Latest news with #Murman
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill aimed at getting more religion in Nebraska schools sidetracking Ed Committee
The Ten Commandments on the Nebraska State Capitol. April 17. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature's Education Committee has been trying for a month to get one of its packages of education proposals out of committee and onto the floor. But the past few executive sessions have been tense, and committee members remain divided. Now, the committee chair, who until last week had been optimistic about the package's chances, says the bill that includes giving teachers more time off to deal with significant life events is running out of time to reach the legislative floor this year. The obstacle: lawmaker objections to including one senator's priority proposal that would allow K-12 students to be excused during the school day for off-site religious instruction and coursework. Two Democratic-aligned lawmakers and one Republican on the committee have questioned the inclusion of the religious-themed bill in the package. But the Education Committee chairman, State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenville, continues to emphasize the importance of including the bill. The inclusion of Central City State Sen. Loren Lippincott's Legislative Bill 550 was part of a 'deal' involving the state Legislature's Retirement Systems Committee, one Democrat and other Republicans on the committee and the state's largest teachers union. Earlier in the session, people weighed in during a public hearing about a handful of religious-themed, school-related proposals from Murman, Lippincott and State Sen. Glen Meyer of Pender. Murman's proposal would require displaying the Ten Commandments in every state school. Meyer's bill would require 'In God We Trust' to be displayed prominently in K-12 schools. Lippincott, in addition to the 'release time' bill, proposed allowing school districts to employ unlicensed religious chaplains to counsel students. Murman's Ten Commandments proposal follows a successful effort by conservatives in Louisiana requiring it last year, the first new state law requiring the change in decades. Other states are attempting to do the same. Lippincott's 'release time' bill, LB 550, is part of a national lobbying effort by a Christian education organization, Lifewise Academy, with populist right ties. It also indicates that a decades-old push to infuse more religion into schools still has a pulse in the Nebraska statehouse. In other states, resistance from teachers, advocates and lawmakers to putting more religion in public schools has been used to build political support for taxpayer-funded vouchers or school choice for K-12 students to attend private schools. The latest victory for school vouchers came in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott signed a voucher bill into law, ending a years-long battle. Nebraska voters repealed a similar voucher law in November, though lawmakers have pledged to keep trying to pass a replacement. Some religious experts said Lippincott's LB 550 would help 'already privileged groups,' and a few lawmakers from both sides of the aisle shared concerns about blurring the line between church and state. A few said its passage could lead to the adoption of other religious bills. One GOP lawmaker who has proposed religious bills said LB 550 would just be the start. 'If we let these things go by unchecked,' State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said. 'It can absolutely lead to larger bills down the road.' The Education Committee effort to include Lippincott's bill in the package could signal a tipping point toward more openness in the Legislature for passing religious-themed bills. Senators this year have debated several bills with culture war undertones, including proposals relating to transgender youth and lab-grown meat some call elitist and unnatural. Gov. Jim Pillen has said in the past that Catholics and Christians should 'have more courage' to stand up for Christian values. Nebraska's religious bills mirror a national push by Republican state lawmakers that has been emboldened by President Donald Trump and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that appear to have altered the legal landscape for such proposals in schools. 'Release time' proposals like Lippincott's LB 550 have been legal since the 1950s. A 1952 ruling by the high court held that New York City schools could allow students to be 'released' for religious education and activities outside of school with parental consent. Murman aides had been confident for weeks that the broader education package would advance out of committee, repeatedly saying they had the votes to get out, including from State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, a Democrat. Juarez, who deal brokers and Republicans on the committee had viewed as a key vote for the package, told the Nebraska Examiner she flipped positions to a likely 'no' during a roughly month-long effort to get the package to the floor. Juarez said she was misled about why the Lippincott bill needed to be included. She said she was under the impression that the committee was required to include all of the bills discussed during the executive sessions. Republicans on the committee say they had been pretty clear about the terms of the deal. Murman said he secured a 'deal' with the Retirement Systems Committee to combine LB 550 with a bill from State Sen. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha that would help schools find more long-term substitutes so teachers could take paid time off around significant life events. Lincoln Sen. Beau Ballard, chairman of the Retirement Systems Committee, said his deal was with education 'stakeholders.' He said he wasn't part of the negotiations on the package's parts. Juarez also confirmed the Nebraska State Education Association was aware of the deal and could live with Lippincott's proposal. Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, had said earlier that finding common ground regarding religion is a centuries-old issue in America, but 'the battleground shouldn't be in our public schools.' Democrats on the committee said Murman's strong-armed approach about needing LB 550 in the package caused the stalemate. Lippincott's bill was chosen because it was seen as less controversial than the three other religious-themed proposals, people familiar with the package said On religion in schools, Nebraska Republicans seem more conflicted than some of their red-state counterparts. Some Nebraska Republicans in the Legislature — not on the committee — privately told the Examiner Lippincott's bill could be a step too far for them. Lippincott has said the bill would 'empower parents by giving them a stronger voice in their children's education.' Fellow Education Committee member Meyer called LB 550 a 'good first step.' Some Nebraska Republicans join national quest to infuse more religion into schools Currently, 12 states require school boards to adopt release-time policies for off-site religious instruction, while 18 other states have laws or regulations allowing boards to adopt release-time policies. Nebraska, Washington, D.C. and 19 other states have no laws requiring or prohibiting release time for such instruction. In those states, parents or religious organizations can petition their local school boards to establish a program, but the boards could reject it. One national tie to Lippincott's bill is LifeWise Academy, an Ohio-based religious instruction program. During a National Association of Christian Lawmakers meeting last December, the group proposed a model bill on 'release time' from school. After Lifewise Academy proposed the model bill, NACL approved embracing it. Lippincott's bill is similar. Lippincott confirmed that his bill is modeled after other states' 'release time' legislation. Jesse Vohwinkel, LifeWise Academy's Vice President of Growth, testified in favor of Lippincott's bill during its public hearing in February. LifeWise serves over 630 schools in 31 states, it told the NACL at its meeting. LifeWise has seen its revenues increase from $2 million in 2021 to $35.3 million in 2024, according to the group's IRS reports. 'We see a viable path of reinstalling Bible education for the public school system across the nation,' Joel Penton, the founder of LifeWise, said during a Family Research Council's, a Right-Wing Think Tank, podcast last year. LifeWise has received legal support from rightwing groups like America First Legal and has allied with some groups on the populist right, including Moms for Liberty. One Democratic-aligned lawmaker said during a recent legislative discussion that LB 550 catered to Lifewise. Nebraska Family Alliance, a lobbying group that has a history of being against abortion and advocating Biblical values, supports LB 550. On his podcast, Nate Grasz, the group's executive director, said Nebraska parents must have the same 'rights and opportunities' as those in other states. 'That must include giving their children a religious education,' Grasz said. Meyer said the Lippincott proposal could provide school boards 'cover' for those who wanted to implement a policy but didn't because of potential pushback, since every school would be required to do so. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Religious Studies Professor Max Mueller said the Family Alliance and other supporters of similar bills appear to want to blur the lines between church and state. Grasz interviewed Vohwinkel, who said the group 'enables communities to provide Bible education to their public school students during the middle of the school day.' Lippincott proposed a similar bill during the last legislative session, but it was bottled up in committee. 'We aim to support families who seek religious education with their children while strengthening character education in our public schools, fostering a well-rounded and inclusive learning environment for every student,' Lippincott said. He said the difference with his bill this year is that it would cost school districts nothing and that all religious studies would be conducted off school grounds. 'We got away from some of the things that made this country great,' Meyer said. That echoes what he said during his LB 122 hearing: 'We have somewhat lost our way on values.' Mueller said this type of framing of a type of moral decline, known as declension narrative, has often been used throughout U.S. history. 'America is always losing its way, and most often it's lost its way from its founding principles of this kind of Christian experiment … of Christians governing themselves,' Muller said. Meyer said he didn't expect his 'In God We Trust' bill to be included in an education package because it was 'controversial.' But he said he would not give up. Mueller said some lawmakers are more candid than others about their goals regarding these religious bills. 'Which is to have schools promote a very specific set of ideas about religion, ideas and about gender and sexuality,' Mueller said. State Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue, a pastor and Democrat, said he doesn't think the state should try to infuse more religion into schools. He said such decisions should be left up to school districts and families. 'I send my kids to school to be educated,' Rountree said. 'If there were things in the public school that went against how I felt religiously, then I pulled my kids out or had them with an alternative course of instruction.' Dungan said he has seen an increase in 'extreme social bills' during his time in the Legislature. He pointed to term limits as a reason why the statehouse is seeing more 'model bills,' because lawmakers are newer and less independent. 'When you have either lobbyists from Nebraska or other states able to influence senators at a greater rate, you're going to see more bills like this get introduced,' Dungan said. Murman said the committee could consider an amended version of Lippincott's bill as early as this week. Time is not on senators' side, with many of the remaining days of the session dedicated to the budget and other contentious bills. Examiner reporter Zach Wendling contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A proposed school book database law moves forward in Nebraska statehouse
A Nebraska legislative proposal would require creating a public online or hard-copy catalog of all books in the district's libraries, categorized by school building. (Stock photo by) LINCOLN — A bill requiring all public school districts to adopt a policy so parents can see what materials are in school libraries advanced with a vote Tuesday after a roughly 90-minute debate. State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, who filed Legislative Bill 390, said during its hearing that the bill is an important next step after the Legislature updated parental access to curriculum content and training last year. The proposed law would require creating a public online or hard-copy catalog of all books in the district's libraries, categorized by school building. Under the bill, parents also could opt in for automatic email notification or another form of electronic notification when their student checks out a book. The book title, author and due date to return the book would be included in the notice. 'This is important so parents can be fully informed and make knowledgeable and family-specific decisions on the content their children are reading,' Murman said on the floor Tuesday. Murman said different families have different values and should have oversight over what their children read. The Republican is one of three lawmakers who proposed bills that could infuse more religion into public schools and test the legal limits of the separation of church and state. State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha called the bill a 'watered down book ban' and said it doesn't solve any actual issue. Hunt left the Nebraska Democratic Party in 2023 and is currently registered as a nonpartisan but typically votes with the Democrats in the Legislature. 'Instead of focusing on teacher shortages, on cuts to funding, on whatever nonsense is happening at the federal level that is freaking teachers out right now in Nebraska,' Hunt said. 'Schools will now have to waste resources on redundant bureaucracy.' State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln defended the bill, though she agreed it might be unnecessary. Conrad is a registered Democrat and a former executive director of ACLU Nebraska. 'It is not a book ban. It is not the weaponization of the criminal law against libraries,' Conrad said. 'It restates and reaffirms parental rights that already exist.' Hunt was the only vote against moving Murman's bill out of the Education Committee. Last year, the Nebraska State Board of Education rejected a push to define and ban sexually explicit books and materials from school libraries. Much of the floor debate alluded to that failed book ban. Book bans have drastically increased in recent years from school boards and local and state governments nationally. Six states have enacted some type of book ban laws. LB 390 moved forward with a 25-2 vote. Hunt said giving 'conservative Republicans what they want' won't make them willing to work with more liberal lawmakers. 'I got a 'fell for it again award' for you,' Hunt said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers advance competing bills to end Nebraska's twice-yearly clock changing
The Nebraska Legislature is debating an end to twice-a-year clock switching. A pair of competing bills advanced Thursday. (Photo by) LINCOLN — The full Nebraska Legislature again signaled majority support Thursday for ending the twice-a-year practice of changing the clocks. However, nearly 30 state senators chose to advance both bills before the Legislature this year that would do so differently, delaying a final decision on whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time should be the path forward for the Cornhusker State. Most lawmakers said they could be swayed in either direction. Legislative Bill 34, from State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, advanced 29-13 to establish year-round daylight saving time. That's the period between March and November when much of the country 'springs forward' one hour and offers later sunsets in the summer. LB 302, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, advanced 28-9 for year-round standard time. That's the current position of clocks after 'falling back' one hour for earlier sunrises in the winter. Hunt led the charge on permanent daylight saving time from an economics position, arguing it could be better for parents to attend children's games later at night in the sun, play golf and go to restaurants or shops. 'It's a better thing for the economy,' Hunt said. 'It's a better thing for things like seasonal depression and just kind of the winter blues that you get when you don't have any sunlight.' Murman and State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of the Millard area led the charge on permanent standard time from a health standpoint. Murman said it offered 'superior benefits' that have been endorsed by major medical organizations. Kauth pointed to many of those medical societies, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Medical Association, Nebraska Medical Association and British Sleep Society. She said Murman's bill is best to end a 'tug of war' between biological and alarm clocks. 'Daylight saving time increases the risk to our physical health, mental well-being and public safety,' Kauth said. 'Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety.' Both bills would not go into effect until other surrounding states adopt similar laws: For Hunt's bill, three adjacent states to Nebraska would need to adopt a single year-round standard of time. For Murman's bill, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming would all need to adopt legislation for year-round standard time. Some senators have said the list should include Colorado, to prevent a 'time-zone island' in southwest Nebraska. Federal law currently prohibits year-round daylight saving time but does allow year-round standard time, which Hawaii and Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) observe. President Donald Trump has voiced support for ending the twice-a-year clock changing. Of Nebraska's neighboring states: Colorado and Wyoming have already adopted year-round daylight saving time, and Iowa is considering the same, like Hunt's LB 34. South Dakota and Kansas are considering year-round standard time, like Murman's LB 302. Missouri, like Nebraska, is considering either approach. Hunt and Murman found common ground in wanting to end the clock-changing practice, which research indicates leads to increases in seizures, heart attacks, strokes, car accidents and workplace injuries shortly after each twice-yearly change. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, one of 19 senators to advance both bills, said Hunt's bill might be good for recreation, but he also pointed to his children complaining about going to sleep in the summer while the sun is out and that an earlier sunset could allow fireworks sooner. He said it's nice to wake up in the morning alongside the sun, in standard time, to make breakfast for his children, which 'makes the morning more pleasant.' 'When we make a decision, we are saying what time it is going to be, which is a huge responsibility,' Cavanaugh said. In a light-hearted moment of the debate, his older sister, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, joked that her brother needed to be 'more responsible' about expanded fireworks use. 'I genuinely hate fireworks,' she said. 'I know that makes me a killjoy, possibly unpatriotic, but I hate fireworks, and therefore I cannot in good conscience support a bill that would enable extra hours of fireworks.' State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams, first elected alongside Hunt and Murman in 2018, said his wife told him after he won that she didn't care what he did up in Lincoln or what he passed, except one issue: 'Pass something about not changing the clocks,' he recounted. Freshman State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman was among those who praised the issue for being nonpartisan and widespread, not limited to urban-rural splits. She ultimately supported permanent standard time, from Murman, from an agricultural perspective. Storer represents 11 counties in north-central Nebraska where she noted some farmers wait to put out hay or begin harvesting until the sun is out. Permanent standard time, she said, could also be better for students who are waiting on the bus in the winter, sometimes over an hour in rural parts of the state. 'I just think we have to be aware of what life looks like for our kiddos in terms of just getting on the bus, returning from schools and trying to provide a natural setting in hours of daylight during those hours for them as well,' Storer said. State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha noted later permanent daylight saving time might help the Nebraska Huskers football team bring back a national championship with later practices. State Sen. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, a retired U.S. Navy officer, said he is no stranger to time changes while slowly transiting the Pacific Ocean, with clocks changing about once every three days. 'I think we're fine the way we are,' Holdcroft, one of four senators to oppose both bills, said. Hunt, who had originally said this year she'd be fine with ending the clock change through either her bill or the approach from Murman, told her colleagues she had changed her mind. She told her colleagues if they didn't want permanent daylight time to leave the twice-a-year clock change in place. 'At least the status quo, at least how it is right now, when we have these dark, depressing winters, we can at least look forward to the late nights in the summer when we have sunshine, we can sit on our patios,' Hunt said. 'If we take that away, I don't know what I'm going to do.' Advance BOTH permanent daylight saving AND standard time (19): Bob Andersen, John Arch, Christy Armendariz, John Cavanaugh, Danielle Conrad, Wendy DeBoer, Barry DeKay, George Dungan, Bob Hallstrom, Teresa Ibach, Mike Jacobson, Loren Lippincott, Jason Prokop, Jane Raybould, Merv Riepe, Victor Rountree, Rita Sanders, Ashlei Spivey, Dave Wordekemper OPPOSE both bills (4): Carolyn Bosn, Rob Clements, Rob Dover, Rick Holdcroft Advance ONLY permanent DAYLIGHT SAVING time (10): Beau Ballard, Stan Clouse, Myron Dorn, John Fredrickson, Jana Hughes, Megan Hunt, Margo Juarez, Dan Quick, Tony Sorrentino, Paul Strommen Advance ONLY permanent STANDARD time (9): Tom Brandt, Ben Hansen, Kathleen Kauth, Dan McKeon, Glen Meyer, Mike Moser, Dave Murman, Jared Storm, Tanya Storer DID NOT VOTE on both bills (7): Eliot Bostar, Machaela Cavanaugh, Dunixi Guereca, Brian Hardin, Dan Lonowski, Terrell McKinney, Brad von Gillern SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ed Committee advances bill tying minimum teacher pay to Nebraska superintendents
State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, right, talks with State Sen.-elect Victor Rountree of Bellevue at a legislative retreat in Kearney on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — A legislative committee voted Thursday to advance a bill that could lead to increased teacher pay, setting beginning compensation as a fraction of superintendent pay. Education Committee members voted 6-0, with one member absent and another 'present, not voting,' to advance Legislative Bill 300, from State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, the committee chair. The bill would require that beginning teachers be paid no less than 20% of what a school district pays its superintendent. School districts could not enter into contracts with superintendents if doing so would bring the district out of compliance with the 20% minimum for beginning teachers. The solution, committee members said, would be to raise beginning teacher pay, which could cascade to other teachers. School cellphone ban advances to full Nebraska Legislature, first of Pillen's 2025 priorities The bill, as amended by the committee, clarifies that the intent is to help beginning teacher compensation by adding in the 20% floor. The original bill stated superintendent compensation could be up to five times the beginning teacher compensation in the district. Superintendent compensation is already required to be regularly cataloged and reported to the public. If passed by the Legislature, LB 300 would take effect by the 2027-28 school year, when many superintendents will enter new contracts or renew existing ones. Districts would be exempt from the new change if the superintendent has been employed by the district for more than 20 years, such as in the case of Omaha Public Schools superintendent Matthew Ray. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, a former school board member, questioned whether it was right to cap superintendent salaries, particularly when OPS has more students than the University of Nebraska system statewide — 52,524 students in OPS and 49,749 students at NU this fall. NU President Jeffrey Gold has a base salary of more than $1 million. Murman said there's a benefit because administrators' salaries are based on the top amount. 'I know we need administration,' Murman said, 'but maybe we're spending too much of those precious resources on administration.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Twice-a-year clock switching could tick closer to end under three Nebraska proposals
A series of bills in Nebraska are aiming to change how the state handles changing clocks twice a year. (Getty Images) LINCOLN — Nebraskans tired of switching their clocks twice each year, in March and November, could have three legislative proposals to choose from this year to inch toward ending the practice. State Sens. Megan Hunt of Omaha, Dave Murman of Glenvil and Danielle Conrad of Lincoln have introduced, or plan to introduce, proposals to help end the time switch, which the senators said they, like many Nebraskans, are generally over with. 'I don't care which way we set the clocks,' Hunt said in a text. 'I just support stopping the madness of changing the time twice a year.' Hunt's Legislative Bill 34 would provide for year-round daylight saving time, maintaining the period between March and November to preserve sunlight later in the day — between the second Sunday in March ('spring ahead') and the first Sunday in November ('fall back'). Murman's LB 302 would provide for year-round standard time, the current position of the clocks in the colder fall and winter months when the sun rises earlier. Both bills would not go into effect until other surrounding states adopt similar laws: For Hunt's bill, three adjacent states to Nebraska would need to adopt a single year-round standard of time. For Murman's bill, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming would all need to adopt legislation for year-round standard time. Federal law currently prohibits year-round daylight saving time but does allow year-round standard time, which Hawaii and Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) observe. The bills are up for a hearing before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Conrad's yet-to-be-introduced legislative resolution would more broadly urge Nebraska's congressional representatives to push for a uniform decision and end the 'antiquated' clock changes. It echoes calls from President Donald Trump and bipartisan U.S. senators to find a permanent solution, according to draft language shared with the Nebraska Examiner. State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner proposed LR 276 in 2024 examining Nebraska's time zone boundary in western Nebraska and urging Congress to move the line a little west, matching where Nebraska's panhandle begins. It would affect the counties of Dundy, Chase and Perkins in Ibach's district, as well as Keith, Arthur, Grant, Hooker and the western part of Cherry. She said lawmakers should be deliberate in deciding what to do with the clock switching because of the extra state approval needed. Ibach suggested bringing Colorado into the conversation would be helpful, particularly for the three Mountain Time Zone counties in her district that 'sandwich' between Colorado and other Nebraska counties in the Central Time Zone. If Colorado sticks with the clocks as is, year-round standard time would create a 'southwest Nebraska time-zone island,' between March and November, for Perkins, Chase and Dundy Counties, as reported by the North Platte Telegraph and Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Those residents would be surrounded in the west by a different version of the Mountain Time Zone and in the east by Nebraska's Central Time Zone. 'I think we need to dissect it just a little bit further and find out the repercussions of actually passing legislation or investigating if we can pass that legislation,' Ibach said. Ibach said it's possible that any of the proposals could restart conversations on moving the time zone a few miles west, while she understands arguments from some local residents opposed because that system is all they've ever known. Moving the time zone would also require the blessing of at least South Dakota and Kansas. Hunt said she is a night owl and likes it sunny later in the evening, but she's cosigning Murman's bill to end the practice either way. Conrad has added her name to both measures and led a defeated effort in 2024 on behalf of former State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, now the state treasurer. Murman said he prefers standard time because of purported health benefits, aligning with more sun in the morning when people are starting their day, including students. Former State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard was an ardent proponent of year-round standard time, particularly for the effect on his Mountain Time residents and students. Erdman famously stated in March 2022: 'The sun comes up at an appointed time every day irregardless of what we say the time is. … When God created time, he put the sun right in the middle of the sky at noon. And if it's good enough for God, it's good enough for me.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
