Nebraska State Senator Kate Bolz on LB 380

A couple weeks ago, Nebraska State Senator Kate Bolz sent this letter out to her constituents  who wrote her about LB 380.

As you can see in this letter to her constituents the Senator says that LB 380 will allow two individuals without a formal relationship to adopt. The truth is LB 380 will allow couples who are unmarried to adopt. These couples will have to go through the same process to prove they are qualified to adopt as any other married couple does. LB 380 also provides new provisions in the State adoption Statute to allow unmarried couples who are already parenting to use Second Parent Adoption or Co-Parent Adoption just like any married couple can do. 

Forward Equality and the Pass Sara Howard’s Adoption Bill, LB 380 Campaigns urges you all to write, call, and/or email State Senator Kate Bolz and urge her to support LB 380 and remind her what LB 380 will do. 

Here is a sample letter:

Dear State Senator Kate Bolz,

I must point out a misunderstanding; LB 380 does not allow any two adults to adopt without having a formal relationship. This bill only makes it legal for unmarried couples to adopt a child just like any married couple would do. The couple would still have to go through the same process of adoption as any couple or single individual.

I urge you to support State Senator Sara Howard’s Adoption bill, LB 380. This bill will give families the protection of the law they need.

This bill is so important to families because in the event where there is two parents but one is not legally considered a parent because the State does not allow unmarried couples to use Second Parent Adoption. This can and will cause harm to the children because the co-parent is not allowed to make emergency medical decisions, and many other decisions, and in the unfortunate event of a parent’s death the child may be torn away from his or her other parent because legally the co-parent is not recognized as a parent by the State law. Yes, Wills are good to help in the situation upon the parent’s death but it is not a legal document that guarantees legal parental rights and responsibilities as does a legal adoption.

This bill is currently supported by over 1,500 concerned citizens who have shown their support through a petition for LB 380. You can find the petition online at this link: http://signon.org/sign/pass-sara-howards-adoption

Thank you for your time, I hope to continue dialogue with you on this important issue.

Nebraska State Senator Kate Bolz’s Contact info:

• Phone: 402-471-2734
• Email: kbolz@leg.ne.gov

Forward Equality would like to point out that there is still an online petition that you can sign and share: http://signon.org/sign/pass-sara-howards-adoption

We Support The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013!

Forward Equality has decided to support H.R. 1523 the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013 to allow the States to decided for themselves whether or not they wish to legalize marijuana.

This bill is a very sort and simple bill that will only do one thing which is recognize the States laws when it come to marijuana.

The bill states,”Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this subchapter related to marijuana shall not apply to any person acting in compliance with State laws relating to the production, possession, distribution, dispensation, administration, or delivery of  marijuana.”

For information on this bill and its status you can go to this link: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/hr1523

Forward Equality Members Attend the 33rd Annual Truman Dinner

Last night, members of Forward Equality attended the 33rd Annual Truman Dinner, a tribute to the Men & Women of Organized Labor. Hosted by the Douglas County Democratic Party.

This event had some great speakers ranging from John Ewing, Jr. Douglas County Treasurer to Kris Pierce Douglas County Democratic Party Chairman and of course Jim Suttle Omaha Mayor. There were some awards given out to various people such as 2013 Volunteer of the Year to Michelle McElligott, 2013 Young Democrat of the Year Zack Burgin former OFA State Field Director, and 2013 Truman Lifetime Achievement Award to Kenneth E. Mass & Nebraska AFL-CIO.

Forward Equality members who attended include Mika Covington our State Field Director/Founder and Ken Riter our Secretary and a vital member of Forward Equality. We would like to mention that Ken Riter was elected to the Douglas County Democratic Party Executive Committee as the Diversity Representative.

We would like to point out that Forward Equality members and the organization (501c4 pending) itself are huge supporters of organized labor and the Democratic Party. We would like to point out that at this dinner were some of elected officials who are running for re-election who we happen to have had a chance to talk to some of them at this great event. Some of those elected officials include, future and current Mayor Jim Suttle, City Council member Ben Gray (introduced the Equal Employment Ordinance), City Council member Garry Gernandt, City Council member Pete Festersen, and Chris Rogers Douglas County Commissioner.

Forward Equality endorses all of the following for re-election Mayor Jim Suttle, City Council member Ben Gray, City Council Member Garry Gernandt, City Council member Chris Jerram, and City Council member Pete Festersen. All of these elected officials will continue to do a wonderful job with making Omaha a more progressive and fair City.

Forward Equality Endorses H.R. 676 to Expand and Improve Medicare for All!

Today, Forward Equality has decided to endorse H.R. 676, expanded and improved Medicare for all, the national single payer legislation recently reintroduced into Congress by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D. MI).

Mrs. Dean, Board of Directors member has stated, “ Our elected officials in Washington, DC, have the privilege of health coverage, that is paid for by the tax payers.  I’m glad they have coverage. But our elected officials may have become so insular, that they can’t relate to the paralyzing fear their constituents feel, who don’t have health coverage, when their loved ones need it. Secondly, an alarming number of families have no medical insurance and medical bankruptcies has climbed at an alarming rate.  Medical bankruptcies now make up about 61% of all bankruptcies. Meanwhile insurance executives have become among the wealthiest persons in the U.S. This is why I believe we must pass H.R. 676.”

H.R. 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare to everyone residing in the U.S.

H.R. 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental (including oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics), mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care and correction, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, podiatric care, and long term care.

H.R. 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. H.R. 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and the profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current 113th Congress, H.R. 676 has 41 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.

H.R. 676 has been endorsed by 598 union organizations including 144 Central Labor Councils/Area Labor Federations and 41 state AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NY, NV, MA, & RI).

H.R. 676  has been endorsed by 17 medical organizations including American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Falls City Medical Society, Kentucky, Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association,  Health Care for All Texas, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Health Care for the Homeless, Inc., American Association of Community Psychiatrists, American Medical Women’s Association, National Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, National Association of Social Workers, Puertorican College of Physicians and Surgeons, American Medical Student Association — University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, New Mexico Network of Health Professionals for a National Health Program, and CA Health Professional Student Alliance.

H.R. 676 has been endorsed by 6 faith organizations including Assembly of the Urban Caucus of the Episcopal Church, General Board on Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Church Women United, Social Justice and Ministry Committee of Saint John the Baptist Parish, Collegeville, MN, and Unitarian Universalists Association of Congregations.

H.R. 676 has been endorsed by 21 civic/community organizations including League of Women Voters, Americans for Democratic Action, US Public Interest Research Group, OWL, Peace, Living Wage, Universal Health Care Coalition (Wilmington, DE), Women’s Community Cancer Project (Cambridge, MA), Patriots for Change (Chagrin Falls, OH), Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Council of Senior Citizens, National Family Farm Coalition, The U.S. Conference of Mayors,  American Library Association, Results, Midcoast Health Care Reform (South Thomaston, Maine), City of Richmond Commission on Aging, Human Rights Justice Forum, Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), Cape May County, NJ Chapter #01042, Our Bodies, Ourselves, Amnesty International, and now Forward Equality.

Tell the Judiciary Committee to Support LB 380!

 Now, it is time that the entire Judiciary Committee hears from all of their constituents and therefore, Forward Equality would like everyone to take a moment to either call or email the Senators and urge them to support LB 380 and vote yes! 

Remember, LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

We have already prepared a sample email fore you to send and we ask that in your email and during your call to reiterate the main message of the campaign which is:

The State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to provide Adoption for All Families. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need. The law will decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system.

Here is the sample letter:

Dear State Senator (Senators First and Last name),

I would like to ask you to support Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Thank you for your time and please consider supporting this bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Nebraska State Legislature Judiciary Committee Contact (We ask you focus your emails on Senator Coash, Senator Davis, Senator Lathrop, and Senator Seiler):

• Committee Chair Senator Brad Ashford (co-sponsor) Phone: (402) 471-2622 Email: bashford@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Ernie Chambers Phone: (402) 471-2612 Email:N/A
• Senator Mark Christensen Phone: (402) 471-2805 Email: mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Colby Coash Phone: (402) 471-2632 Email: ccoash@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Al Davis Phone: (402) 471-2628 Email: adavis@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Steve Lathrop Phone: (402) 471-2623 Email: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Amanda McGill (co-sponsor) Phone: (402) 471-2610 Email: amcgill@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Les Seiler Phone: (402) 471-2712 Email: lseiler@leg.ne.gov

 

LB 380 Hearing Scheduled!

State Senator Sara Howard’s Adoption Bill, LB 380, is moving forward in the Nebraska Legislature and has a hearing scheduled in the Judiciary Committee for next week Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 1:30pm Room 1113.

Now, it is time that the entire Judiciary Committee hears from all of their constituents and therefore, Forward Equality would like everyone to take a moment to either call or email the Senators and urge them to support LB 380 and vote yes! 

Remember, LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

We have already prepared a sample email fore you to send and we ask that in your email and during your call to reiterate the main message of the campaign which is:

The State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to provide Adoption for All Families. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need. The law will decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system.

Here is the sample letter:

Dear State Senator (Senators First and Last name),

I would like to ask you to support Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Thank you for your time and please consider supporting this bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Nebraska State Legislature Judiciary Committee Contact:

• Committee Chair Senator Brad Ashford Phone: (402) 471-2622 Email: bashford@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Ernie Chambers Phone: (402) 471-2612 Email:N/A
• Senator Mark Christensen Phone: (402) 471-2805 Email: mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Colby Coash Phone: (402) 471-2632 Email: ccoash@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Al Davis Phone: (402) 471-2628 Email: adavis@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Steve Lathrop Phone: (402) 471-2623 Email: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Amanda McGill Phone: (402) 471-2610 Email: amcgill@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Les Seiler Phone: (402) 471-2712 Email: lseiler@leg.ne.gov

Please CC Forward Equality in your email at mika.covington@forwardequality.com

Please join the Hearing Even page at: http://www.facebook.com/events/421940447900175/

Also be sure to continue to share the petition: http://signon.org/sign/pass-sara-howards-adoption

Forward Equality Supports LB 577 to Expand Medicaid!

Today, Forward Equality decided to support of LB 577.

LB 577 will require Nebraska Medicaid to add the newly eligible adult population under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to the Nebraska Medicaid state plan. The bill provides for expanded eligibility to low-income adults who are age 19 to 65.  (Statement of Intent)

The bill ensures that Nebraska takes advantage of the opportunity to provide access to health care to at least 54,000 uninsured Nebraskans.   It is fully federally funded for the first three years which will return $2.3 billion to the Nebraska’s economy through 2020 and create thousands of jobs. (Nebraska  Appleseed) LB 577 also allows Medicaid access to low-income, non-disabled people living with HIV. (Nebraska AIDS Project)

Please Contact Your Senator and tell them to support and vote for LB 577! Here you can find their contacts: http://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_find.php

Pass Sara Howard’s Adoption Bill LB 380!

It is very important that your Senator hears from you and hears how important LB 380 is for children and families. Forward Equality asks everyone to please make a quick phone call and/or send a quick email to your Senator asking him or her to support LB 380.

When you call, you don’t need to say a lot—just reiterate the main message of the campaign, which is:

“The State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to provide Adoption for All Families. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need. The law will decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system.”

Then, help me keep track of how many calls have been made by clicking here: http://www.signon.org/tools/call.html

Sample Letter:

Dear State Senator (Senators First and Last name),

I would like to ask you to support Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Thank you for your time and please consider supporting this bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name

For more information on LB 380 please either go to Forward Equality’s other post on LB 380 or contact Mika Covington at mika.covington@forwardequality.com

In addition, Forward Equality started a petition through signon.org pushing for LB 380 and at the moment we have over 600 signers and our goal this week is to reach 750 signers! We know that with your help we can make our goal and with your help we can pass LB 380 and ensure Adoption for All Families! Here is the link to the petition: http://signon.org/sign/pass-sara-howards-adoption

Nebraska State Senator’s Contact Information:

• Sen. Greg Adams District 24 Phone: (402) 471-2756 Email: gadams@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Brad Ashford District 20 Phone: (402) 471-2622 Email: bashford@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bill Avery District 28 Phone: (402) 471-2633 Email: bavery@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Dave Bloomfield District 17  Phone: (402) 471-2716 Email: dbloomfield@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kate Bolz District 29 Phone: (402) 471-2734 Email: kbolz@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Lydia Brasch District 16 Phone: (402) 471-2728 Email: lbrasch@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kathy Campbell District 25 Phone: (402) 471-2731 Email: kcampbell@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tom Carlson District 38 Phone: (402) 471-2732 Email: tcarlson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ernie Chambers District 11 Phone: (402) 471-2612 Email: N/A
• Sen. Mark Christensen District 44 Phone: (402) 471-2805 Email: mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Colby Coash District 27 Phone: (402) 471-2632 Email: ccoash@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Danielle Conrad District 46 Phone: (402) 471-2720 Email: dconrad@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tanya D. Cook District 13 Phone: (402) 471-2727 Email: tcook@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Sue Crawford District 45 Phone: (402) 471-2615 Email: scrawford@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Al Davis District 43 Phone: (402) 471-2628 Email: adavis@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Annette Dubas District 34 Phone: (402) 471-2630 Email: adubas@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Mike Gloor District 35 Phone: (402) 471-2617 Email: mgloor@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ken Haar District 21 Phone: (402) 471-2673 Email: khaar@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Galen Hadley District 37 Phone: (402) 471-2726 Email: ghadley@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Thomas Hansen District 42 Phone: (402) 471-2729 Email: thansen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Harms District 48 Phone: (402) 471-2802 Email: jharms@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Burke Harr District 8 Phone: (402) 471-2722 Email: bharr@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Sara Howard Introduced LB 380 District 9 Phone: (402) 471-2723 Email: showard@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Charlie Janssen District 15 Phone: (402) 471-2625 Email: cjanssen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jerry Johnson District 23 Phone: (402) 471-2719 Email: jjohnson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Russ Karpisek District 32 Phone: (402) 471-2711 Email: rkarpisek@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bill Kintner District 2 Phone: (402) 471-2613 Email: bkintner@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Rick Kolowski District 31 Phone: (402) 471-2327 Email: rkolowski@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bob Krist District 10 Phone: (402) 471-2718 Email: bkrist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tyson Larson District 40 Phone: (402) 471-2801 Email: tlarson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Steve Lathrop District 12 Phone: (402) 471-2623 Email: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh District 18 Phone: (402) 471-2618 Email:slautenbaugh@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Beau McCoy District 39 Phone: (402) 471-2885 Email: bmccoy@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Amanda McGill District 26 Phone: (402) 471-2610 Email: amcgill@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Heath Mello District 5 Phone: (402) 471-2710 Email: hmello@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Murante District 49 Phone: (402) 471-2725 Email: jmurante@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John E. Nelson District 6 Phone: (402) 471-2714 Email: jnelson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jeremy Nordquist District 7 Phone: (402) 471-2721 Email: jnordquist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Pete Pirsch District 4 Phone: (402) 471-2621 Email: ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Scott Price District 3 Phone: (402) 471-2627 Email: sprice@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jim Scheer District 19 Phone: (402) 471-2929 Email: jscheer@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ken Schilz District 47 Phone: (402) 471-2616 Email: kschilz@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Paul Schumacher District 22 Phone: (402) 471-2715 Email:pschumacher@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Les Seiler District 33 Phone: (402) 471-2712 Email: lseiler@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jim Smith District 14 Phone: (402) 471-2730 Email: jsmith@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kate Sullivan District 41 Phone: (402) 471-2631 Email: ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Norm Wallman District 30 Phone: (402) 471-2620 Email: nwallman@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Dan Watermeier District 1 Phone: (402) 471-2733 Email:dwatermeier@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Wightman District 36 Phone: (402) 471-2642 Email: jwightman@leg.ne.gov

Contact your Senator on LB 380!!

It is very important that your Senator hears from you and hears how important LB 380 is for children and families. Forward Equality asks everyone to please send a quick email to their Senator asking him or her to support LB 380 and become a co-sponsor of the bill.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage. These children frequently become victims of the “foster care shuffle,” in which they are frequently moved to different homes. A child in permanent foster care can live in 20 or more placements by the time he or she reaches age eighteen. Consequently, children trapped in long-term foster care often suffer from increased emotional problems, delinquency, substance abuse, and academic problems.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Not only will it allow for more children to be adopted into a loving family it will help protect current families that have been seeking legal parental rights and responsibilities over the child or children they are currently co-parenting but without those legal parental rights and responsibilities because current Nebraska law does not provide for second parent adoption.

For more information on LB 380 please either go to Forward Equality’s other post on LB 380 or contact Mika Covington at mika.covington@forwardequality.com

Sample Letter:

Dear State Senator (Senators First and Last name),

I would like to ask you to support Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Thank you for your time and please consider supporting this bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Nebraska State Senator’s Contact Information:

• Sen. Greg Adams District 24 Phone: (402) 471-2756 Email: gadams@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Brad Ashford District 20 Phone: (402) 471-2622 Email: bashford@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bill Avery District 28 Phone: (402) 471-2633 Email: bavery@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Dave Bloomfield District 17  Phone: (402) 471-2716 Email: dbloomfield@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kate Bolz District 29 Phone: (402) 471-2734 Email: kbolz@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Lydia Brasch District 16 Phone: (402) 471-2728 Email: lbrasch@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kathy Campbell District 25 Phone: (402) 471-2731 Email: kcampbell@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tom Carlson District 38 Phone: (402) 471-2732 Email: tcarlson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ernie Chambers District 11 Phone: (402) 471-2612 Email: N/A
• Sen. Mark Christensen District 44 Phone: (402) 471-2805 Email: mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Colby Coash District 27 Phone: (402) 471-2632 Email: ccoash@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Danielle Conrad District 46 Phone: (402) 471-2720 Email: dconrad@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tanya D. Cook District 13 Phone: (402) 471-2727 Email: tcook@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Sue Crawford District 45 Phone: (402) 471-2615 Email: scrawford@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Al Davis District 43 Phone: (402) 471-2628 Email: adavis@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Annette Dubas District 34 Phone: (402) 471-2630 Email: adubas@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Mike Gloor District 35 Phone: (402) 471-2617 Email: mgloor@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ken Haar District 21 Phone: (402) 471-2673 Email: khaar@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Galen Hadley District 37 Phone: (402) 471-2726 Email: ghadley@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Thomas Hansen District 42 Phone: (402) 471-2729 Email: thansen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Harms District 48 Phone: (402) 471-2802 Email: jharms@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Burke Harr District 8 Phone: (402) 471-2722 Email: bharr@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Sara Howard Introduced LB 380 District 9 Phone: (402) 471-2723 Email: showard@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Charlie Janssen District 15 Phone: (402) 471-2625 Email: cjanssen@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jerry Johnson District 23 Phone: (402) 471-2719 Email: jjohnson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Russ Karpisek District 32 Phone: (402) 471-2711 Email: rkarpisek@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bill Kintner District 2 Phone: (402) 471-2613 Email: bkintner@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Rick Kolowski District 31 Phone: (402) 471-2327 Email: rkolowski@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Bob Krist District 10 Phone: (402) 471-2718 Email: bkrist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Tyson Larson District 40 Phone: (402) 471-2801 Email: tlarson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Steve Lathrop District 12 Phone: (402) 471-2623 Email: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh District 18 Phone: (402) 471-2618 Email:slautenbaugh@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Beau McCoy District 39 Phone: (402) 471-2885 Email: bmccoy@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Amanda McGill District 26 Phone: (402) 471-2610 Email: amcgill@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Heath Mello District 5 Phone: (402) 471-2710 Email: hmello@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Murante District 49 Phone: (402) 471-2725 Email: jmurante@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John E. Nelson District 6 Phone: (402) 471-2714 Email: jnelson@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jeremy Nordquist District 7 Phone: (402) 471-2721 Email: jnordquist@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Pete Pirsch District 4 Phone: (402) 471-2621 Email: ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Scott Price District 3 Phone: (402) 471-2627 Email: sprice@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jim Scheer District 19 Phone: (402) 471-2929 Email: jscheer@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Ken Schilz District 47 Phone: (402) 471-2616 Email: kschilz@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Paul Schumacher District 22 Phone: (402) 471-2715 Email:pschumacher@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Les Seiler District 33 Phone: (402) 471-2712 Email: lseiler@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Jim Smith District 14 Phone: (402) 471-2730 Email: jsmith@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Kate Sullivan District 41 Phone: (402) 471-2631 Email: ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Norm Wallman District 30 Phone: (402) 471-2620 Email: nwallman@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. Dan Watermeier District 1 Phone: (402) 471-2733 Email:dwatermeier@leg.ne.gov
• Sen. John Wightman District 36 Phone: (402) 471-2642 Email: jwightman@leg.ne.gov

Support LB 380, Support Adoption for All Families!

As State Senator Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380, moves forward in the Nebraska Legislature, Forward Equality would like to share information on LB 380 and why it is so important for Nebraska’s children and families.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage. These children frequently become victims of the “foster care shuffle,” in which they are frequently moved to different homes. A child in permanent foster care can live in 20 or more placements by the time he or she reaches age eighteen. Consequently, children trapped in long-term foster care often suffer from increased emotional problems, delinquency, substance abuse, and academic problems.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Not only will it allow for more children to be adopted into a loving family it will help protect current families that have been seeking legal parental rights and responsibilities over the child or children they are currently co-parenting but without those legal parental rights and responsibilities because current Nebraska law does not provide for second parent adoption.

Right now in Nebraska, there are many children in unmarried families where there are two parents but only one has legal parental rights and responsibilities over the children because joint adoption for unmarried couples and second parent adoption are prohibited in the State of Nebraska. This is harmful to those children and families. These non-adoptive co-parents lack legal security. Therefore, if the biological parent dies, the children can be removed from their home and families, then co-signed to strangers, losing both parents, and possibly siblings and other relatives, at a time when the child most needs stability.  In addition, the non-adoptive co-parent lacks the legal ability to make emergency medical decisions for his or her child.  (American Psychological Association; National Association of Social Workers; Nebraska Chapter, National Association of Social Workers; Nebraska Psychological Association Brief of Amici Curiae in Re: Adoption of Luke Case No. S-01-0053)

Second parent adoption has many benefits to the family and to protecting children. Those benefits include but are not limited to psychological and social, stability, legal security regarding custody and visitation, social security, life insurance, right to sue for wrongful death of a parent, right to inherit, and eligibility to put children on both parents’ health insurance policies. (American Psychological Association; National Association of Social Workers; Nebraska Chapter, National Association of Social Workers; Nebraska Psychological Association Brief of Amici Curiae in Re: Adoption of Luke Case No. S-01-0053)

Forward Equality would like everyone to call and email the Judiciary Committee Members and ask them to support and vote for Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.  Here is a sample letter and the contact information for the Senators.

Dear State Senator (Senators First and Last name),

I would like to ask you to support Sara Howard’s adoption bill LB 380.

LB 380 will provide for two unmarried adults to jointly adopt and clarifies provisions in the State law to allow for second parent adoption. This bill will protect children and allow families the protection of the law that they need.

The Child Welfare League of America and the American Civil Liberties Union found that that there are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nationally and many of these children had spent more than 36 continuous months in foster care. They have also found that children who lack a permanent home suffer serious damage.

This is why the State Legislature needs to pass LB 380, to allow all of the unmarried qualified families to jointly adopt. This will open up more possibilities for children who are waiting for a qualified loving couple to adopt them. This will help decrease the number of children in foster care and decrease the amount of time these children are in the foster care system, which will also save the taxpayers money.

Thank you for your time and please consider supporting this bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name

State Senators Contact Information Judiciary Committee

• Committee Chair Senator Brad Ashford Phone: (402) 471-2622 Email: bashford@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Ernie Chambers Phone: (402) 471-2612 Email:N/A
• Senator Mark Christensen Phone: (402) 471-2805 Email: mchristensen@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Colby Coash Phone: (402) 471-2632 Email: ccoash@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Al Davis Phone: (402) 471-2628 Email: adavis@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Steve Lathrop Phone: (402) 471-2623 Email: slathrop@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Amanda McGill Phone: (402) 471-2610 Email: amcgill@leg.ne.gov
• Senator Les Seiler Phone: (402) 471-2712 Email: lseiler@leg.ne.gov

Please CC Forward Equality in your email at mika.covington@forwardequality.com