The Nebraska legislative session is underway, and Nebraska Cures is once again engaged in ensuring that public policy is rooted in science and driven by health research.

Unfortunately, funding for research is at jeopardy at both the federal and state level. Nebraska Cures is working with Research!America to monitor and participate strategically in advocacy at the federal level. Components of federally funded research projects with diversity, equity, and inclusion elements are already being cut, but it is unclear what the full scope of cuts will be.

At the state level, the governor proposed cutting $11 million in biomedical research funding from the University of Nebraska system, most of which goes to UNMC. Not only does this cut prevent researchers from finding new treatments and cures, but it will have a profound negative impact on our local economy. This money is used to recruit the best and brightest researchers to our state and to draw down additional funding from other entities.

We need your help reaching out to members of the Appropriations Committee to tell them to restore this cut. You can find the list of committee members here.

In addition to the budget, Nebraska Cures is sending letters and talking to senators about a number of pieces of legislation. As we draft letters, we will post them on our website. We encourage you to reach out to your state senator to express your support or opposition. You can find your senator here.

For those with public hearing dates set, we’ve including the date and link to submit your support or opposition. Comments must be submitted by 8 a.m. the morning of the hearing.

LB 22 (Dungan) – Support – Filing a state amendment to expand nurse home visiting service – hearing completed

LB 55 (Dorn) – Support – Addresses the disparity between Medicare and Medicaid rates for mental health services

LB 104 (Raybould) – Support – Adopt the Family Home Visitation Act – Hearing February 7, leave comments here. See our letter of support here.

LB 203 (Kauth) – Oppose – Change powers and duties of health directors in certain local public health departments – Hearing February 7, leave comments here. See our letter of opposition here.

LB 213 (Holdcroft) – Oppose – Require the State Board of Education to adopt academic content standards on human embryology under the science education standards

LB 253 (Bostar) – Support – Provide for insurance and medicaid coverage of biomarker testing – Hearing February 24, leave comments here.

LB 255 (Quick) – Support – Provide for use of the Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Cash Fund for problem solving courts

LB 310 (Hansen) – Oppose – Exemption for newborn screenings – Read our letter of opposition here.

LB 380 (Fredrickson) – Support – Establish requirements for Department of Health and Human Services’ contractors providing medical assistance services

LB 381 (Fredrickson) – Support – Change requirements relating to program integrity audits under the Medical Assistance Act

LB 551 (Lippencott) – Oppose – Prohibit tenure at public institutions

LB 552 (Lippencott) – Oppose – Prohibit public institutions from having certain diversity, equity, and inclusion programing

LB 595 (Prokop) – Support – Create the Research Excellence Cash Fund

LB 701 (McKinney) – Support – Provide for reimbursement of doula services by the Department of Health and Human Services