Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #NEleg

We are back this afternoon as the legislature reconvenes!

We will bring you the important updates as the day progresses but right now here's a live look 👇👇👇

Anyone inside in there? Lights are off 💭 lol

@NebraskaMegan

Things starting to pick up here this afternoon:
-Senator @NebraskaMegan Hunt threatens Republican colleagues a few times
- Speaker Jon Arch says Hunt was late coming back from lunch, that's why she was skipped over

Sen. Hunt is consistently late in the mornings & for committees

Senator Hunt rudely attempts to speak while the Speaker has his time. Speaker Arch proceeds to say, "Please Senator."

Arch continues to say the session is not over (in response to Hunt earlier this morning)

#neleg

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Live at the Capitol this morning, Senator Steve Erdman moves to suspend the rules 💪 He says, "If you like the way things have went the first 50 days, vote against this rule change.
If you would like to get your bill to the floor for debate, vote for this rule change." #neleg

Speaker Jon Arch begins right off by saying he supports this rule change, then cites Mason's rules as to how this is perfectly acceptable. #neleg

@JournalStarNews

Senator Conrad, from the fightin 46 🤡 cites the wildly fake news @JournalStarNews (@ChrisDunkerLJS) & says this is 'problematic' & 'unprecedented', using hyperbolic language and sounding crazy. She's big mad😳
30 votes needed to suspend the rules. Are there enough? We think so..

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Josh Cowen

@joshcowenMSU

🧵
So many different Right-$ groups inflating evidence for #schoolvouchers it’s impossible to ✋🛑 all of them. #txlege #gapol #neleg #INed #ksleg

But here’s the general pattern, using this EdChoice table as an example (there are many more):
1/ 🧵

First is the absence of abysmal negative OH, and IN results by teams led by Figlio and Berends, respectively.

Those studies use panel data and methods and find terrible statewide at-scale voucher effects—hugely relevant to legislation today.
2/
chalkbeat.org/2018/8/9/21107…

But #schoolvouchers advocates drop them from tables like the 👆 because they’re not lottery-based studies. It’s true that lotteries are gold standard evaluation tool—but have well-known limitations re: scale and generalizability—key issues today.

Any case, you don’t drop them
3/

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The Recount

@therecount

Nebraska State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh (D), who paused her 3-week filibuster to debate anti-trans legislation, addresses her GOP colleagues:

“You are caring, kind, and compassionate people who are here to do public service… Pay attention to this conversation. Open your hearts.”

Nebraska State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh (D) made a deal Thursday with Republican colleagues to pause her three-week filibuster and resume debate on a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming care for minors.

Learn more about Cavanaugh’s fight: bit.ly/NEFilibuster

“If this bill advances, the filibuster will resume. I will join it with my whole heart, with my whole chest. And every bill will be going to cloture.”

— Nebraska State Sen. Megan Hunt (D), during debate on the state’s anti-trans bill, threatens to bring the legislature to a halt

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I have too much rage to tweet today, especially listening to Senator Linehan and her attempt to "debunk" the factual information on LB753. I really, REALLY hope that our supports of public education in the #NELeg call her out on every single one. Here, let me share some:

While not currently being taken from the current public school fund, this removes $25M next year and roughly $96M over the next 3 years out of the state budget. It will impact public school funding in the years to come.
nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/…
openskypolicy.org/webinar-paneli…

10% of donations can be kept by the "scholarship granting organizations," which certainly isn't directly helping children in need.

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A reminder: there is a reeeeeeal quick way to stop “wasting time” in the #NELeg: pull LB574 “Let Them Grow,” the hateful bill that only impacts a small number of Nebraskans but impacts them in a huge and terrible way.

You want to talk about housing? Taxes? Education? Clean water? Simple solution - don’t spend time on the anti-trans bill. Pull it.

The question that every one of our senators has to ask themselves is: is passing anti-gender affirming care more important than any one of these other issues?

Read 7 tweets

Debate on LB77 (“constitutional carry”) starts today. Listen here: nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-medi…

For the record, the first “off topic” comments this morning were about gender affirming care and were brought up by Sen Kauth “correcting the record” based on Sen Hunts statement that “8 yr olds aren’t getting surgery.” Kauth’s referencing a 21 yr old who received care.

Question: apparently Senator Kauth is open to reading Nebraskans experiences and testimonies on the mic. Pretty interesting since she won’t even meet one on one in private with families with trans children who are begging to share their story.

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It's official: LB574 (anti-gender affirming care) and LB626 (abortion ban) have been placed on General File #NELeg

Looks like the committee statement for LB626 is now available. Here is the link and I'll post screenshots of the proponents and oppoennts nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/108/…

Read 32 tweets

Emily Patel, MD

@DrEmilyPatel

1/ If you care about the women in your life, abortion bans should alarm you. Tennessee already has a ban in place and there are people there who want to make sure that a woman is actively dying before they can have an abortion #NEleg propublica.org/article/tennes…

2/ Will Brewer with Right to Life said: pregnancy complications “work themselves out,” When faced with a patient’s high-risk condition, doctors should be required to “pause and wait this out and see how it goes.”

3/ Guess what: Will has no medical background. Doctors do not wait until an appendix bursts to remove it, they don’t wait for a tumor to metastasize before deciding to treat with chemotherapy. Prevention is the best medicine.

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@senatormachaela

First day post 626 & 574 being voted out of committee. Apparently neither was discussed at all. None of the opposition was addressed. The 3+hrs on both or almost 1,000 comments.

Not even discussed. @senatormachaela is telling us all about it.

Listen here:nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-medi…

@senatorblood

Senator @senatorblood takes the opportunity to talk about medical marijuana, sharing the story of a recent info gathering visit to CBD store. She says in the time that the #NELeg has been fighting MM, the CBD industry has run rampant with legitimately dangerous products

Her point: the Legislature has been so focused on the political perception of an issue that they've totally missed and/or ignored real problems.

I think that about sums up this session. Maybe even the whole institution post last election.

Read 18 tweets

CindyMaxwell-Ostdiek

@CMaxwellOstdiek

Watching Nebraska Legislature Revenue Committee & think important to point out that the proposed corporate/individual income tax reductions are for the top earner brackets only. It was specific choice to EXCLUDE working families & smaller businesses from these packages. /1 #neleg

I have reviewed the fiscal notes and highlight that Senator von Gillern's LB806 to change individual income tax rates is ONLY for highest bracket. Lower income Nebraskans get no relief. The fiscal note for the first year is $300M and $150M in the second year. /2

LB804, introduced by Senator von Gillern, proposes lowering corporate income tax rates for ONLY the top bracket. Smaller Nebraska corporations get no relief. The fiscal note for the first year is $60M. /3

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@ErinBamer

The Nebraska Freedom Coalition is once again on hand bringing you live updates from Hearing room 1525, where LB 626, The Nebraska Heartbeat Act, will hear testimony 💯 Everyone currently here in this room is a proponent! @ErinBamer @OWHnews line out door #nebraska #neleg #ProLife

@janekleeb

Opponents of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act are screaming in the hallway. @janekleeb you bring your posse??

Senator Joni Albrecht giving her opening remarks as things are underway.
"This is my personal priority bill. Every child deserves love. Babies with beating hearts should be protected."
#prolife

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The Nebraska Freedom Coalition is once again on hand bringing you live updates from Hearing room 1525, where LB's 673, 374, and 71 will have live testimony given 💯 Stay tuned for updates from the hearing and what this overflowing crowd has to say! #nebraska #neleg #schoolchoice

LB673 description: "Provide grants to schools that adopt a policy to provide emergency response mapping data to law enforcement agencies and provide powers and duties for the State Department of Education and State Board of Education"
Some very salient support #testimony given 👍

Recently elected to the Board of Regents, Kathy Wilmot provides testimony in support-
Important to note that Wilmot worked for KS Dept of Corrections @ Norton Correctional Facility for over 20 years. Later she served as Accreditation Manager
There are no opponents to this bill.

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We are on hand at the Rules Committee meeting today! Great to see Senator Erdman in his Chair position 💯 Looking forward to some great testimony to eliminate "Present Not Voting" and for written votes to be recorded for transparency 👏 #neleg

Senator Wendy Deboer, with a big DaVinci's pop on the desk. Classy!! She's lookin alive and ready to tackle today 🤠

Interesting, as Senator Megan Hunt is introducing a rule to strike the opening prayer, she's late to being called to testify. Always professional 👍 #wheresmegan ??

Read 27 tweets