LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are gearing up to finish a session that has focused largely on children, including those in foster care, the criminal justice system and juveniles who need psychiatric treatment.
Legislation passed this year seeks to make it easier to place foster children with friends or relatives, and to protect minors who fall victim to human trafficking. Lawmakers have passed bills aimed at children from low-income families, with an expansion of child care subsidies.
Still another measure would extend the age in which former state wards can receive housing assistance.
Many of the bills are part of the state's ongoing child welfare reforms. Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln, the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman, says lawmakers need to stay vigilant to ensure children receive the services they need.
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