Political News

From Kilgore To The Capitol: Native Moms Who Sued School After Haircutting Support Bill Seeking To Protect Students’ Religious, Cultural Freedom

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 02/27/2023 - 5:00am

The Native woman wearing feathers in her braided hair took a seat facing eight members of the Nebraska Legislature.

Alice Johnson stared down with the paper in her hands, the speech she’d practiced over and over until no amount of nerves could mask its message.

Read more about From Kilgore To The Capitol: Native Moms Who Sued School After Haircutting Support Bill Seeking To Protect Students’ Religious, Cultural Freedom

‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bill And Measure Blocking Gender-Altering Procedures Sent To Full Legislature

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 02/27/2023 - 3:00am

Emotions have flared since the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the constitutional right to abortion. Omahans rallied in support of abortion rights at 90th and Dodge in the wake of the Supreme Court decision. (Josie Charron / The Daily Record)

LINCOLN — A legislative committee, after a few testy exchanges, advanced bills Wednesday evening to make abortion less accessible and ban minors from obtaining gender-altering procedures.

The votes were both 4-2, with one senator, Lynne Walz of Fremont, absent for the executive session.

Read more about ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bill And Measure Blocking Gender-Altering Procedures Sent To Full Legislature

Tracy Hightower-Henne Launches Campaign To Represent District 13 In Nebraska Legislature

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 2:00am

Omaha, NE – Today, Tracy Hightower-Henne launched her campaign to represent District 13 in the Nebraska Legislature. An attorney and community activist, Hightower-Henne has been an advocate for equal access to justice and reproductive freedom.

Read more about Tracy Hightower-Henne Launches Campaign To Represent District 13 In Nebraska Legislature

California And Nevada May Ban Forced Prison Labor, Servitude

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/20/2023 - 1:14pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lawmakers in Nevada and California are advancing legislation to remove "involuntary servitude" from their states' constitutions, a move that follows four states' bans on forced labor that passed in ballot measures last fall.

Read more about California And Nevada May Ban Forced Prison Labor, Servitude

Civic Nebraska Says State’s 2022 General Election Was ‘Safe’ And ‘Secure’

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/20/2023 - 1:12pm

OMAHA — A voting rights group that monitors Nebraska’s elections identified a handful of issues during the state’s 2022 general election but deemed the election “safe and secure.”

Read more about Civic Nebraska Says State’s 2022 General Election Was ‘Safe’ And ‘Secure’

Is It Time For Teachers To Get A Raise?

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/20/2023 - 1:09pm

In his 2023 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden called for public school teachers to get a raise but offered no specifics on how that could be done. Here, Michael Addonizio, an education policy expert at Wayne State University, provides insight on the current state of teacher salaries, whether a collective raise is in order and how one might be achieved.

Read more about Is It Time For Teachers To Get A Raise?

Nebraska 6-Week Abortion Ban On Doorstep Of Becoming Law, Tally Shows

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/20/2023 - 1:04pm

Based on interviews, public comments, endorsements and previous votes, at least 31 Nebraska state senators are likely to support a proposal to ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected (roughly six weeks). It would need 33 votes to overcome a filibuster, clearing the way for its passage.
(Justin Wan / Lincoln Journal Star via AP Photo)

The Nebraska Legislature stands at the precipice of passing a six-week abortion ban.

Based on interviews and a tally by the Flatwater Free Press, the bill appears to need just two Republican votes to have enough support to become law.

Read more about Nebraska 6-Week Abortion Ban On Doorstep Of Becoming Law, Tally Shows

The Pandemic Missing: The Kids Who Didn’t Go Back To School

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 02/13/2023 - 5:00am

She’d be a senior right now, preparing for graduation in a few months, probably leading her school’s modern dance troupe and taking art classes.

Read more about The Pandemic Missing: The Kids Who Didn’t Go Back To School

Proposed Gender-Alteration Ban For Minors Draws Hundreds To Nebraska Capitol

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 02/13/2023 - 3:00am

State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha introduces her bill to restrict gender-altering care to those older than 19. She appeared at a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Lincoln, Neb.
(Zach Wendling / Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — Supporters and opponents testified for about seven hours Wednesday on State Sen. Kathleen Kauth’s proposal to ban gender-altering care for minors in Nebraska.

Read more about Proposed Gender-Alteration Ban For Minors Draws Hundreds To Nebraska Capitol

New Legislation Takes Aim At Hidden Foster Care

Published by jason@omahadail... on Fri, 02/10/2023 - 5:00am

A ProPublica-New York Times Magazine story exposed a system with few legal protections for families. A first-of-its-kind bill aims to provide parents with free counsel when child protection workers try to move their kids without going to court.
(Shutterstock)

Last month, Washington state Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, a Democrat, introduced a first-of-its-kind bill aimed at providing attorneys for parents who are facing hidden foster care, the subject of a ProPublica-New York Times Magazine investigation in December 2021. The story documented how, across the country, caseworkers who have not petitioned a court persuade parents to send their children to live in another home, often by threatening a foster placement if they refuse.