Senator Jana Hughes

10/15/2026

Yesterday Matt Howe and I had the opportunity to head to Omaha and tour the UNMC iEXCEL and the National Quarantine Unit that are in the Davis Global Center. I hope everyone realizes what an incredible place this is for Nebraska. The quarantine unit has 20 rooms. They look like a hotel room - bed, TV, dresser and a separate bathroom. They also have a treadmill or some other piece of exercise equipment the person can request. Have to admit - staying in a room like that for weeks on end would be tough!

The center also has a simulation area that groups will come in and use to practice in. They are working on mobile containment units that can be setup in minutes to take care of extremely contagious patients.

The iEXCEL area is also fascinating. I'm attaching a link to their website. Amazing simulation areas for students! Check out some of my pictures.

We have a gem here in Nebraska.
https://www.unmc.edu/iexcel/

10/14/2026

Thank you Seward League of Women Voters.

Thanks to legislative candidates Jana Hughes and Dan Winter for talking with voters at the voter’s forum Oct. 13!

It was an informative evening!

Now it is time to make sure you have a plan to vote! Check your voter registration, know the races on your ballot and know where to go or how to vote early.

10/13/2026

Served soup at the Kiwanis Empty Soup Bowls fundraiser. Proceeds raised go to support the backpack program. Definitely soup weather today! Great turnout at the event.

10/09/2026

Last week’s newsletter provided information about two related initiative measures (Initiatives 440 and 441) that will appear on the ballot on November 3rd. A third initiative that successfully petitioned to appear on the ballot deals with gender and sports. Initiative 442, known officially as the Fairness for Girls initiative, would effectively take the current state statute regarding male and female participation in athletics and place it into the Nebraska Constitution.

The current Nebraska law was enacted in 2025 with the passage of LB89. LB89 specified that all K-12 public schools, public colleges and universities, as well as any private schools or institutions that compete against public schools must designate every athletic team or sport as for males, females, or coed. The law also specifies that any team or sport designated for females is not open to biologically male students. Further, the law states that nothing restricts any student’s ability to participate in sports that are designated as coed.

Prior to the enactment of LB89, the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) policy governed gender participation in athletics. Critics of the NSAA policy, which was adopted in 2016, pointed out that it allowed biological males to participate in female sports if they could medically prove they had undergone at least a year of continuous hormone suppression or had s*x reassignment surgery. According to reports, during the period the policy was in effect - from 2016 to 2025, the NSAA received only 8 applications from transgender athletes. Due to privacy restrictions, the NSAA has not revealed how many of the applications it approved from the 8 it received. The NSAA policy was superseded by LB89 in 2025.

If approved by voters in November, Initiative 442 would amend Article VII of the Nebraska Constitution. Article VII contains multiple sections that establish the framework for Nebraska’s educational system. This initiative would add a new section to restrict biological males from participating in any athletics designated for females. The language of this constitutional amendment can be found on pages 17-18 of this document from the Nebraska Secretary of State:

https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026%20Ballot%20Measures%20Pamphlet.pdf

I urge everyone to read the pamphlet to be informed about the three initiatives petitioned by the citizens to appear on the November ballot. Next week, I will share information about a proposed constitutional amendment advanced by the Legislature, which will also appear on the ballot next month.

As always, if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My staff members - Matt and Katie - are available to assist you with your needs and they pass along messages, so if you'd like a call back, please let them know!

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 402-471-2756
Facebook: Senator Jana Hughes

10/07/2026

Great way to engage students' interest in both reading and writing!

"Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Nebraska Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a state reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre-fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic-explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s view of the world. Submissions must be completed online October 1 - December 31, 2026. Nebraska Letters About Literature is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Lincoln City Libraries, Francie & Finch Bookshop, Humanities Nebraska, and Chapters Bookstore in Seward.

The Nebraska Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select a winner and an honorable mention per competition level (Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7-8, and Level III for grades 9-12) to be honored in a proclamation-signing ceremony at the state capitol during National Library Week in April 2027. Their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. Nebraska winners and honorable mentions will receive state prizes."

Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Nebraska Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a state reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre-fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic-expl...

10/06/2026

I wanted to share information about "The Wellness Event" that Walmart is hosting on Sat., October 17th from 10am to 2pm. This free event aims to support individuals in achieving their health goals by offering:

- Free health screenings (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose)
- No-cost flu shots* and affordable immunizations.
- Complimentary vision screenings at select Vision Centers.
- Guidance from Walmart pharmacists on nutrition and medication.

*$0 co-pay with most insurance coverage. Restrictions apply.

10/05/2026

"The Southeast Elected Leader Academy (SELA) is an interactive leadership development program designed to strengthen the skills, connections, and effectiveness of local elected officials, appointed leaders, and emerging civic leaders across Southeast Nebraska.

Developed through 6 Regions, One Nebraska in partnership with Doane University and regional leaders, SELA combines practical leadership education, peer-to-peer learning, mentorship, and applied experiences designed to help participants better serve their communities.

The Academy is open to participants who live or serve within one of the 15 counties in the Southeast Region: Cass, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York.

Applications are due December 4, 2026. Applicants selected for the inaugural cohort will be notified the week of December 14, 2026."

For more information:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePdECzFmAIN_VtN-rmrgPIk2moPMa2O8x1rwiWWE6KpHdJRg/viewform

10/05/2026

Friday had an incredible opportunity to tour the location of NioCorp's Elk Creek Critical Minerals mine site. This mine will be fully functional in 3 years. There will be 8 products mined from the area with the majority being Niobium (Nb) and Scandium (Sc). Niobium is added to steel to increase its strength and Scandium is added to aluminum to also increase its strength. It also allows aluminum to be welded which is a huge benefit in the aerospace industry. Most of these elements currently are being mined overseas so this will very much benefit the United States.

I am looking forward to heading back to this mine in a few years and see it in action. The life time of the mine is approximately 40 years. Once this mine is up and running it will be the largest producer of Scandium in the world.

10/02/2026

This year’s mid-term elections occur on Tuesday, November 3rd - just under a month away. In addition to candidates for various local, state, and federal offices, the fate of several ballot initiatives will be determined by Nebraska voters. This year three public initiatives will appear on the ballot, along with one Constitutional amendment passed by the Legislature. Two of the public initiatives are tied together and relate to online sports gambling.

Initiative Measures 440 and 441 would allow online sports betting in Nebraska. Initiative 440 would amend the Nebraska Constitution to authorize the passage of laws to allow online sports betting in our state. Initiative 441 would enact the online sports gambling law that Initiative 440 authorizes. The supporters of both measures contend that online sports betting will generate economic activity and provide for property tax relief, up to $166 million over ten years. Opponents of online sports betting share how sports betting in other states has negatively impacted families, student-athletes, while transferring profits to out-of-state online gambling platforms.

The Nebraska Secretary of State has published a pamphlet detailing the exact language for the measures along with a sample of how the two initiatives will appear on the ballot. You can read that pamphlet here:

https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/elections/2026/2026%20Ballot%20Measures%20Pamphlet.pdf

I urge you to read through this information to become informed about these two initiatives that would allow online sports betting in Nebraska.

A few other considerations that relate to these ballot measures:

• In-person sports betting is currently legal at four operational casinos in Nebraska;
As of August, several national online sports betting platforms have spent nearly $6.8 million to support both measures
(https://nadc-e.nebraska.gov/PublicSite/Reports/FetchReportToPDF.aspx);
• Legalizing and taxing a new form of gambling tends to cannibalize the tax revenue from existing forms of gambling (slot machines, lottery, horse track, etc): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7780079/
• Prediction markets are currently regulated by the federal government. Therefore, if enacted, these new laws would not apply to wagering on sports using prediction markets and would not be subject to state taxation;
• Regarding property tax relief, the state currently spends $1.2 billion in annual property tax credits. An additional $16.6 million in annual property tax relief generated from online sports betting would increase direct property tax relief by 1.38%.

The Secretary of State is holding a series of hearings on all three ballot measures, one in each Congressional district. To learn more about these visit: https://sos.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/news-releases/Three%20public%20hearings%20scheduled%20for%20general%20election%20ballot%20measures.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawUrrDxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMWFDbFJza0NUYm05UUxkOTFzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeDK8YQa1BBVgDDdjNzsm49tjTbAXJnnvNsRtVivK0ulBCHKwGdYUKJIkOG1w_aem_erIh5WJtQoYJ40QKZ5W7KQ

As always, if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My staff members - Matt and Katie - are available to assist you with your needs and they pass along messages, so if you'd like a call back, please let them know!

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 402-471-2756
Facebook: Senator Jana Hughes

09/30/2026

A reminder that the deadline to submit an application for the 2027 Unicameral Page Program is coming up on Tues., October 13th at 5 pm!

"Legislative pages are selected in the fall each year to work for the upcoming legislative session, beginning the following January. Pages respond to Senators' request lights on the legislative floor. They run errands, deliver messages, photocopy materials, get food and drink for the Senators, assist the presiding officer, set up and staff committee hearings and perform other duties as assigned.

Pages must be high school graduates who are currently enrolled in a Nebraska college or trade school with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. They must be able to work 20 hours a week during session. It is preferred that they work the same four-hour shift each day. The legislative session will begin January 6, 2027, and go through June of 2027. This is a paid position and you may also be able to receive credit hours through your college."

Nebraska Legislature