Nebraska lawmakers reconvene for new session that could shape up to be as contentious as the last

By MARGERY A. BECK
Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature has returned to the Capitol in Lincoln to kick off the 2024 legislative session. If actions taken on the session’s first day Wednesday are any indication, it could end up as contentious as last year’s historically combative session. Conservative Omaha state Sen. Kathleen Kauth followed through on her promise to prioritize a bill that would restrict transgender student participation in high school sports and limit trans students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms. Progressive Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh introduced a bill to repeal a hybrid measure passed last year that included Kauth’s restriction on gender-confirming care for transgender minors as well as a 12-week abortion ban.