LB473 LB473
2023 2023
LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH LEGISLATURE
FIRST SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 473
Introduced by Geist, 25.
Read first time January 17, 2023
Committee: Judiciary
1 A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to juveniles; to create a grant program to
2 operate a safe and secure treatment center for youth; to provide
3 duties for the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal
4 Justice; to define terms; and to state intent regarding
5 appropriations.
6 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,
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1 Section 1. (1) The Safe and Secure Treatment Grant Program is
2 created. The purpose of the program is to make a grant available to an
3 eligible county to operate a pilot program for a facility for youth as
4 provided in this section. The program shall be administered by the
5 commission.
6 (2) An eligible county may apply for a grant by submitting an
7 application to the commission in a form and manner prescribed by the
8 commission.
9 (3) The commission shall develop eligibility criteria for grants
10 under this section. At a minimum, the eligibility criteria shall require
11 an eligible county to document how the grant will be used to fulfill the
12 purposes and requirements set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
13 (4)(a) A grant awarded under the program shall be used by an
14 eligible county to operate, as a pilot project, a safe and secure
15 treatment center for youth. The center may be operated by the eligible
16 county directly or by another entity pursuant to a contract with the
17 eligible county. The center shall have an approximate sixteen-bed
18 capacity.
19 (b) Juveniles described in subdivisions (3)(b) and (c) of section
20 43-247 may be placed at the center pursuant to an order of the juvenile
21 court. Juveniles who reside in the county shall have first priority for
22 placement at the center, but juveniles from other counties may be placed
23 at the center as capacity permits.
24 (c) The center shall provide family outreach, mental health and
25 other treatment, education, and family reunification services.
26 (d) The pilot project shall begin operation on or before January 1,
27 2024.
28 (e) On or before October 1, 2026, the eligible county shall
29 electronically submit a report to the Legislature regarding the pilot
30 project, outcomes for youth who are placed at the center, recommendations
31 for modifying or expanding the program, and any other matters deemed
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1 appropriate by the county.
2 (5) The commission may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to
3 carry out this section.
4 (6) It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate twelve
5 million dollars from the General Fund for fiscal year 2023-24 to carry
6 out this section.
7 (7) For purposes of this section:
8 (a) Commission means the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and
9 Criminal Justice; and
10 (b) Eligible county means a county containing a city of the primary
11 class.
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