Ten bills the Neb. Family Alliance is monitoring during the 2017 Neb. Legislative session
A startling 667 bills have been introduced during the 2017 Nebraska Legislative Session. This is a list of some of the most important bills NFA is supporting and opposing this year.
1. Provide for “Choose Life” License Plates (LB46) – Creates and makes available for purchase a specialty “Choose Life” license plate. Seventy-five percent of the forty dollar fee to purchase the plate will go towards the Nebraska Child Abuse Prevention Fund. NFA supports this bill.
2. Increase Penalties for Human Trafficking (LB289) – Significantly increases penalties relating to human trafficking for both the trafficker and the purchaser. By increasing penalties, LB289 will empower law enforcement and deter traffickers from coming to Nebraska. NFA supports this bill.
3. Protected class status based upon sexual orientation and gender identity (LB173) – A protected class for sexual orientation and gender identity is the primary vehicle to compromise religious freedom by allowing government to use the force of law to advance one particular point of view and silence those who disagree. These laws aren’t used to stop discrimination; they are used to silence dissent. NFA opposes this bill.
4. Adopt the Opportunity Scholarships Act (LB295) – This school-choice bill enacts a large tax credit to incentivize private dollars to fund scholarships for eligible students to use at non-public schools and increase parent’s right to choose the education best suited for their child. NFA supports this bill.
5. Eliminate prohibition on teachers wearing religious garb (LB62) – Repeals an existing nearly 100 year old law which violates the First Amendment rights of teachers and favors non-religion over religion.
The current law that LB62 seeks to repeal recently prevented a Catholic Nun from obtaining a teaching position in Norfolk. NFA supports this bill.
6. Adopt the Patient Choice at End of Life Act (LB450) – Doctor prescribed suicide is a bad solution for the wrong problem. It corrupts the practice of medicine and endangers our most vulnerable citizens: the sick, disabled and elderly.
Doctor prescribed suicide promotes the view that these individuals are not people to be loved but burdens to be managed. NFA opposes this bill.
7. Change provisions relating to participation in extracurricular activities (LB58) – Allows home school students to more easily participate in public school extracurricular activities by changing NSAA rules to ensure students are required to be enrolled in no more than two classes at a public school to be eligible to participate. NFA supports this bill.
8. Authorize county courts sitting as probate courts in cases of guardianship to authorize abortions in judicial bypass cases (LB529) – Loosens Nebraska’s informed consent laws for abortion and would allow a minor to circumvent the parental consent currently required. NFA opposes this bill.
9. Change Parenting Act provisions relating to limitation or denial of custody or access to a child (LB60) – Any person who has been granted custody, visitation or other access with a child must provide written notice to all other persons who have custody or access rights to the child before such person allows any sex offender to reside in such person’s household or to have unsupervised access to the child. NFA supports this bill.
10. Change the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act and authorize methods of payment for participation in certain gaming activities (LB631) – Substantially expands gambling by allowing debit and credit cards to be used to purchase lottery tickets.
State sponsored gambling harms families and businesses, and under this bill, players would be allowed to go in to debt playing the lottery. NFA opposes this bill.
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