Children’s Hospital & Medical Center is active in public policy at the local, state, and federal level. This list includes only a handful of bills that Children’s is monitoring on behalf of the patients and families we serve across the state.
Learn more about our involvement in advocacy and legislation.
Watch List
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LB30: Limit the amount an insured pays for prescription insulin drugs
LB30- Sponsor: Senator Wayne
- Status: 1/11/2021 Referred to Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
- Summary: Limits the patient’s out-of-pocket cost for insulin to no more than $100/month.
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LB53: Provide immunity for health care providers acting in conformance with the crisis standard of care during a COVID-19 state of emergency
LB53- Sponsor: Senator Lathrop
- Status: 1/11/2021 Referred to the Judiciary Committee
- Summary: Creates a standard of care for future public health emergencies
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LB87: Provide for mental health first aid training for school districts and change provisions relating to the use of lottery funds
LB87- Sponsor: Senator Morfeld
- Status: 1/11/2021 Referred to Education Committee
- Summary: Requires Nebraska Department of Education to partner with a nationally recognized behavioral health training group to provide instruction on how to support a student in crisis, how to de-escalate and knowledge to refer to mental health services. Uses lottery funds.
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LB89: Allow persons eighteen years of age to make health care decisions and persons under nineteen years of age in correctional facilities to consent to medical and mental health care
LB89- Sponsor: Senator Morfeld
- Status: Hearing before Judiciary Committee on Jan. 28, 2021
- Summary: Changes the age of majority from age nineteen to eighteen for health care decisions and also allows persons under the age of nineteen who are committed to the Dept. of Correctional Services to consent to mental health services, medical care and related services during the period of confinement.
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LB115: Impose sales tax on candy and soft drinks and provide for distribution of proceeds
LB115- Sponsor: Senator M. Cavanaugh
- Status: 1/11/2021 Referred to Revenue Committee
- Summary: Applies the 5.5% sales and use tax on candy and soft drinks. Definition of candy excludes flour, does not require refrigeration and comes in a bar, drop or pieces. Soft drink excludes any drink with 50% of veg/fruit juice by volume. Money goes to Health Care Cash Fund.
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LB166: Provide for Josh the Otter-Be Safe Around Water Plates and provide powers and duties for the Game and Parks Commission
LB166- Sponsor: Senator Geist
- Status: 1/12/2021 Referred to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee
- Summary: Creates a license plate and adds a portion of the fee to a new fund for an existing water safety platform.
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LB247: Create the Mental Health Crisis Hotline Task Force
LB247- Sponsor: Senator Pansing Brooks
- Status: 1/13/2021 Referred to Executive Committee
- Summary: The task force shall find a way to integrate the *988 hotline with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act. The hotline shall always connect to a licensed mental or behavioral health provider 24/7/365. Afforded by a new tax on wireless devices.
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LB281: Require child sexual abuse prevention instructional programs for school students and staff
LB281- Sponsor: Senator Albrecht
- Status: 1/14/2021 Referred to Education Committee
- Summary: is to require that public schools provide four(4) hour per year in body awareness training to students in K through 5 and teacher training as a preventative method for helping reduce incidents of child sexual abuse.
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LB314: Change provisions related to insurance coverage of telehealth
LB314- Sponsor: Senator Pahls
- Status: 2/1/2021 Hearing before the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
- Summary: Universal telehealth parity for reimbursement bill.
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LB337: Adopt the Step-Therapy Reform Act
LB337- Sponsor: Senator Kolterman
- Status: 2/1/2021 Hearing before the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
- Summary: Step therapy” is an insurance practice in which a patient is required to try and fail a treatment/s selected by the insurance company before the insurance company will cover the original treatment prescribed by his or her health care provider. This bill provides a clear and transparent process for health care providers to request a step therapy override exception, provides certain circumstances when a health care provider can override the step therapy protocol, and establishes timelines for which an insurance company or pharmacy benefit manager must respond when a step therapy override exception request is submitted.
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LB375: Adopt the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Regulation and Transparency Act
LB375- Sponsor: Senator Kolterman
- Status: 1/15/2021 Referred to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
- Summary: A bill seeking to simplify a pathway for a PBM in Nebraska to be accept pharmacies and pharmacists into their network so long as their license is in good standing. Also seeks to prescribe pharmacy expenses to go toward deductible.
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LB388: Adopt the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Act
LB388- Sponsor: Senator Friesen at the Request of the Governor
- Status: Hearing 2/8/2021 before the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee
- Summary: Broadband grants and prioritization outlined as a priority in the Governor’s State-of-the-State address.
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LB390: Provide for credentials based on reciprocity and change requirements for credentials under the Uniform Credentialing Act
LB390- Sponsor: Senator Murman at the Request of the Governor
- Status: 1/20/2021 Referred to Health and Human Services Committee
- Summary: A priority of the Governor to increase access by permanently adopting universal licensing reciprocity.
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LB392: Adopt the Prescribing Psychologist Practice Act
LB392- Sponsor: Senator Stinner
- Status: 1/20/2021 Referred to the HHS Committee
- Summary: A written agreement between a prescribing psychologist with a prescription certificate and a licensed physician. Under the collaborative practice agreement, the physician, who must have a relationship with the patient, is ultimately responsible for the patient. The agreement may allow a limit of psychotropic meds.
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LB400: Change requirements related to coverage of telehealth by insurers and Medicaid
LB400- Sponsor: Senator Arch
- Status: Hearing 2/5/2021 before the HHS Committee
- Summary: The bill seeks to permanently allow the following telehealth capabilities to remain post-COVID: 1. Audio-only for behavioral health; 2. Waive written consent; 3. Flexibility of originating site for patients.
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LB411: Require sharing of information with the designated health information exchange
LB411- Sponsor: Senator Lathrop
- Status: 1/20/2021 Referred to HHS Committee
- Summary: On or before Sept. 30, 2021, all health care facilities must participate in the designated health information exchange by submitting PHI. CyncHealth/ NEHII bill.
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LB422: Change the sales tax rate and impose sales tax on additional services
LB422- Sponsor: Senator Briese
- Status: Hearing 2/3/2021 before the Revenue Committee
- Summary: Would presume all services in Nebraska, except for business inputs, to be subject to taxation, and would lower the sales tax rate to 5 percent
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LB425: Require the Department of Health and Human Services to complete a needs assessment and cost analysis for an inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit
LB425- Sponsor: HHS Committee
- Status: Hearing 2/3/2021 before the HHS Committee
- Summary: Would require the Department of Health and Human Services to contract for the completion of a needs assessment and cost analysis for the establishment of an inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit housed within Lincoln Regional Center
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LB447: Change provisions relating to immunization under the Child Care Licensing Act
LB447- Sponsor: Senator M. Cavanaugh
- Status: Hearing 2/4/2021 before the HHS Committee
- Summary: The purpose of LB 447 is better recordkeeping regarding immunization records of children. Currently in law there are two ways for parents to opt out of immunizations for their children who attend day care. One is a medical reason. The second is a parental statement giving their own reason why they do not want to immunize. LB 447 reduces that to just a medical reason certified by a medical provider. LB 447 requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain a database for immunization records to be accessed by child care centers. It also would require child care centers to gain access to the department website to enter immunization information or a copy of the exception.
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LB459: Change provisions relating to the cigarette tax and the Tobacco Products Tax Act and distribute tax proceeds as prescribed
LB459- Sponsor: Senator M. Cavanaugh
- Status: 1/20/2021 Referred to Revenue Committee
- Summary: Increases the tobacco tax (including vaping products) from $0.64 to $2.14. Designates a portion of the increased tax to a state-based FMLA program ($30M) and Maternal Health Care projects ($26M).
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LB474: Adopt the Medicinal Cannabis Act
LB474- Sponsor: Senator Wishart
- Status: 1/20/2021 Referred to Judiciary Committee
- Summary: A medical marijuana proposal with outlined civil and criminal penalties, making it unlawful to possess on school grounds or in child care facilities, or while driving a car. Employers are not required to accommodate the medicinal use of marijuana or cannabis. Payors not required to cover cost. Must be 21 or the legal guardian of the patient to register.
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LB487: Change insurance coverage provisions for mental health conditions and serious mental illness
LB487- Sponsor: Senator Arch
- Status: Hearing 2/1/2021 before the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
- Summary: Would prohibit any health insurance plan to establish any rate, term or condition that places a greater financial burden on an insured for accessing treatment for a mental health condition using telehealth or telemonitoring service. In addition, LB 487 would require the reimbursement rate for accessing mental health services via telehealth be, at a minimum, the same as the rate for a comparable treatment provided in person.
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LB529: Change provisions for the distribution of lottery funds used for education, transfer powers and duties, create new acts and funds, and change education provisions
LB529- Sponsor: Senator Walz
- Status: Hearing 2/2/2021 before the Education Committee
- Summary: Among the many provisions, the bill reintroduces the creation of a registry of social workers in each school and house that information at the NDE and DHHS (Sec. 9) to streamline communication between providers and educators.
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LB639: Adopt the Seizure Safe Schools Act
LB639- Sponsor: Senator Day
- Status: 1/22/2021 Referred to Education Committee
- Summary: Requires at least one school employee at each school to be trained to administer or assist with the self-administration of a seizure rescue medication or medication prescribed to treat seizure disorder symptoms as approved by the FDA.
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LB643: Protect an individual liberty right to accept or decline a vaccination under a mandatory directive
LB643- Sponsor: Senator B. Hansen
- Status: Hearing 2/4/2021 before the HHS Committee
- Summary: Protects an individual liberty right to accept or decline a vaccination under a mandatory directive. LB 643 maintains the individual liberty, parental rights, and free market principles of the citizens and businesses of Nebraska during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, or anytime thereafter, it is the right of each citizen, the right of parents with respect to their dependents, and the right of each business with respect to its employees, to accept or decline a mandatory vaccination directive by the Nebraska state government.
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LB673: Adopt the Education Behavioral Awareness and Support Act and change the determination and certification of state aid to schools
LB673- Sponsor: Senator Murman
- Status: Hearing 2/9/2021 before the Education Committee
- Summary: Each school district shall ensure that administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, and counselors receive behavioral awareness and intervention training. All school employees shall have a basic awareness of the goals, strategies, and schoolwide plans included in such training.
For more information on policy advocacy, government affairs, legislative support at Children’s, contact Liz Lyons, Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs, at 402-955-4139 or [email protected].
