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Proposal would let Nebraska lawmakers request developmental disability impact notes for bills
Summary
Sen. Kayla Cavanaugh introduced LB 220 to give legislators authority to request developmental disability impact notes prepared by Legislative Research; ACLU and The Arc of Nebraska testified in support, citing potential to reveal unintended policy impacts on people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Senator Kayla Cavanaugh introduced LB 220 at an Executive Board hearing, proposing a process for legislators to request developmental disability impact notes that estimate how proposed legislation would affect people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Under the bill, requests for an impact note could be made by a bill's introducer or by the chairperson of the committee where the bill is assigned; the Executive Board would have authority to approve or deny requests. The Legislative Research Division would develop the process and produce the statements. Cavanaugh said the notes are meant to identify whether a bill "would increase or decrease disparities in health care, economics, public safety, employment opportunities, or education." She told the committee the Legislative Research Office indicated it could prepare statements on request and that no fiscal note was required for the bill.
Supporters said the notes would give lawmakers better information about consequences for Nebraskans with disabilities. Joy Kathurima, policy counsel for the ACLU of Nebraska, said the measure would help legislators make informed decisions and cited the population scale: "Nebraska is home to over 218,000 Nebraskans with disabilities or 11.6 percent of our population." Edison McDonald of The Arc of Nebraska described examples where non-disability bills produced accessibility problems, citing a wireless deployment example that placed a utility pole in a sidewalk and "limited an individual's mobility."
Committee members asked about expected request volume and scope. Cavanaugh said she did not expect requests for every bill and that the Executive Board could be judicious in approving requests; she estimated the pool of bills that might receive requests at around 20 based on her organization's review process. The ACLU and The Arc urged passage to general file; no fiscal estimate was required because Legislative Research indicated it could perform the work within its current resources.
The committee took testimony from proponents and did not record a final action on LB 220 at the hearing.
