Dear Colleague,
The American Historical Association has sent a letter to members of the Nebraska Legislature Education Committee opposing LB 1064, which “poses a dangerous threat to public higher education in Nebraska.” By mandating that an institution governed by the Regents of the University of Nebraska, the Board of Trustees of Nebraska State Colleges, or any of the state’s community colleges “shall not establish or continue to authorize an academic system of tenure for any employee of such institution,” this bill would immediately disadvantage Nebraska’s universities from attracting top-level scholars and retaining current faculty.
LB 1064 is on the agenda for the Education Committee on Tuesday, February 13. The AHA urges the legislature to “reject this ill-conceived attempt to undermine the principles that have made American higher education the envy of the world.”
How can you help?
- Contact your representative in the Nebraska legislature to express opposition to the bill. You can use the website Plural to find your state representatives and access their contact information, including email addresses. Feel free to adapt the or craft your own.
- Submit comments on the bill to the Nebraska Legislature on their website, which notes: “Online submitted comments for the public hearing record as an exhibit may be submitted once a bill has been scheduled for public hearing up until 8:00 a.m. CST on the day of the public hearing.” Members should note that they will also have to complete a verification process via email before 8:00 a.m. for the testimony to be added to the record for the meeting.
- Testify in person at the bill’s hearing on Tuesday. The legislature’s Public Input Options page provides further information about in-person testimony, which is generally limited to 3 minutes.
The AHA, its members, and other historians find ourselves on the front lines of a conflict over understandings of America’s past, confronting radical activists who are promoting ignorance in the name of unity. Please visit our Teaching History with Integrity site for the most up-to-date information about AHA efforts to combat these bills and for resources and expressions of support for history educators. We hope that you will distribute widely our short videos on Teaching with Integrity: Historians Speak.
The AHA’s advocacy work is more critical now than perhaps ever before. If you believe in the importance of honest history education, please donate to the AHA’s Advocacy Fund to support our advocacy work.
Sincerely,
James Grossman
Executive Director