LINCOLN- Nineteen states, including Nebraska, joined in signing a letter drafted by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services arguing that a proposed federal rule aiming to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care amounts to religious-based discrimination and violated freedom of speech.

The proposal, which would require states to provide safe and appropriate placements with providers who are trained about the child's sexual orientation or gender identity, also requires that each child receive the necessary services. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, in a statement, said that the proposed rule unlawfully conditions federal funding and "almost certainly will drive parents of faith out of the foster care system."

"At a time when our foster care system needs more, not fewer, caring parents, the Biden Administration's effort to push loving and caring parents out of the foster care system is as short-sighted as it is unconstitutional," wrote Hilgers. The proposed rule came as part of a package of federal proposals relating to foster care and is an extension of a broader push by the Biden Administration to protect LBGTQ children.

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