Capitol Updates

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Spread the News! NSEA members may click here to sign up and receive our Capitol Update newsletter to provide you with the latest information on education legislation and funding. You may also forward this to the personal email address of your NSEA colleagues and encourage them to sign up. 

2026 Nebraska Legislative Session Recap: Educators Deliver Key Wins While Shaping the Path Forward

The 2026 Nebraska Legislative Session wrapped up on its 60th and final day, April 17, after lawmakers introduced 546 new bills and 12 proposed constitutional amendments. For NSEA members, the short session delivered a mix of hard-fought victories, successful defenses of public education, and clear reminders of why your voices matter every day at the Capitol. While not every priority crossed the finish line, your advocacy helped secure several strong outcomes for educators, students, and retirees—and stopped measures that would have harmed Nebraska classrooms. 

One of the session’s biggest threats, Governor Pillen’s priority bill LB1050, died on a filibuster in the final full week of debate. The measure would have mandated third-grade retention for students failing certain literacy tests, piling on unfunded mandates and undermining local control. NSEA worked with senators to strengthen reading supports instead, but most refused even modest changes. School leaders offered to drop their opposition if lawmakers simply added “the option of” before retention – yet proponents insisted on mandatory retention, and the bill failed to advance. 

NSEA also helped stop LB867, a sweeping plan that would have upended education and services for youth in the state’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers. Thanks to powerful testimony from our members at YRTC Kearney, the Health and Human Services Committee stripped the most damaging facility changes before the bill could move forward. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a broad coalition at a Capitol press conference to protect stable learning environments for these vulnerable students. 

Vouchers were blocked yet again when the controversial $3.5 million “gap funding” provision was removed from the state budget bill LB1071. Proponents called it one-time bridge money, but it was clearly an attempt to wedge open the door for a larger permanent voucher program next year – one they hoped would be harder to challenge at the ballot box. Nebraska voters already rejected vouchers in 2024, and public dollars belong in public schools. 

On the positive side, several NSEA-supported measures became law. LB824, carried by Senator Lonowski, cuts the required break-in-service for retirees from 180 days to a clear 120 days before they can return as long-term substitutes or in other roles under the School Employees Retirement Act or Class V plan. The old intermittent-service loophole is gone, giving retirees certainty and a straightforward path back to Nebraska classrooms. 

Senator Ballard’s LB820 delivered a critical fix to cost-of-living adjustments for retirees in the Omaha Public Schools Employees Retirement System, directly responding to direction from last year’s NSEA Delegate Assembly. The same bill, which also incorporated LB1166, includes a timing adjustment for NPERS contribution rates – thanks to Senator Juarez – so future changes align with September paychecks. And because the NPERS plan is now over 100 percent funded (from last year’s LB645), many members will see another pay bump this July as rates drop to their lowest level. 

Higher-education members scored a major win with Sen. John Cavanaugh’s LB956, now law. Following an NSEA roundtable last winter, the bill requires public postsecondary institutions to share standardized compensation data. This levels the playing field for bargaining and helps address recruitment and retention challenges at our colleges and universities. 

Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh’s LB966, the Hunger-Free Schools Act, passed and will cover the cost of reduced-price meals through a private donation for the next five years. Families at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level will now receive free school meals, a direct boost for student nutrition and learning. LB304 also passed, removing the sunset date for the federal Child Care Subsidy program and preserving vital support for working families. 

Senator Rountree’s Resolution LR422 passed unanimously 47-0, formally urging Congress to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act at the promised 40 percent level. Currently covering less than 15 percent, the shortfall forces states and local districts to divert money from other priorities – an especially painful reality after this year’s special-education funding cuts. 

LB429, signed by the governor on April 14, establishes new requirements and restrictions for school boards in their dealings with professional employees’ organizations. The measure was monitored closely by NSEA to protect the rights and representation educators have earned through certification elections. 

Not every good idea advanced. Our top priority, LB440 for Paid Family and Medical Leave introduced with Senator Spivey, did not make it to the finish line. Yet your fall membership survey showed more than 80 percent of members still rank this as a top issue, and NSEA will keep pushing in 2027. If the Legislature won’t act, Nebraska educators have a proven track record of taking issues directly to voters. 

We also bid farewell to 13 senators who are term-limited or not returning next year: John Arch, Christy Armendariz, Tom Brandt, Machaela Cavanaugh, Robert Clements, Wendy DeBoer, Myron Dorn, Ben Hansen, Megan Hunt, Fred Meyer, Mike Moser, Dave Murman, and Jane Raybould. Their departures mark the end of an era, and we thank them for their service. 

Despite the challenges, NSEA members helped move several strong bills across the finish line and blocked others that threatened public education. Every phone call, email, and testimony you provided made a difference. We are already preparing for 2027 with three interim studies this summer and fall: LR402 on higher-education lab hours (Senator Quick), LR440 on reading screeners and retention (Senator Hughes), and LR455 on educator burnout (Senator Juarez). Watch your inbox for ways to get involved. 

The people of Nebraska remain the second house of the Legislature. Together we will keep fighting for the policies our students and educators deserve – whether at the Capitol or, if necessary, on the ballot in 2028. Thank you for everything you do for Nebraska’s public schools. 

Review of Education Related Priority Bills

Approved by Governor 

LB304 (DeBoer) Eliminate a sunset date for the federal Child Care Subsidy program  
NSEA Position: Support 

LB429 (Murman) Provide requirements and restrictions for school boards relating to professional employees’ organizations 
NSEA Position: Monitor 

LB653 (Murman) Change acceptance of students under the enrollment option 
NSEA Position: Support 

LB745 (Juarez) Change provisions to requirements for a diploma of high school equivalency 
NSEA Position: Support 

LB748 (Sorrentino) Change provisions to Nebraska educational savings plan trust 
NSEA Position: Monitor 

LB820 (Retirement) Change contributions by school districts, computation of tax withholdings, retirement allowances, and cost-of-living adjustments 
NSEA Position: Support (includes LB1102 and LB1166) 

LB824 (Lonowski) Change provisions to termination of employment under the School Employees Retirement Act and the Class V School Employees Retirement Act 
NSEA Position: Support 

LB924 (Andersen) Change powers of learning community councils and levies 
NSEA Position: Monitor 

LB937 (Education) Adopt the Prior Learning Act and change provisions relating to student transfers, school absences, option enrollment, extracurricular activities, and the College Pathway Program Act 
NSEA Position: Monitor (includes LB1146, LB1164, LB1224, LB1241 and LB1243) 

LB940 (Murman) Prohibit certain color additives in school meals 
NSEA Position: Monitor 

LB956 (Cavanaugh, J.) Provide collection of postsecondary institution compensation data 
NSEA Position: Support 

LB966 (Cavanaugh, M.) Adopt the Hunger-Free Schools Act 
NSEA Position: Support 

LB1071 (Arch) Provide, change, and eliminate provisions related to appropriations for the expenses of Nebraska State Government for the biennium ending June 30, 2027 
NSEA Position: Monitor 

LB1086 (Dover) Change eligibility requirements for community college gap assistance 
NSEA Position: Support 

Vetoed by Governor 

LB1029 (Conrad) Redefine terms to reportable funding from a foreign adversarial source for colleges and universities 
NSEA Position: Support – failed to advance 

Select File 

LB1050 (Murman) Provide requirements for dyslexia screening and limit advancement to grade four under the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act 
NSEA Position: Oppose – failed to advance 

General File 

LB730 (Kauth) Require schools designate restrooms and locker rooms based on sex 
NSEA Position: Oppose – failed to advance 

LB1219 (Brandt) Limit amount of property taxes that may be levied by a political subdivision 
NSEA Position: Oppose – failed to advance 

In Committee 

LB1034 (Dungan) Prohibit school staff from allowing federal immigration enforcement officers to access schools without a judicial warrant 
NSEA Position: Support – failed to advance 

DOWNLOAD THE NSEA CAPITOL UPDATE APP to receive alerts during the legislative session and stay up-to-date on events and education news from the Legislature. Click here for Apple or Android – or search for “NSEA Capitol Update.” 

*****