Advocacy News 2026Feb26

Advocacy Update

Over the last week, we have been pushing back on LB1143, a bill which would prevent the segregation of funds appropriated for nursing homes and allow DHHS to reallocate funds to the Money Follows the Person Program. This advocacy is working with Senator Dorn filing MO419 and MO420 to recommit the bill to the Appropriations Committee. We invite you to continue to contact members of Appropriations as well as your senator to express concern regarding this bill. There is concern regarding transparency of appropriated funds for nursing homes and protecting them from being used for other purposes. 

Priority Bills Update: There are a total of 12 bills that have been designated as priority that are being monitored by LeadingAge Nebraska. There are other bills on the priority list that we feel may be of interest to LeadingAge Nebraska members.  For reference, we are including the Bills of Interest of LeadingAge Nebraska as well as the Priority Bills Impacting LAN Members for your review. These were updated on 2/25/26. 

We appreciate your ongoing involvement in the legislative process. 

Priority Bills Impacting LeadingAge Nebraska Members

LB958  (M. Cavanaugh)

• Provide a requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services relating to 1915(c) waivers and define nursing facility level of care under the Medical Assistance Act
• Priority: Senator M. Cavanaugh
• Stance:  Support

LB1143  (Hardin)

• Eliminates the designation of appropriation of nursing facility funding by the legislature and allows the state to move appropriated funds to establish a Money Follows the Person program under the Medical Assistance Act. 
• Priority: Senator Hardin
• Stance:  Oppose

LB1165  (von Gillern)

• Change provisions relating to the Key Employer and Jobs Retention Act, the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, and the Site and Building Development Act and create a grant program to help employers retain or attract employees.
• Priority: Senator von Gillern
• Stance:  Support

LB838  (Jacobson)

• Change provisions relating to the financial exploitation of vulnerable or senior adults
• Priority: Banking, Commerce & Insurance Committee
• Stance:  Support

LB912 (Hardin)

• Adopt the Community Health Worker Training Endorsement Act.
• Priority:  HHS Committee
• Stance:  Support

LB867 (Health and Human Services Committee)

• This bill changes and eliminates programs involving special need trusts, spousal impoverishment, child support customer service, child care grants, AABD (aged, blind and disabled), the state Commodity Supplemental Food program, and others. It specifically eliminates the designation of assets for or use of income by an individual in accordance with section 68-922 to be considered just cause for failure to use such assets or income to provide medical support of such individual’s spouse and eliminates the ability to establish a pooled special needs trust. In addition, this bill changes provisions relating to fingerprints in compacts, and tribal age of majority provisions in the Bridge to Independence Program, and eliminates obsolete provisions relating to the Nursing Compact.
• Priority:  Health and Human Services Committee
• Stance:  Oppose

 LB929 (Fredrickson)

•  Prohibits from requiring cost sharing not required by federal law and new cost sharing to be lowest amount possible.
• Priority: Fredrickson
• Stance: Support

 LB1091 (Bostar)

• Ensures LTC clients with special needs receive services in a manner that reflects the complexity and intensity of their medical conditions. LOC may exceed that is typically provided in standard nursing facilities, and should not be subject to the utilization-management practices commonly used in managed Medicaid. 
• Priority: Bostar
• Stance: Support

LB1067 (Hallstrom)

• Increase Nebraska Documentary Stamp Tax and allocate the increased funds in equal amounts to the Rural Workforce Housing Investment fund and the Middle Income Workforce Housing Investment Fund. 
• Priority: Hallstrom
• Stance: Support

LB838  (Jacobson)

•  Strengthen protections for senior and vulnerable adults against financial exploitation. Immunity for those acting in good faith.
• Priority: Jacobson
• Stance: Support

 LB985 (DeBoer)

• Limit the number of individuals for which a guardian or conservator may accept appointment.
• Priority: Speaker
• Stance: Support

 LB1057 (Ballard)

• Redefine adult day services under the Health Care Facility Licensure Act.  
• Priority: Speaker
• Stance: Support