LINCOLN- LB626, or the Nebraska Heartbeat Act, passed out of the Health and Human Services Committee on a 4-2 vote, with Sen. Lynne Walz not present to vote. Following advancement, the bill will be put through three rounds of debate. LB626, introduced by Sen. Joni Albrecht, would prohibit abortions in the state once embryonic cardiac activity is detected via ultrasound.

Last session, Albrecht introduced the same bill, but failed to pass it following an extended filibuster. The bill introduced last year did not make it out of the Judiciary Committee on a vote, but passed through a successful pull motion to make it to the general file. This year, Albrecht's new bill includes several exceptions that were present in the last iteration, including several for rape, incest, and life-saving exceptions.

However, Albrecht's bill is still significantly stricter than Nebraska's current abortion law, which bans the procedure at 20 weeks past fertilization. It's estimated that LB626 would eliminate 85% of abortions in the state. If passed, a physician's medical license could be revoked if they perform an abortion after embryonic cardiac activity is detected.

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