Medical marijuana and abortion rights could be on Nebraska ballot

Nebraska voters could be voting on several controversial ballot initiatives this November, including legalizing medical cannabis, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, requiring paid sick leave, and establishing a consumption tax—if they meet the July 3 deadline for signature collections.

If approved, they’ll join a referendum already on the ballot aiming to repeal a law involving state money and donations for private school scholarships.

Here’s a breakdown of the top four ballot topics gaining momentum for the general election.

Legalizing medical marijuana

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is collecting signatures for a pair of initiatives that would decriminalize and regulate the distribution of the drug. The Cornhusker State is currently one of three, including Kansas and Idaho, that has not legalized cannabis for medical use.

Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign manager Crista Eggers says criminalization of medical cannabis is causing people with diseases and medical conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, to cross state lines for treatment.

“It is important to give people the option of a plant in the ground if their health provider sees it as a good option,” Eggers said. “The support of the people is very strong on this issue.”

According to Eggers, the group has at least 40,000 of the required 87,000 signatures for each petition. Eggers says the group is confident it will meet its signature requirement by the summer deadline.

Expanding abortion rights

Last session, the Nebraska legislature passed a bill narrowing the state’s ban on abortions from 20 weeks to 12 weeks after gestation. This ban spurred a petition process to create a constitutional protection for abortions up to fetal viability, or around 24 weeks.

Protect Our Rights, a coalition of local reproductive health rights groups, is circulating a petition that, in addition to extending abortion access up to fetal viability, would also enshrine the right to abortion when it is “needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.”

The groups need signatures from roughly 123,000, or 10% of the state’s registered voters. They must also collect signatures from 5% of registered voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Nebraska executive director for Planned Parenthood North Central States, Andi Curry Grubb, says the petition process is gaining traction across the state, especially in rural areas, including Box Butte County and Scotts Bluff.

“The response we’ve seen to date has been pretty amazing. There are a lot of people in this state who care about this issue,” Curry Grubb said. We should be able to access necessary care with compassion and privacy without political interference.”

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, voters have shot down efforts to limit or ban reproductive rights in red states, including Ohio and Kansas. Signature drives to expand restrictive abortion access are underway in states including Arizona, Colorado and Missouri.

Paid sick leave

After two failed attempts in the Legislature to establish paid sick leave for state workers, Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans is aiming to let voters decide on the matter in 2024. Kait Madsen, the field director for Nebraska Appleseed, said the state’s lack of paid sick leave requirements puts Nebraskan workers in a tough spot.

“A lot of workers and families are having to choose between earning a paycheck or taking care of themselves or family members,” Madsen said. “Regardless of politics, many people seem to agree that we need more support for working families.”

If the initiative gets on the ballot and passes, the state would require businesses with 20 or more employees to offer up to seven days of paid sick leave per year and businesses with fewer than 20 employees to offer up to five days of paid sick leave per year.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia currently have mandatory paid sick leave.

Consumption tax

Through a controversial potential ballot initiative being pushed by conservative state senators, Nebraska would adopt the country’s first consumption tax.

State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard helps lead the EPIC Option Consumption Tax initiative, which aims to replace state property, inheritance, and sales taxes with a consumption tax. A consumption tax is a tax on goods and services or what people spend rather than what they earn.

“It’s about freedom and liberty to own your own property,” Erdman said. “It places taxpayers in first place.”

More: What is national consumption tax? What House Republicans want to change with FairTax Act.

Erdman said he is confident about the petition drive’s progress and is hearing from Nebraskans who think property and sales taxes in the state are too regressive. EPIC’s initiative would establish a 7.5% consumption tax on the initial purchase of items and services, but would not tax groceries.

Former state lawmakers and business leaders launched yesterday an opposition campaign to EPIC’s initiative, No New Taxes Nebraska. The campaign warns that EPIC’s plan would lead to a revenue shortfall and points to two studies showing a roughly 22% consumption tax would be required to replace the current tax base.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Medical marijuana and abortion rights could be on Nebraska ballot