child with a disability. This bill helps to protect the services that are currently set to be cut.

    8.  LB 15 Children’s Hearing Aid Fund Out of Committee and Prioritized

    This act would allow any child under the age of 19 that needs a hearing aid to have it paid for through their insurance plan as long as the benefits paid for the hearing aid during the previous 48-months has not exceeded three thousand dollars.