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(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman announced a comprehensive legislative proposal today aimed at protecting Nebraska families from sexual predators. The bill is a cooperative effort with Attorney General Jon Bruning and Sen. Pat Bourne of Omaha, Chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee and sponsor of the bill.
“One issue has emerged as a priority in addressing public safety in the next legislative session and that is the need to update and revise state statutes to better protect Nebraska families,” Gov. Heineman said. “This is an area where leadership at the state level not only offers better protection for our residents, but will equip law enforcement, prosecutors and judges with tools to use against the criminals who prey on our most vulnerable citizens.”
The bill would create separate felony classifications for sexual assault of a child and proposes increased sentences for child molesters, in addition to a new civil commitment standard for sex offenders as part of the Mental Health Commitment Act. It also calls for additional supervision of high-risk offenders upon their release.
Attorney General Bruning said, “There is no more important function of government than to protect the freedom and innocence of our children. This legislation will help keep our kids safe by providing tougher penalties for sex offenders, expanding registration and supervision of sex offenders and helping to facilitate better communication between law enforcement officers and corrections officials.”
The bill also expands the list of criminal offenses requiring offenders to register with the Nebraska State Patrol and stiffens the penalties for failing to maintain registration. It also grants law enforcement agencies broader access to information on the whereabouts of sex offenders deemed at greatest risk to re-offend. Finally, the proposal would provide some legal parameters for local governments interested in pursuing residency restrictions for high-risk sex offenders who commit crimes against children.
Sen. Bourne said, “I appreciate the Governor and Attorney General’s willingness to do the hard work necessary to develop a comprehensive piece of legislation that could truly be effective in protecting our citizens, and particularly our children, from sexual predators.”
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