LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska legislative committee has heard hours of testimony on bills that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in hiring, adoptions and foster parent selection.

The Judiciary Committee heard from supporters Wednesday who said the bills would provide more homes for needy children and keep Nebraska’s job market competitive.

Opponents included representatives for Nebraska Catholic Conference and Thomas More Society. They argued that opposite-sex parents are best suited to raise children and said that the hiring bill could conflict with employers’ religious beliefs.

The committee’s chairman said the panel won’t vote on the bills until next week at the earliest.

Sen. Colby Coash of Lincoln said he’s not sure of the legislation’s chances of advancing to the overwhelmingly conservative full Legislature, where he said it would face a tough road.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Cigar smokers could once again light up in licensed Nebraska cigar bars under a bill advanced by lawmakers.

The first-round vote on Wednesday comes after the Nebraska Supreme Court struck down a 2009 law that allowed smoking in cigar bars and shops, despite the Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act.

The measure by Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill makes clear that state lawmakers intended to create a legal exemption for those establishments so they could continue to operate.

Larson says only 10 cigar bars have been in operation statewide over the last five years, and those businesses have made large investments to ensure they have adequate ventilations systems.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to reinstate Nebraska’s winner-take-all system in presidential elections is headed to the full Legislature.

The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee voted 7-1 on Wednesday to advance the proposal.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states where it’s possible to split electoral votes between opposing presidential candidates. Nebraska adopted a system in 1991 that awards two electoral votes to the statewide winner, while distributing the other three based on who wins its three congressional districts.

Nebraska split its electoral votes for the first time in 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama captured one from the state’s 2nd congressional district.

Nebraska’s Republican Party has endorsed the proposal, while Democrats oppose it.

Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy, who sponsored the bill, says the debate was taking place long before the 2008 election.