Advocacy News 2026Mar26

We appreciate your ongoing involvement in the legislative process. 

Advocacy Update

This week I had the opportunity to participate in a press conference with Nebraska Rare and the Common Coalition to express concern over the proposed changes to the AD Medicaid Waiver. This was a great opportunity to collaborate with statewide partners in the disability community to provide a better understanding about the devastating impacts that these changes would cause. 

Most of the attention in the legislature this week was focused on passing LB1071, the main budget bill for the state. This is a hotly contested bill that has failed multiple times.  It once again failed on Wednesday in a 27-15 outcome.  March 25^th (50^th day of the session) was the official deadline to pass the budget bill for the session. It made a third appearance yesterday and passed on a 34-7 vote.  The divide was over a $3.5M appropriation for one year of private school vouchers, plus child care subsidies funding; both of which were removed yesterday.

Some movement on other bills of importance has been happening over the last two weeks, however we are disappointed that nursing home funding did not make it into the final appropriations bill. Assisted living funding did make it in at the current rate with rural and urban providers being paid equally as it currently stands. 

Additional updates will be provided next week as the session comes closer to adjournment. 

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
• Amendments: AM2224 adds provisions of LB887; AM2464 adds provisions of LB1211

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
  

Bills of Interest to LeadingAge Nebraska