Next Friday, February 11th, the Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the state’s failure to apply for the latest round of emergency rental assistance available through the federal government. The committee will take testimony from the public on an amendment filed by Sen. Matt Hansen onto LB446. The amendment (AM1737) would require the state to apply for all available emergency rental and mortgage assistance.
Nebraska is one of only two states to fail to apply for additional assistance, leaving millions of dollars on the table that could help struggling Nebraskans. The Treasury Department has extended the application deadline to March 30, 2022, to allow us to apply. Nebraska could receive a little over $120 million in funding.
The hearing will be at 12:00 PM in Room 1525 at the State Capitol. We are urging CSN members to testify at the hearing to tell the committee how additional rental assistance would benefit those they serve.
To submit comments in support, email Committee Clerk Angenita at apierre-louis@leg.ne.gov. Make sure to note your support for AM1737 and that you would like your comments to be part of the legislative record. (Committees do not accept online comments through the portal system for amendments).
You can also email committee members directly to voice your support for the amendment.
Committee members are:
Chairman Wayne (jwayne@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Arch (jarch@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Blood (cblood@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Briese (tbriese@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Matt Hansen (mhansen@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Hunt (mhunt@leg.ne.gov)
Sen. Lowe (jlowe@leg.ne.gov)
If you have questions, please contact Courtney at courtney@strongnebraska.org.
Upcoming hearings on spending federal funding
Earlier this year, the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands (NAM) hosted community roundtables, where hundreds of Nebraska nonprofits gave input on how to spend over $1 billion in funding the state has to spend from the American Rescue Plan Act. Nonprofits created recommendations supporting five different priority areas (Early Childhood, Food Security, Housing, Health, and Workforce).
The Appropriations Committee has scheduled several hearings on bills introduced that the recommendations support. The hearings scheduled for next week are all Friday, February 11th in the Health and Human Services Committee:
- LB865, introduced by Sen. Wendy DeBoer, increases child care reimbursement rates for the state’s child care subsidy program.
- LB1007, introduced by Sen. Murman, eliminates the match requirement from a local entity for Rural Loan Forgiveness Program.
- LB1091, introduced by Sen. Dorn, allocates $5 million in ARPA funds for scholarships for nursing students.
For a full list of recommendations and corresponding bills with hearing dates, click here.
Important committee hearings next week
Public hearings are in full swing for the 2022 legislative session. We urge you to voice your support or opposition by testifying at the committee hearing or submitting an online written comment. Below are some key bills we’re following that have hearings next week. For a full list of bills we support with hearings dates, view our bill tracker.
Tuesday, February 8th:
- LB1071, introduced by Sen. Williams, allocates $30 million to the Department of Economic Development for rural workforce housing.
Wednesday, February 9th:
- LB730, introduced by Sen. Lindstrom, provides tax credits for employers with skills training programs.
- LB1113, introduced by Sen. McKinney, uses federal ARPA funding to create a pilot program to provide a monthly stipend to young people aging out of the Bridge to Independence program.
- LB1173, introduced by the Health and Human Services Committee, creates a working group to bring needed reform to the state’s child welfare system.
- LB1276, introduced by Sen. McKinney, allows for civil action against law enforcement officers who commit misconduct.
Thursday, February 10th:
- LB857, introduced by Sen. Day, uses federal ARPA funding to speed up eligibility for a medical assistance program for children and the children’s health insurance program.
- LB1037, introduced by Sen. Arch, requires the Department of Administrative Services to hire a consultant to evaluate the state’s procurement practices.
Friday, February 11th:
- LB1038, introduced by Sen. Matt Hansen, prevents landlords from charging automatic carpet cleaning fees to tenants.
- LB1044, introduced by Sen. Hilkemann, allocates $2 million in federal ARPA funds for grants to innovate hospital care and improve the healthcare workforce.
- LB1091, introduced by Sen. Dorn, allocates $5 million in federal ARPA funds to scholarships for nursing students.
- LB1222, introduced by Matt Hansen, updates the Mobile Home Landlord and Tenant Act to increase the rights of mobile home tenants.