LINCOLN — Income eligibility for Nebraska’s child care subsidy program would remain at the higher caps the state set in 2021 under a legislative proposal advanced Thursday by two committees, including in the state budget.

The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted 5-1 to advance LB304, from State Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha. It would permanently maintain income eligibility caps at 185% of the federal poverty level rather than lowering them back to 130% this Oct. 1. DeBoer led the 2021 bill to increase the eligibility levels for two years, which was extended again in 2023. The Appropriations Committee separately voted 7-0 to approve a motion that included incorporating the provisions of LB 304 into the state budget, which heads to the full Legislature next week.

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