U.S. Navy veteran Carla Walker has been working on prison and criminal justice issues for years, both during and after her time behind bars.
Now the Nebraska Legislature has made it possible for her to back up her advocacy with her vote. A new law will eliminate a two-year waiting period for Nebraskans to be eligible to vote after completing a felony sentence.
Walker, who served a 15- to 20-year sentence in York and Lincoln’s Work Release Center, is among roughly 7,000 Nebraskans who will become eligible to vote under the law. The important thing, she said Friday, is that she and her peers will have a say in this year’s elections.
“This year, at long last, my voice matters,†she said at a gathering celebrating passage of LB20. The law, which may be subject to a legal challenge, takes effect in July.
The measure was among several passed this year that will affect the lives of everyday Nebraskans. On other issues, such as property taxes, people will feel the effects of lawmakers’ lack of action. Lawmakers wrapped up their 2024 regular session Thursday.
Among the changes that passed — or failed — this year were:
Property taxes. Gov. Jim Pillen’s vow to cut property tax payments by 40% remains unfulfilled, leaving Nebraska property owners without additional property tax relief this year. The governor’s plan, which involved raising taxes on various goods and services, failed after running into stiff opposition. He called the result “unacceptable†and has said he will bring lawmakers back in a special session to keep working on the issue.
A separate measure could help some homeowners keep their homestead exemptions if their income does not change but their home valuation increases. The bill passed Thursday and has not yet been signed into law. But an attempt to give homestead exemptions to partially disabled veterans failed.
Occupational licenses. Getting into some careers should become easier under a new law that requires credentialing boards to issue Nebraska licenses or certifications based on a person’s credentials or years of experience from other states. The change does not apply to health care fields. The same law also requires credentialing boards to consider applications for licensing or certification from people with criminal convictions.
Help for moms and babies. At-risk mothers and babies could get more support through changes in Nebraska Medicaid. A new law would create a Prenatal Plus program, offering nutrition counseling, therapy, general health education, breastfeeding support and targeted case management. The law also would require Medicaid to pay for continuous glucose monitors for women with gestational diabetes and to cover breast pumps and breastfeeding consultations.
Separately, the state budget appropriated $2.5 million for home visitation programs that match families with nurses, social workers or early childhood educators. A revised safe haven law will allow parents to surrender infants up to 90 days old at a hospital, staffed fire station or law enforcement agency or by calling 911 and giving the child to the emergency medical workers who respond.
Private school scholarships. Students wanting to attend a private or parochial school may be able to get a scholarship supported through a new state program. The program will replace one started in January, which provided $25 million annually in state support for scholarships. The new one will provide $10 million per year, with priority going to students from low-income families or who meet other qualifications.
Small school security. Nebraska’s smaller school districts will have a new security option under a new law. Under the law, school boards in districts with fewer than 5,000 residents can authorize trained security staff to carry guns in schools and at school activities. The change was intended to help districts without school resource officers and that don’t have law enforcement close by. The law also allows schools to use construction dollars to pay for safety infrastructure.
Hospitals and nursing homes. Nebraska’s hospitals and nursing homes should have an easier time staying open in rural areas under a pair of new laws. Both will require the facilities to pay an assessment that the state will use to bring in more federal Medicaid dollars. The increased funds will be used to boost Medicaid payment rates to hospitals and nursing homes, along with increasing rates paid various health care professionals and expanding health care workforce development efforts.
Pornography. People in Nebraska will have to comply with new age verification measures to visit adult websites under a new law intended to keep minors from viewing online pornography. The law will make websites liable if they do not use age verification measures, which could be a third-party age verification application or digital copies of a state driver’s license or state identification card. Supporters of the law said one major site, PornHub, is no longer available in states with similar laws.
A separate measure failed that would have removed a legal defense for K-12 teachers and school librarians charged with providing obscene materials for minors. State law allows educators to argue in court that the materials were provided as part of their jobs.
Veteran justice. Veterans charged with crimes could be offered services instead of prison time under a new law pushed by Chuck Hagel, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska and former U.S. secretary of defense. The law will allow courts to offer the option to veterans if they are eligible for probation and if a condition from their military service contributed to their offense. Veterans who complete the program successfully can have their cases dismissed.
Transgender restrictions. State law will not determine which bathrooms and locker rooms students should use in K-12 schools nor which sports they can participate in. Lawmakers rejected a bill that would have restricted access to school bathrooms and locker rooms on the basis of a student’s biological sex, rather than their gender identity, and added similar restrictions to most school sports teams.
New Nebraskans. People moving to Nebraska for jobs paying at least $70,000 a year but not more than $250,000 would get a one-time income tax exemption under a bill Pillen proposed as a way to attract new people to the state. It would also give income tax credits to employers who pay moving costs for new employees from out-of-state. Pillen is expected to sign the bill into law.
Syringe exchanges. Local governments in Nebraska will not be allowed to set up needle distribution programs after Pillen vetoed a bill that would have legalized such programs. An attempt to override the veto failed. Similar programs are used in 45 other states as a way to fight infectious diseases and encourage drug users to enter treatment.
Winner-take-all. Nebraskans can still split the state’s electoral college votes in November after the failure of a bill to change how the state awards its votes. The state currently awards three of its five electoral votes based on the winner in each of its three congressional districts. The two other votes go to the statewide winner. Nebraska has divided its electoral votes twice, awarding one vote to the Democratic candidate in 2008 and in 2020, while the rest went to the GOP candidate.
Time change. Nebraskans will have to keep moving the clock forward in the spring and backward in the fall after the failure of a bill to do away with daylight saving time. State lawmakers could not reach agreement on whether to stay on standard time all year round or take steps to switch to year-round daylight saving time.