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LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 713
Introduced by Cavanaugh, J., 9.
Read first time January 18, 2023
Committee: Executive Board
1 A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to criminal justice; to amend section 50-434,
2 Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska; to change provisions relating
3 to the Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight; to provide for a
4 correctional forecasting tool; to require agencies to cooperate as
5 prescribed; to require confidentiality and data security; to repeal
6 the original section; and to declare an emergency.
7 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
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1 Section 1. Section 50-434, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is
2 amended to read:
3 50-434 (1) The Legislature finds that while serious crime in the
4 State of Nebraska has not increased in the past five years, the prison
5 population continues to increase as does the amount spent on correctional
6 issues. The Legislature further finds that a need exists to closely
7 examine the criminal justice system of the State of Nebraska in order to
8 increase public safety while concurrently reducing correctional spending
9 and reinvesting in strategies that decrease crime and strengthen Nebraska
10 communities.
11 (2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the State of Nebraska
12 work cooperatively with the Council of State Governments Justice Center
13 to study and identify innovative solutions and evidence-based practices
14 to develop a data-driven approach to reduce correctional spending and
15 reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease recidivism and increase
16 public safety and for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches
17 of Nebraska state government to work with the Council of State
18 Governments Justice Center in this process.
19 (2) (3) The Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight is created
20 as a special legislative committee to maintain continuous oversight of
21 the Nebraska Justice Reinvestment Initiative and related issues.
22 (3) (4) The special legislative committee shall be comprised of five
23 members of the Legislature selected by the Executive Board of the
24 Legislative Council, including the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee
25 of the Legislature who shall serve as chairperson of the special
26 legislative committee.
27 (4) (5) The Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight shall
28 monitor and guide analysis and policy development in all aspects of the
29 criminal justice system in Nebraska within the scope of the justice
30 reinvestment initiative, including tracking implementation of evidence-
31 based strategies as established in Laws 2015, LB605, and reviewing
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1 policies to improve public safety, reduce recidivism, and reduce spending
2 on corrections in Nebraska. With assistance from the contractor described
3 in subsection (5) of this section Council of State Governments Justice
4 Center, the committee shall monitor performance and measure outcomes by
5 collecting data from counties and relevant state agencies for analysis
6 and reporting.
7 (5) Beginning July 1, 2023, the committee shall contract with an
8 academic institution located within Nebraska to assist with a data-driven
9 approach to reduce correctional spending and reinvest savings in
10 strategies that can decrease recidivism and increase public safety. This
11 shall include, but not be limited to, development of a correctional
12 forecasting tool with the ability to monitor trends and forecast future
13 correctional populations. The tool will be utilized by the committee to
14 project the impacts of proposed changes to sentencing, programming,
15 community supervision, or other aspects of the criminal justice system,
16 including assisting in the development of fiscal notes for proposed
17 legislation.
18 (6) The committee shall prepare and submit an annual report of its
19 activities and findings and may make recommendations to improve any
20 aspect of the criminal justice system. The committee shall deliver the
21 report to the Governor, the Clerk of the Legislature, and the Chief
22 Justice by September 1 of each year. The report to the clerk shall be
23 delivered electronically.
24 Sec. 2. The Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal
25 Justice, Department of Correctional Services, Office of Probation
26 Administration, and Board of Parole shall provide the contractor
27 described in subsection (5) of section 50-434 with access to all data
28 necessary to carry out the provisions of that section. The contractor
29 shall maintain the same levels of confidentiality and data security
30 protections required of agency staff.
31 Sec. 3. Original section 50-434, Reissue Revised Statutes of
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1 Nebraska, is repealed.
2 Sec. 4. Since an emergency exists, this act takes effect when
3 passed and approved according to law.
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 50-434