The League of Women Voters of Nebraska submitted testimony on four bills with hearings before committees at the Nebraska Legislature during the week of Feb. 3-7. This week’s testimonies were prepared by members of the education policy and social policy action teams.
You can find the LWVNE’s online and in-person testimony on our 2025 Advocacy Summary table, which will be updated weekly through the committee hearings, here and on our Legislative Advocacy 2025 link at the top of the LWVNE website. Here is the summary of the LWVNE’s support or opposition to proposed legislation for the week of Feb. 3-7:
- LB509 (oppose)– Adopt the Opportunity Scholarships Act and provide for income tax credits.
- LB368 (support) – Establish the Nebraska Youth in Care Bill of Rights.
- LB369 (support) – Allow persons 18 years of age to make health care decisions and persons under 19 years of age in correctional facilities to consent to medical and mental health care.
- LB89 (oppose) – Adopt the Stand With Women Act.
Represented by Mary Kelly, a member of the Social Policy Action Team, the LWVNE provided in-person testimony on Feb.7 to oppose LB89 in a hearing before the Government, Military and Veteran Affairs Committee that lasted more than 10 hours. According to a Feb. 8 article in the Omaha World Herald, 19 people testified in support of the bill, and more than 110 people testified against it. Additionally, more than 470 people submitted written comments in support of LB89 compared to the more than 1,500 people who submitted written comments in opposition.
Sponsored by Senator Kathleen Kauth, LB89 would dictate that males and females are defined specifically by their reproductive systems, and apply the distinction to all state-led entities, restricting access to bathrooms and locker rooms in places like prisons and state departments, and restricting participation in public and private school sports teams, including intramural sports.
Kelly’s testimony – from a letter written by Sara Lee, a member of the LWVNE’s Social Policy Action Team – was quoted in the Unicameral Update. In opposing LB89, she noted that the history of restrooms in the U.S. is “mired in discrimination.” Prior to the Industrial Revolution, public restrooms were available only to men, because women were not expected to be outside the home long enough to need such facilities. In the Jim Crow era, restricting bathrooms and water fountains was a way to keep Black people out of public spaces. “The impact of restricted access to restrooms is real,” Kelly said. “Whether or not there is a bathroom available to you determines where you can go and how long you can stay at a location — it communicates whether or not you are a welcome member of society who can and should be out in public.”
Jean McGuire, president of the LWV of Lincoln-Lancaster County, also was quoted in the Unicameral Update for her testimony – as an individual, not representing the League – against LB509 in a hearing before the Revenue Committee on Feb. 6. LB509 is “nearly identical” – according to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Tony Sorrentino – to the program created by the Legislature in 2023 with LB753. That program was repealed by LB1402, passed last year, which instead required the state treasurer to establish a program to provide scholarships to eligible students to pay costs associated with attending a qualified private school. LB1402 was repealed by voters in the November 2024 general election after being placed on the ballot by a successful referendum petition process.
As quoted in the Unicameral Update, McGuire said it would be “indefensible” for lawmakers to ignore voters’ wishes on the issue of using public funds to benefit private schools. “The message they wanted to send to you as legislators was and remains clear,” she said. “Do not divert public funds to pay for private schools.”
A statement submitted online by the LWVNE before the Revenue Committee’s hearing on LB509 noted that the League “firmly believes public dollars must have public oversight to ensure that they are used transparently, accountably and according to all state and federal laws.” Thus, “consistent with our opposition to prior scholarship bills, we do not support diversion of public dollars to private and parochial schools through tax credits.”
The LWVNE’s statement opposing LB509 also noted that the bill “would deplete the general funds available to adequately, consistently and sustainably fund critical programs and services that benefit all Nebraskans,” including public schools and particularly rural school districts; disadvantage “Nebraskans who make other charitable choices”; and “would not protect students against discrimination based on religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or special education status regarding admittance or continued attendance.”