The JCRC Public Policy & Civil Rights Committee is committed to keeping you informed on the bills and issues that we are watching during this Legislative session.

We encourage you to use your voice and your keyboard to share your concerns, support, or opposition on bills impacting our community, Nebraska’s most vulnerable and marginalized citizens, and our state. Whether you want to testify at a hearing or submit an online comment, we value your advocacy. If you have any questions about bills and issues, want to learn more about the process of participating in grass-roots advocacy, or would like assistance crafting your letters or testimonies, JCRC staff is here to help!

To view the bills that JCRC is monitoring, visit click here.

Legislative News

Upcoming Hearings

✅ Support | ❌ Oppose 

Contact Your Senator | Submit Online Comment

March 3, 2025

Education Committee Hearing | Room 1525 | 1:30 PM

❌ LB 550 (Lippincott): Require school districts to adopt a policy that excuses students to attend a course for religious instruction

March 6, 2025

Judiciary Committee Hearing | Room 1525 | 1:30 PM

✅ LB53 (M. Cavanaugh): Provide criminal and civil immunity for pregnancy outcomes

Nebraska State Budget Update from Catalyst

Last week marked the start of Appropriations hearings with the Governor’s proposed budget, LB 261 – 264. This comes at a challenging and important time when forecasters have identified a $432 million budget shortfall. The preliminary budget released last week identified several areas for funding cuts and cash fund sweeps, but a deficit of over $200 million still remains. Following the Appropriations Committee hearings next month, lawmakers will face difficult decisions to pass a balanced budget for the biennium.

Although this budgetary shortfall does not directly impact the Community and JCRC, further cuts to recently expanded Medicaid services, human services, affordable housing development, and education will have an impact on the ability of the State to meet and respond to the needs of Nebraskans, while the state’s fiscal impact of any federal cuts remains unclear.

Protect voting rights- tell senators to reject LB541

From our colleagues at Civic Nebraska

A dangerous and tone-deaf bill is getting its hearing at the Nebraska Legislature, and we need your help to stop it. LB541 is an outright attack on voting rights in Nebraska. Introduced by State Sen. Rick Holdcroft, this bill would severely restrict voting by mail, eliminate online and mail-in voter registration, impose arbitrary hurdles on early voting, and force error-prone hand counts of ballots.

You have a chance to make your voice heard next week. The Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee will hear testimony on LB541 at 1:30 pm CST on Wednesday, March 5, in Room 1507 at the Nebraska State Capitol. If you care about protecting voting rights in Nebraska, we encourage you to attend and oppose this bill.

Can’t make it to the Capitol? You can submit your opposition to LB541 online by 8 am CST on March 5 at this link.

This is a critical moment for voting rights in Nebraska. Let’s show our leaders that Nebraskans stand for a fair, accessible, and inclusive democracy.

Thank you for speaking up and standing out!

– Your friends and neighbors at Civic Nebraska

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Guided by Jewish values, the nonpartisan Jewish Community Relations Council works in common cause with other religious, racial, ethnic, and civic groups to foster a just, democratic, and pluralistic society. The JCRC advocates, educates, collaborates, and mobilizes action on issues important to the Jewish Community and greater community to fight antisemitism and hate in all its forms and promote the security of Israel and Jews everywhere.