Status Report on Legislation I’m Following

Details: 26 April 2013

One of the components of the Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities is "public policy efforts directed to restoring legal protection to the lives of unborn children and those vulnerable to pressures to end their lives by assisted suicide, and to providing morally acceptable alternatives to abortion and assisted suicide."

Hence, one of my responsibilities as director of pro-life activities for the Bishops of Nebraska is to monitor and lobby our state Legislature on these issues at the core of the Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities. Two months ago I featured in this column several bills I was either supporting or opposing. The following is an update on the status of those bills.

Healthcare Freedom of Conscience Act (LB 564) Introduced by Sen. John Nelson (Omaha), the purpose of this bill is to protect as a basic civil right, the right of health care providers to decline to participate in any health care function that violates his/her conscience (i.e. "religious beliefs, moral convictions, or ethical principles").

This bill remains in the Judiciary Committee’s hands after experiencing a very contentious public hearing March 1. Proponents of the bill (myself included) continue to lobby certain members of the Committee with the goal of getting enough support to get the bill advanced to the full Legislature.

Updates on Informed Consent Information Prior to Abortion (LB 300) This bill, introduced by Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, would improve the fetal development information available to women prior to obtaining an abortion. LB 300 directs the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to develop a dedicated web page on its internet site containing all the information required under Nebraska’s informed consent before abortion law.

It directs HHS to provide a link on this web page to the website of the Endowment for Human Development, which contains video of 4D ultrasound images of an unborn child at two-week gestational increments. And it requires abortion mills with web sites to provide a link to the HHS web page on their home page.

This bill also remains in the hands of the Judiciary Committee. Although this bill enjoyed a more favorable public hearing than the conscience protection bill (LB 564), no senator chose to prioritize LB 300 for this session. In most Legislative sessions, contentious bills (which, sadly, include every pro-life bill) are unlikely to advance unless they are prioritized.

Bills can be prioritized by a senator, a Committee or the Speaker of the Legislature. Efforts will be made to get both LB 300 and LB 564 advanced from the Judiciary Committee and prioritized in the 2014 Legislative session which begins next January. All bills introduced in the Legislature’s first session (odd-numbered years), carry over to the second session unless they are enacted or indefinitely postponed (i.e. "killed").

Although it is disappointing that LB 564 and LB 300 are not advancing this session, I’m pleased to report that the following bills, which my office opposes, are also not advancing so far.

Mandatory Sex Education (LB 619) This bill mandates so-called comprehensive sex education in public schools. There was strong opposition expressed at the public hearing on LB 619. This opposition and the lack of a priority designation has kept this bill in the Education Committee.

School-based Clinics and Contraception (LB 395) This bill proposes to eliminate the current law that prohibits school-based clinics from dispensing, prescribing or counseling for contraceptive drugs or devices. The bill has not advanced from the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee and was not prioritized.

Medicaid Expansion for Contaceptive Coverage (LB 452) This bill would require Nebraska to expand its Medicaid income guidelines for eligibility to receive taxpayer subsidized contraceptives. This bill also remains in the HHS Committee and was not prioritized this session.

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.