LB 878 — Require paid parental leave for state employees
Last action — Presented to Governor on April 10, 2026
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Legislature
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4To Executive
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5Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 08, 2026. It awaits signature.
Signed by Governor Jim Pillen (Republican) on April 10, 2026.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Odds of enactment
High chanceBased on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.
Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.
A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.
Prognosis
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To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
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4 sponsors
1 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.
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Mixed recorded votes
2 passed, 6 failed in recorded votes so far.
Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
6 added · 106 removedPlain-language change summary
In the recent amendment to LB 878, a small but important word was changed from "to" to "through" in the context of defining parental leave. This adjustment clarifies the duration for which state employees are eligible for this leave, potentially expanding their rights and benefits. This matters because it influences how employees can utilize their leave to bond with a child, ensuring they have more flexibility during a significant life event.
ER154 ER154 LB878 LB878 2026MMM LEGISLATURE- OF03/24/2026 NEBRASKAMMM ONE- HUNDRED03/24/2026 NINTHE LEGISLATUREAND SECONDR SESSIONAMENDMENTS LEGISLATIVETO BILLLB 878 FINAL READING Introduced by Guereca, 7;7, Chairman Enrollment and Review 1.
Conrad,In 46;the Kauth amendment, AM2715, on page 1, line 18, strike "to" and insert "through".
Spivey,-1- 13;
Cavanaugh, J., 9.
Read first time January 08, 2026 Committee:
Government, Military and Veterans Affairs A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to state employees;
to define terms;
to provide for paid parental leave as prescribed;
to provide an operative date;
and to declare an emergency.
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska, -1- LB878 LB878 2026 Section 1.
(1) For purposes of this section:
(a) Agency head means the administrative head of a state agency, such as an agency director, executive director, commissioner, or executive secretary, who reports directly to the Governor, a commission, or a board;
(b) Parental leave means leave hours that the state provides to a parental leave eligible employee to bond with a child;
(c) Parental leave eligible employee means an individual who:
(i) Is a permanent state employee;
(ii) Has been employed by the State of Nebraska for at least twelve months and has worked for the State of Nebraska for at least one thousand two hundred fifty hours in the last twelve months or has had such requirements waived by the agency head;
(iii) Gives birth to a child or adopts a child who is twelve months of age or younger;
and (iv) Is assuming a parental role with respect to the child;
(d) Permanent state employee means any state employee in a position worked on an ongoing and continuous basis;
(e) Retaliatory action means to do any of the following to an employee:
(i) Dismiss the employee;
(ii) Reduce the employee's compensation;
(iii) Fail to increase the employee's compensation by an amount that the employee is otherwise entitled to or was promised;
(iv) Fail to promote the employee if the employee would have otherwise been promoted;
or (v) Threaten to take any of the actions described in subdivisions (1)(e)(i) through (iv) of this section;
and (f) State employee means any individual who is a full-time employee or a part-time employee of the State of Nebraska.
(2) A parental leave eligible employee who is a full-time employee -2- LB878 LB878 2026 shall be entitled to two hundred forty hours of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of such employee's child.
A parental leave eligible employee who is a part-time employee shall be entitled to paid parental leave proportionate to the employee's regular workweek.
(3) Parental leave:
(a) Shall not be used before the day on which the parental leave eligible employee's child is born or adopted;
(b) Shall not be used more than six months after the day on which the parental leave eligible employee's child is born or adopted;
(c) Shall not be used intermittently, unless:
(i) By mutual written agreement between the state and the parental leave eligible employee;
or (ii) A health care provider certifies that intermittent leave is medically necessary due to a serious health condition of the child;
and (d) Runs concurrently with any leave authorized under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C.
2601 et seq.
(4) A parental leave eligible employee shall not use more than two hundred forty hours of paid parental leave within a single twelve-month period.
(5)(a) Except as provided in subdivision (5)(b) of this section, a parental leave eligible employee shall give the state notice at least thirty days before the day on which the employee plans to begin using parental leave under this section.
(b) If circumstances beyond the parental leave eligible employee's control prevent the employee from giving notice in accordance with subdivision (5)(a) of this section, the employee shall give such notice as soon as reasonably practicable.
Show all 57 changed lines (17 more)
(6) Except as provided in subdivision (3)(d) of this section, the state shall not charge parental leave under this section against sick, vacation, compensatory, or other leave a parental leave eligible employee is entitled to.
-3- LB878 LB878 2026 (7) The state shall not compensate a parental leave eligible employee for any unused parental leave upon termination of employment.
(8) Following the expiration of parental leave under this section, the state shall ensure that the parental leave eligible employee may return to:
(a) The position that the employee held before using parental leave;
or (b) A position with the state that is equivalent in seniority, status, benefits, and pay to the position that the employee held before using parental leave.
(9) During the time a parental leave eligible employee uses parental leave under this section, the employee shall continue to receive all employment related benefits and payments at the same level that the employee received immediately before beginning the parental leave, provided that the employee pays any required employee contributions.
(10) The state shall not:
(a) Interfere with or otherwise restrain a parental leave eligible employee from using parental leave in accordance with this section;
or (b) Take retaliatory action against a parental leave eligible employee for using parental leave in accordance with this section.
(11) The Department of Administrative Services shall administer this section.
Sec.
2.
This act becomes operative on July 1, 2026.
Sec.
3.
Since an emergency exists, this act takes effect when passed and approved according to law.
-4-
Show all 57 changed rows (17 more)
View plain text versions (5)
- Enrolled Enrollment and Review ER154 Current pdf
- Final Reading View text pdf
- Kauth AM2715 View text pdf
- Guereca AM3135 View text pdf
- Introduced View text pdf
Action History
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Presented to Governor on April 10, 2026
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Returned by Governor without approval on April 16, 2026
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Guereca MO587 That LB878 becomes law notwithstanding the objections of the Governor filed
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Guereca MO587 failed
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Failed to become law notwithstanding the objections of the Governor 21-27-1
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Communication
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Passed on Final Reading with Emergency Clause 41-7*-1
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President/Speaker signed
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Guereca AM2980 withdrawn
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Guereca AM3135 filed
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Guereca AM3135 adopted
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Advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment
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Placed on Final Reading with ST95
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Enrollment and Review ST95 filed
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Enrollment and Review ST95 recorded
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Enrollment and Review ER154 adopted
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Kauth AM2751 filed
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No objections to unanimous consent request to withdraw and substitute amendment
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Kauth FA518 withdrawn
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Kauth AM2751 not germane
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Guereca FA1057 withdrawn
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Guereca FA1106 withdrawn
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Guereca FA1107 withdrawn
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Guereca AM2980 filed
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Kauth FA1185 to AM2980 filed
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Kauth FA1185 adopted
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Cavanaugh, M. MO570 Reconsider the vote taken on FA1185 filed
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Cavanaugh, M. MO570 prevailed
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Kauth FA1185 reconsidered
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Kauth FA1185 withdrawn
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Passed over
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Placed on Select File with ER154
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Enrollment and Review ER154 filed
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Guereca FA1106 filed
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Guereca FA1107 filed
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Guereca FA1057 filed
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Guereca FA462 withdrawn
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Kauth AM2715 filed
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Kauth AM2715 adopted
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Cavanaugh, M. MO519 Reconsider the vote taken on AM2715 filed
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Cavanaugh, M. MO519 failed
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Advanced to Enrollment and Review Initial
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Placed on General File
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Guereca priority bill
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Cavanaugh, J. name added
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Notice of hearing for January 30, 2026
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Referred to Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
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Spivey name added
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Kauth FA518 filed
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Conrad name added
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Date of introduction
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Guereca FA462 filed
Sponsors
- Dunixi Guereca · Primary
- John Cavanaugh · Cosponsor
- Ashlei Spivey · Cosponsor
- Danielle Conrad · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 45 not signed on · 43 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Dunixi Guereca Voted No
Co-sponsors (3)
- John Cavanaugh Voted No
- Ashlei Spivey Voted No
- Danielle Conrad Voted No
Not signed on (45)
45 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 45 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 21 | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 21 | 27 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 43% | 55% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (49)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ashlei Spivey | — | Yea |
| Barry DeKay | — | Nay |
| Beau Ballard | — | Nay |
| Ben Hansen | — | Nay |
| Bob Andersen | — | Nay |
| Bob Hallstrom | — | Nay |
| Brian Hardin | — | Nay |
| Carolyn Bosn | — | Nay |
| Cavanaugh, J. | — | Yea |
| Cavanaugh, M. | — | Yea |
| Christy Armendariz | — | Nay |
| Dan Lonowski | — | Nay |
| Dan Quick | — | Yea |
| Danielle Conrad | — | Yea |
| Dave Murman | — | Nay |
| Dave Wordekemper | — | Yea |
| Dunixi Guereca | — | Yea |
| Eliot Bostar | — | Not Voting |
| George Dungan | — | Yea |
| Jana Hughes | — | Yea |
| Jane Raybould | — | Yea |
| Jared Storm | — | Nay |
| Jason Prokop | — | Yea |
| John Arch | — | Nay |
| John Fredrickson | — | Yea |
| Kathleen Kauth | — | Nay |
| Loren Lippincott | — | Nay |
| Margo Juarez | — | Yea |
| Megan Hunt | — | Yea |
| Merv Riepe | — | Nay |
| Meyer, F. | — | Nay |
| Meyer, G. | — | Nay |
| Mike Jacobson | — | Nay |
| Mike Moser | — | Yea |
| Myron Dorn | — | Yea |
| Paul Strommen | — | Nay |
| Rick Holdcroft | — | Nay |
| Rita Sanders | — | Nay |
| Robert Clements | — | Nay |
| Robert Dover | — | Nay |
| Stan Clouse | — | Nay |
| Tanya Storer | — | Nay |
| Teresa Ibach | — | Nay |
| Terrell McKinney | — | Yea |
| Tom Brandt | — | Yea |
| Tony Sorrentino | — | Nay |
| Victor Rountree | — | Yea |
| Wendy DeBoer | — | Yea |
| von Gillern | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 41 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 41 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 84% | 14% | 0% | 2% |
How each member voted (49)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ashlei Spivey | — | Yea |
| Barry DeKay | — | Yea |
| Beau Ballard | — | Yea |
| Ben Hansen | — | Yea |
| Bob Andersen | — | Nay |
| Bob Hallstrom | — | Yea |
| Brian Hardin | — | Yea |
| Carolyn Bosn | — | Yea |
| Christy Armendariz | — | Not Voting |
| Dan Lonowski | — | Nay |
| Dan Quick | — | Yea |
| Danielle Conrad | — | Yea |
| Dave Murman | — | Yea |
| Dave Wordekemper | — | Yea |
| Dunixi Guereca | — | Yea |
| Eliot Bostar | — | Yea |
| Fred Meyer | — | Yea |
| George Dungan | — | Yea |
| Glen Meyer | — | Yea |
| Jana Hughes | — | Yea |
| Jane Raybould | — | Yea |
| Jared Storm | — | Yea |
| Jason Prokop | — | Yea |
| John Arch | — | Yea |
| John Cavanaugh | — | Yea |
| John Fredrickson | — | Yea |
| Kathleen Kauth | — | Yea |
| Loren Lippincott | — | Nay |
| Machaela Cavanaugh | — | Yea |
| Margo Juarez | — | Yea |
| Megan Hunt | — | Yea |
| Merv Riepe | — | Nay |
| Mike Jacobson | — | Nay |
| Mike Moser | — | Yea |
| Myron Dorn | — | Yea |
| Paul Strommen | — | Yea |
| R. Brad von Gillern | — | Yea |
| Rick Holdcroft | — | Yea |
| Rita Sanders | — | Yea |
| Robert Clements | — | Nay |
| Robert Dover | — | Nay |
| Stan Clouse | — | Yea |
| Tanya Storer | — | Yea |
| Teresa Ibach | — | Yea |
| Terrell McKinney | — | Yea |
| Tom Brandt | — | Yea |
| Tony Sorrentino | — | Yea |
| Victor Rountree | — | Yea |
| Wendy DeBoer | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 43 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 43 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| % of votes cast | 88% | 0% | 0% | 12% |
How each member voted (49)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 44 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 44 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 0% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (49)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 25 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 25 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| % of votes cast | 51% | 33% | 0% | 16% |
How each member voted (49)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 29 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Total | 29 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| % of votes cast | 59% | 10% | 0% | 31% |
How each member voted (49)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 27 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 27 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| % of votes cast | 55% | 18% | 0% | 27% |
How each member voted (49)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 13 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| Total | 13 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| % of votes cast | 27% | 43% | 0% | 31% |
How each member voted (49)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- Who sponsors LB 878?
- LB 878 is sponsored by Dunixi Guereca, John Cavanaugh, Ashlei Spivey, and Danielle Conrad.
- What is the current status of LB 878?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced January 08, 2026. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track LB 878?
- Track LB 878 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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