Hearings for Bills Reining in ICE, What You Need to Know

Nebraskans have felt the harms of the current massive deportation efforts: families separated, rights violated, and fears impacting our schools, businesses, and places of worship. Nebraska lawmakers have introduced a set of bills that aim to protect our communities. With a hearing date approaching, we have a responsibility to support those efforts by showing up and speaking out.

• At 12:15 p.m., join the ACLU of Nebraska, Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, Heartland Workers Center and other partners in the Nebraska State Capitol’s vestibule on the second floor (by the north steps) for a press event calling on lawmakers to protect our neighbors and our communities. Signs will be provided.
• Beginning at 1:30 p.m., the Judiciary Committee will hold three hearings in room 1525. One will focus on LB 854 and LB 906, which prohibit federal agents and law enforcement officers from covering their faces during routine operations. One will focus on LB 881 and LB 963, which require public notice and a vote of elected officials before law enforcement agencies, jails, and state entities enter agreements related to immigration enforcement. The last hearing will focus on LB 907, which prohibits law enforcement officers without a valid judicial warrant from entering certain sensitive locations, such as schools, churches, and hospitals.

Each hearing will follow annotated committee guidelines, meaning they operate a little differently from normal hearings. Hearings begin at 1:30 p.m., and senators will first hear from the introducer of each bill, then supporters. Lawmakers will hear an hour of supporter testimony (that’s all of us!) before switching over to opponents for an hour. There will then be time for any neutral testifiers before the committee switches back to supporters. The cycle continues from there until all testifiers have been heard.

Remember that lawmakers will be holding three hearings on the three different topics of masks, law enforcement partnerships, and enforcement in sensitive locations. This means the process outlined above will happen up to three times depending on turnout. We encourage you to speak at all three hearings if your schedule allows.

Annotated hearing guidelines include other requirements. For example, all testifiers will need to pass through a metal detector and may have their bags searched.

Our friends at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska offer an excellent resource walking you through the process. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

First, posters and props are not allowed in the hearing room and in general, no signs over 11” x 17” are allowed in the Capitol. If you are attending Friday's press event, please return your poster to ACLU staff or plan to leave it outside the hearing room.

If you are bringing written testimony, consider printing copies for the committee. The legislature’s site recommends 15 copies just to be safe.

Once you arrive, find a green testifier sheet and fill out your name, stance, the bill number, and the organization you represent, if applicable. Be prepared to hand your sheet to the committee clerk upon testifying. There will also be gold non-testifier attendee sheets if you simply wish to record your opposition to the bill but cannot testify or do not want to.

In annotated hearings, testimony is limited to three minutes. In general, we recommend a flow like this:

1. Introduce yourself and your position on the bill: “Good afternoon, Chairperson Bosn and members of the Judiciary Committee. My name is [say name, then spell name], and I am here to speak in strong support of LB [bill number] and LB [bill number].”
2. Explain why you support these reforms. Consider sharing a personal story or specific experience that inspired you to testify. Remember that you are the expert on your own story, and that senators want to hear unique perspectives.
3. Finish your testimony by thanking the committee and asking them to advance the bills out of committee.

A light system helps you stay on track. Yellow signals that you have a minute left. At red, you should stop immediately, even mid-sentence. Senators will appreciate you respecting the time limit and may ask you to complete your thoughts.

Want to be heard but facing an accessibility-related challenge? You may qualify for submitting ADA written testimony.

One final note: we always encourage testifiers to be courteous and respectful, even when some officials are not extending the same treatment to our community. How we show up may shape media coverage and our ability to effect change.

If you are not planning to testify in person, you can submit online comments for the public hearing record on each of the bill’s pages up until 8 A.M. CST on Friday, Feb. 27: LB 854, LB 906, LB 881, LB 963, and LB 907. Be sure to verify your comment by clicking through the email you receive from “Nebraska Legislature” after submitting your comment.

Whether you are planning to testify or not, each email and call helps. Our action form makes it easy to send a message to your state senator and express support for all five bills.