LB 755 adopts the Emergency Service Peer Support Act to establish confidential peer support programs for emergency service employees, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, dispatchers, correctional officers, and hospital staff. The bill defines "peer support" as structured programs where trained peers provide emotional, practical, and resource-based assistance to colleagues facing personal or professional challenges, with all communications kept strictly confidential. It mandates that peer support sessions begin with the peer confirming confidentiality and prohibits disclosure of these sessions in any legal, disciplinary, or administrative proceeding. This law protects employees from having private discussions used against them while ensuring peer support remains a safe, accessible resource for mental health resilience.
Nebraska's legislature passed Legislative Resolution 296 urging the U.S. President and Congress to permanently extend higher meal reimbursements for childcare centers under the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. Specifically, it requests making permanent the 2022 Keep Kids Fed Act provisions that provide family day care homes with Tier I reimbursement rates (instead of lower Tier II) and an additional 10 cents per meal. This would directly support Nebraska's 1,283 participating childcare programs serving 23,695 low-income children, ensuring continued access to nutritious meals after current federal funding expired in 2023. The resolution has no binding effect but formally requests federal action.
LB 949 updates Nebraska's prescription drug monitoring system by requiring all pharmacies to report prescription drug data daily to the system, including for cash payments or non-third-party payors. It prohibits patients from opting out of the monitoring system and exempts only "emergency use" or "immunization" prescriptions from reporting. The bill affects pharmacists, doctors, and healthcare providers who dispense medications, ensuring all controlled substances are tracked for safety oversight. It also harmonizes related rules for the statewide health information exchange and Health Information Technology Board.
Nebraska LB 677 updates the state's medical cannabis framework by clarifying key definitions (like "cannabis products" and "caregivers"), establishing new licensing rules for cultivators and dispensaries, and imposing a special sales tax on medical cannabis sales. It prohibits open cannabis containers in vehicles, removes medical cannabis from existing marijuana tax categories, and directs tax revenue to specific state funds. The bill directly affects qualified patients, registered caregivers, cannabis businesses, and the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, which now oversees regulation. It also repeals outdated provisions and harmonizes existing laws, though it remains pending in committee as of March 2025.
LB 328 changes how Nebraska's documentary stamp tax revenue is distributed to four specific funds: the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Fund, Behavioral Health Services Fund, and Site and Building Development Fund. It requires the Department of Economic Development to report detailed project data (like locations, funding amounts, and housing units created) for the Affordable Housing Fund annually. The bill also expands the Behavioral Health Services Fund to include housing assistance for very low-income adults with serious mental illness, with excess funds potentially distributed to regional authorities for housing. These changes harmonize existing funding rules and add transparency requirements for how tax money supports housing and health services.
This bill authorizes the University of Nebraska Board of Regents to design and build residential facilities for nursing and allied health students in Norfolk, Nebraska, at a total cost of $23 million. It directs annual state appropriations of $1.15 million for 20 years to fund the project, with provisions allowing long-term financing contracts (without pledging state credit) and requiring unused funds to transfer to the General Fund by 2045. The bill also allocates $250,000 for educational technology at the Norfolk facilities. The project directly affects UNO students in health programs and Norfolk residents through new campus infrastructure.
Nebraska's LB 641 amends Medicaid estate recovery rules to protect certain family members' homes from being seized to repay medical assistance costs after a recipient's death. The bill specifically exempts homes from recovery if a sibling lived there continuously for one year before the recipient's institutionalization or if an adult child provided care while living in the home for two years prior to institutionalization. To qualify for these exemptions, a physician's written attestation must verify the care provided that delayed institutionalization. The changes clarify which family members retain home ownership protections and require specific documentation to avoid estate recovery claims.
LB 332 creates a new "assistant funeral director" role to support licensed funeral directors, allowing assistants to help with funeral arrangements and management under direct supervision but prohibiting embalming (Sections 4-8). The bill expands Medicaid coverage to include psychology services provided by qualified practitioners and establishes the Rural Health Opportunity Program requiring a memorandum of understanding (Sections 38-1509, 38-1512). It also updates regulations for hearing instrument specialists, changes pharmacy board membership rules, and modifies prescription refill requirements. These changes directly affect funeral service professionals, healthcare providers, and Medicaid recipients in Nebraska.
This bill updates licensing rules for therapists and child care providers in Nebraska. It creates a new pathway for marriage and family therapists licensed in other states to obtain Nebraska licenses by meeting requirements (like passing a Nebraska jurisprudence exam), without needing to retake all exams. It also clarifies the scope of practice for occupational therapists by defining specific treatment modalities (like electrotherapeutic devices). Additionally, it changes liability insurance requirements for child care facility licensees and inspectors under the Child Care Licensing Act. These changes directly affect therapists seeking to practice in Nebraska and child care providers operating under state licensing rules.
LB 150 creates a pilot program where mental health professionals assist police during mental health emergencies, directly affecting law enforcement agencies and individuals in crisis. It eliminates the Division of Parole Supervision and its director position, transferring those responsibilities to the Department of Correctional Services. The bill also updates legal definitions (like changing "school employee" to "school worker" for sexual abuse offenses), removes minimum post-release supervision for certain felonies, and modifies debt collection rules. It makes numerous other technical changes across Nebraska law, including updating veterans' justice program provisions and mental health commitment act procedures.
