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OpenSky Policy

@openskypolicy.bsky.social
100 followers 18 following 89 posts

OpenSky Policy Institute’s mission is to use research, strategic communications and coalition-building to advance evidence-based policies that improve economic opportunity for all Nebraskans.

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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Have 3 minutes? Get a quick update from Lillian Butler-Hale and Dan Parsons on what's going on in the Unicameral. www.youtube.com/shorts/2wpnp...
youtube.com
NO TIME, LESS MONEY | Nebraska Legislature Week 2
YouTube video by Dan Parsons Show
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Today is Giving Tuesday, the global day of generosity. We hope you will show your support for transparent, wise, and sustainable tax policy through a gift to OpenSky Policy Institute today or before the end of the year. Give here: bit.ly/OpenSkyGivin...
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Our annual giving campaign is officially underway! Will you join us by scheduling a monthly donation? Every dollar helps us provide research and analysis that helps make the Good Life accessible for all Nebraskans. ow.ly/WX5q50Xy8sO
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Allison Orris @aorris.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
New interactive map from @CenterOnBudget showing out-of-pocket premium increases in every congressional district due to premium tax credit enhancements expiring. Explore it here: www.cbpp.org/research/hea...
cbpp.org
Marketplace Enrollees Across the Country Face Steep Premium Increases Unless Tax Credit Enhancements Are Extended
Annual premium increase, 60-year-old couple with income of $85,000 (401% FPL), by congressional district, 119th Congress Note: FPL = federal poverty level. Examples are based on 2026 average...
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Food Research & Action Center @fracposts.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
The Trump administration’s announcement that it will comply with the Court’s order and begin using contingency funds to partially pay November SNAP benefits as the government shutdown continues is an important step, but comes many days late and billions of dollars short.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Have you been wondering what is happening with the federal government shutdown, and how it might affect Nebraskans? We have you covered. Here's 4 things you should know about the federal government shutdown: ow.ly/4UMc50X8C7G
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Class is in session! Join OpenSky and expert co-hosts in a discussion about current school finance challenges in Nebraska, how recent federal legislation may impact education funding, and the newly-formed education finance commission. Sign up now! ow.ly/Gkas50WG9FQ
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Join us September 25 to explore how Nebraska's budget might look different if we built it around a common vision where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. More info and early bird tickets on sale now! bit.ly/47bzgFV
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Food Research & Action Center @fracposts.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
When SNAP is strong, families have groceries, retailers have steady business, and farmers have a market for the food they grow. Cuts to SNAP don’t just hurt people who receive benefits. Cuts weaken local economies and break systems that work. #SNAPmatters
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the reconciliation bill signed on July 4 will increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion. Yes. With a T. If you're having a difficult time wrapping your head around a sum that large, you're not alone.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
As school districts craft their budgets, they are scrambling to get information on whether critical federal funds for student and teacher support will be late, if they come at all. Read more here: ow.ly/8pxN50Won08
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Joanna LeFebvre @joannalefebvre.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
"Eight states—AL, AZ, FL, GA, ID, IN, NE and NC—saw their real per-pupil education expenditures decline even while their per capita GDP went up. These eight states had the capacity to expand educational opportunities for their state’s children but have gone in the opposite direction instead."
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
We appreciate everyone who called and emailed, communicating the stakes of the reconciliation bill passed by Congress. To say we are disappointed by the bill's passage is an understatement. 1/2
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
The Senate voted to advance the budget reconciliation bill today, which is likely to cut health insurance coverage for more than 150,000 Nebraskans, close at least 6 rural hospitals, and increase healthcare costs and premiums for all of us. 1/2
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
The Senate is debating its massive reconciliation bill today that would do serious harm to Nebraskans and the state budget. If it passes, up to 55,000 Nebraskans could lose Medicaid coverage, and over 100,000 would lose health insurance subsidies from the Affordable Care Act. 👇
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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities @centeronbudget.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
16 million people would lose health coverage and become uninsured under the Republican health agenda, including 51,000 people in Nebraska. Policymakers should protect people’s health care, not cut it.
51,000 people in Nebraska would lose health coverage and become uninsured under the Republican health agenda.
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Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Senate Republican leaders have revised their plan to cut #SNAP. The details are slightly different, but the bottom line is the same: this would still take food assistance away from millions of low-income people, raise families’ grocery costs & risk some states ending SNAP altogether.
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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities @centeronbudget.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
The House-passed budget bill would slash support for health coverage and food assistance while delivering $3.7 trillion in tax cuts tilted heavily toward the richest Americans, per @equitablegrowth.bsky.social's latest analysis: equitablegrowth.org/congressiona...
equitablegrowth.org
Congressional Republicans’ budget bill is the most regressive in at least 40 years
Jacob Hacker and Patrick Sullivan shine a light on the hidden regressive elements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
The House version of OBBBA includes provisions of the ECCA, introduced by Rep. Adrian Smith. It creates an almost three-fold greater incentive for giving to private school scholarship programs over other types of charitable giving. Learn more: itep.org/house-tax-bi... @itep.org
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Center on Budget and Policy Priorities @centeronbudget.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Parents of children over age 14 would be newly subject to #Medicaid work requirements under the Senate Finance Committee's bill that puts 9.8 million to 14.8 million people at risk of losing coverage in 2034: www.cbpp.org/research/hea...
cbpp.org
Senate Bill Expands Medicaid Work Requirements to Include Some Parents, Would Take Away Coverage From Millions: State and Congressional District Estimates | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Senate Finance Committee released a bill that would make the harsh Medicaid work requirements in the House bill even more damaging by extending them to parents of children over age 14.The Senate.....
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
A frequently overlooked part of OBBBA, the package currently under consideration in the Senate, removes tax credits for premiums paid for health insurance purchased through the state exchanges.
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Food Research & Action Center @fracposts.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Today we told Congress: 41 percent of births are covered by Medicaid One in three families with kids under five are food insecure We asked Congress: Don’t cut what babies & families rely on. Add your voice: thinkbabies.org/budgetcuts
thinkbabies.org
Tell Congress: Oppose Cuts that Harm Babies
Urge Congress to reject budget cuts to programs that support babies and families.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
And that's a wrap on the first session of the 109th Legislature! We are adjourned, Sine Die. We will have a recap of these last 89 days for you very soon. Any burning questions you have for us? Drop them in the comments and we'll do our best to answer!
media.tenor.com
a little girl is sitting on an orange slide with the words ok bye written on the bottom .
ALT: a little girl is sitting on an orange slide with the words ok bye written on the bottom .
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
The House Tax Bill prioritizes the top 1% wealthiest individuals in NE, not our working families. Slashing programs like Medicaid and SNAP that offer a safety net to our low income neighbors to pay for some billionaire's third vacation home isn't Nebraska Nice.
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Nebraska Examiner @nebraskaexaminer.com · 27/05/2025
VETO SNAFU ENDS: Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday withdrew his intended $14.5 million in line-item vetoes to Nebraska’s two-year budget, ending a possible constitutional dispute among the three branches of government. From Zach Wendling:
buff.ly
Pillen withdraws line-item budget vetoes Nebraska lawmakers said were unconstitutional • Nebraska Examiner
An agreement ended a possible constitutional dispute over intended line-item vetoes to Nebraska's next two-year budget.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
The Educational Choice for Children Act, introduced by NE's Adrian Smith, who represents dozens of rural school districts, would provide $10 billion annually in 100% tax credits for wealthy donors who contribute to private school vouchers. Read more here: www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...
americanprogress.org
How the School Choice Agenda Harms Rural Students
As proponents of private school voucher programs continue to push for expansion, it is important to highlight the harms these programs can have on rural communities.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Estimates by The Joint Committee on Taxation say the House GOP tax plan would add $3.7 trillion to the federal deficit. The highest earning 20% of households will benefit most, receiving $384.6 billion in tax cuts, while the lowest earning households would get just $3.6 billion.
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Anna Bailey (she/her) @annakbailey.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Household budgets are tight. Cutting #Medicaid & #SNAP will put households already facing unaffordable rents at greater risk of losing their housing & undermine efforts to address #homelessness. We need to make housing & other essentials more affordable, not less! cbpp.org/blog/cuts-to...
cbpp.org
Cuts to Health Care, Food Assistance, and Income Support to Fund Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Would Worsen Housing Instability and Homelessness | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Republicans’ proposed cuts come at a time when more people than ever are being forced into homelessness or are spending more than half their income on rent.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Thank you so much for your continued support! 💙
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Policy Analyst Trevor Toteve and Federal Relations Lead Ann Hunter-Pirtle joined fellow food security advocates on Capitol Hill, emphasizing the critical nature of #SNAP for Nebraskans. We are grateful to Rep. Don Bacon and Senator Deb Fischer for meeting with us on this important topic.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Debate on the biennial budget begins tomorrow. We'll have analysis for you thoughout the process, but in the mean time, Josh Reyes of the Omaha World Herald provides this breakdown of several pieces under consideration. omaha.com/news/state-r...
omaha.com
From taxing tattoos to ending incentives: 7 ways Nebraska might plug $396 million budget hole
Nebraska senators have an array of ideas to fill the state's budget gap.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
The NE Department of Revenue projects Nebraska will collect $190 million less for FY 2025 than the previous NEFAB forecast. #NELEG Read more about today's meeting of the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board here: www.openskypolicy.org/nebraska-eco...
openskypolicy.org
Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board – April 2025 Meeting Report – Open Sky
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Join OpenSky for a discussion with a team of experts on how we pay for healthcare in rural Nebraska, the role that Medicaid plays in that funding, and the impact of these investments. Sign up here: ow.ly/Pjw950VHhTq
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
This morning, the #neleg voted down an unfriendly amendment, AM 1131, to LB 192. AM 1131 would prohibit certain waivers for work requirements for participants in SNAP, a critical food security program in Nebraska. Read more here: ow.ly/zJjY50VGr3X
ow.ly
Work requirements for safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid: A punitive solution that solves no real problem
Proponents claim that adding more work requirements for programs like food stamps (SNAP) and Medicaid will lead to higher levels of employment among low-income adults. But EPI’s research shows that th...
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
April is Financial Literacy Month! At the core of OpenSky's mission is providing facts and analysis on tax and budget policy so that Nebraskans can use that information to plan for their own personal financial future. Ready for a pop quiz? Comment your answer below!
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Thank you to everyone who joined your favorite bean counters on Tax Day for an energizing coffee drink from our friends at Harbor Coffee! We appreciate the hard work of Senators and legislative staffers working to build a Nebraska where everyone can thrive.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
As we analyze the Trump administration's scramble to fund a permanent adoption of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act by gutting Medicaid and SNAP and enacting aggressive tariffs, it's key to remember that 40% of corporate tax cuts benefit foreign investors. @itep.org
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
While storks are known for delivering babies, sandhill cranes deliver more than $14 million in economic impact to central Nebraska during their annual migratory stopover. Learn more here: ow.ly/f68k50VuJwI
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Families Over Billionaires @fobaction.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Extending the budget-busting 2017 tax scam giveaway to the rich could have long-lasting negative consequences to our country's fiscal health 👇 #TaxFairnessNOW
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | America can’t afford Trump’s tax cuts. So the GOP is playing pretend.
Extending the 2017 tax law could have long-lasting consequences to our fiscal health.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
We've been checking out the data, and we're coming around to the idea of an EPIC Consumption Tax. Sustainable revenue sources that fund our government are overrated... April Fools! Love, Your Friends at OpenSLY P.S. Really, this was a joke. Read more: ow.ly/7zLO50VrS5V
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
"Pillen’s budget proposes dozens of cuts to government services and smaller cash funds — a trend that has continued from the last budget Pillen oversaw as governor. Critics have long accused Pillen of concealing government spending under the veil of these transfers." omaha.com/news/state-r...
omaha.com
Sustainable or shortsighted? With projected $289M deficit, Nebraska's budget raises concerns
How did Nebraska get from a budget with overflowing funds to one with a $289 million shortfall?
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Wave that checkered flag, Nebraska! Hearings conclude this afternoon, an important landmark in the legislative session. All day debate is next! Follow along with the legislative calendar and let your senator know your thoughts! Find it all here: nebraskalegislature.gov
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Omaha World-Herald @owhnews.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Don Bacon, in telephone town hall, talks DOGE; vows to protect Social Security and Medicare
omaha.com
Don Bacon, in telephone town hall, talks DOGE; vows to protect Social Security and Medicare
Don Bacon, a Republican, denied speculation that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will be significantly cut. He also criticized firings made by DOGE.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Medicaid serves as a lifeline for thousands of Nebraskans. It is critically important that we know the stakes and engage with our federal delegation to ensure they know the importance of maintaining adequate federal funding for #Medicaid. Visit openskypolicy.org/medicaid for more.
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
We're joining @fracposts.bsky.social and 100s of other orgs for a Day of Action for SNAP and School Meals. Join us at noon for a webinar to get up to speed & learn how you can join the fight for food security. Register here: ow.ly/MNZt50VjXEq
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Is Nebraska going bankrupt? You may have seen a viral TikTok video making this claim. Dr. Rebecca Firestone joined KETV to discuss the reality of the state's current financial situation. OpenSky's social media channels are always here for you with factual info.😀 www.ketv.com/article/tikt...
ketv.com
TikTok speculates Nebraska is going bankrupt. Here's the facts
Over the past few weeks, people on TikTok have been talking about Nebraska's state budget shortfall and concluding that the state is going to go bankrupt in the near future. We took these questions to...
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Lincoln Journal Star @journalstar.com · 18/03/2025
At least a dozen Nebraska hospitals would "very likely" be at risk of closure if Congress moves forward with potential cuts to Medicaid that House Republicans have floated.
journalstar.com
At least 12 Nebraska hospitals at risk of closure under proposed Medicaid cuts, providers say
At least a dozen Nebraska hospitals would "very likely" be at risk of closure if Congress moves forward with potential cuts to Medicaid that House Republicans have floated.
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Sharon Parrott @sharonparrott.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
The Admin targeted the Dept of Ed’s Ofc of Civil Rights for large layoffs. The ofc enforces laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality & disability status. As a parent & wonk I know the importance of its work for disabled students. 🧵
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
🚨 First timer alert! 🚨 Our brand new policy analyst, Trevor Toteve was in the hot seat in Health & Human Services this afternoon, speaking on the numerous benefits of Express Lane Eligibility for Medicaid enrollment. (LB 283) #neleg
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OpenSky Policy @openskypolicy.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
The USDA announced the elimination of the Local Food for Schools Program, which connects small local ag producers with schools to provide fresh, locally-grown food for school meals. Check out some NE stats below and sign up for emails for more: ow.ly/OqYP50VgNgM
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