LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska residents with major or multiple felony drug convictions could qualify for federal food assistance under a bill that would repeal the state’s current ban.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln told a legislative committee Thursday that his proposal would help recently released prisoners get back on their feet and reduce their odds of reoffending. Morfeld says the bill would ultimately save the state money because the benefit is federally funded and cheaper than incarcerating someone who commits a new crime.

Nebraska prohibits people from collecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if they were convicted of three felony drug possession charges or one felony distribution charge.

The Department of Health and Human Services opposes the measure, arguing that the prospect of losing SNAP benefits encourages drug users to seek treatment.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker says giving inmates driver’s licenses or other state-issued photo ID cards before they’re released will help former prisoners reintegrate into society.

Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln told a legislative committee Thursday that recently released inmates often have trouble obtaining ID cards after they leave prison. He says they need IDs to find housing, start working, open a bank account and apply for benefits.

Prison volunteer Fran Kaye says she often helps inmates preparing for release apply for driver’s licenses. She says it would be much easier if the Department of Corrections handles the process.

Inspector General of the Nebraska Correctional System Doug Koebernick says the Department has begun working on how to provide IDs already and that Hansen’s legislation was “good public policy.”

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — The first Nebraska Bigfoot Conference is scheduled for this weekend in Hastings.

Organizers say true believers and skeptics are expected to attend at the C3 Hotel and Convention Center.

The event begins Friday night with a free showing of a Bigfoot movie, “Something in the Woods.” There will be several speakers Saturday, including some who will share what they say are their personal experiences with Bigfoot.

Entry tickets will be sold at the door. Call 402-705-0000 or go online at http://bigfootcrossroads.org/ for more information.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline is once again seeking approval for a route through Nebraska.

TransCanada said Thursday that it has filed an application with the state commission that regulates oil pipelines.

The company’s previous attempts to start construction in Nebraska have been thwarted by activists and some landowners who worry about its environmental impact. Opponents have already met to discuss how they can halt the project.

The Keystone XL would travel from Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, where it would connect with an existing Keystone pipeline network to carry crude oil to Texas Gulf Coast refineries.

Republican President Donald Trump has said he supports the pipeline, and last month he signed executive memos to make it easier for the project to move forward.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved more than $137 million in cuts from the state budget in the fiscal year that runs through June 30.

Ricketts signed the budget bill into law on Wednesday surrounded by members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. The governor says it’s an important step toward addressing the projected $895 million state revenue shortfall.

Lawmakers still have to pass a two-year budget to cover expenses through June 2019. Ricketts says officials should consider the interests of taxpayers before “special interests” and balance the budget without raising taxes.

Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the Appropriations Committee chairman, says senators have already begun work on the upcoming budget and expect a vigorous debate in the Legislature.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is set to speak at a national conservatives’ conference just outside of Washington.

The Republican governor will address an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.

Organizers say Rickets will speak about the importance of strong families and the effect they can have on major domestic policy discussions.

The conference will take place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor in Maryland from Feb. 22-25.

Ricketts also is a director of the Chicago Cubs, a former executive at Ameritrade, and the founder of Drakon LLC, an investment group that supports startup companies.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The national Phi Kappa Psi fraternity has temporarily suspended its Creighton University chapter while it investigates allegations that a new member attacked a woman on campus with a knife.

The national group announced the suspension Wednesday.

An attorney for the accused student, 19-year Christopher Wheeler, contends that Wheeler was forced to take a hallucinogenic drug in a fraternity hazing incident before the attack.

Prosecutors say Wheeler went into an 18-year-old woman’s dorm room early Saturday and asked for someone else before cutting her throat with a pocket knife. The woman was hospitalized and is recovering.

Wheeler has been banned from Creighton’s campus and has moved back to Kansas City, Kansas, with his parents. His attorney says he has no memory of the attack.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Early childhood education leaders are hoping to make Nebraska a national model thanks to a partnership between the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and the University of Nebraska.

The Nebraska Early Childhood Workforce Commission is beginning a three-year collaboration to solve the most pressing issues facing early childhood education.

The 39-member group of public- and private-sector leaders is looking to address a shortage of child care workers, inadequate training for early childhood educators and abysmal salaries for the workers.

Buffett Institute Executive Director Samuel Meisels says child care is not just a parenting issue, but a professional crisis for Nebraska.

He says for people to not see early childhood education as a community issue is “an outmoded view” of family, economy and gender.