LINCOLN — A national panel of senior military and criminal justice leaders is hailing Nebraska landmark legislation that they say could help restore justice-impacted veterans to “hero status.” State Sen. Tom Brewer. April 25, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
Nebraska state lawmakers voted 44-0 in April to approve Legislative Bill 253 and create new veteran justice programs statewide, beginning July 1, 2025. Such programs would include evidence-based treatment and case plans for eligible veterans that would specifically address military service-connected conditions that contributed to criminal offenses.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, chair of the Veterans Justice Commission of the Council on Criminal Justice, and a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, said he’s proud Nebraska is the first state to adopt recommendations from the 15-member commission.
“I’m not surprised that Nebraska would be leading the way of all the states in this,” Hagel said.
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Nebraska leads the way in legislation
Hagel, who served in Vietnam, said he learned growing up how there was a World War II veteran in nearly every house in Nebraska and it was evident Nebraskans appreciated their veterans.
The commission has outlined state-level and federal recommendations, with Nebraska being the first state to adopt legislation based on the commission’s policy framework. State Sens. Tom Brewer, Justin Wayne and Lou Ann Linehan ushered it through the Legislature this year.
Brewer, a military veteran of 36 years, led LB 253 alongside Wayne, chair of Nebraska’s Judiciary Committee, and Linehan, a former campaign manager and chief of staff for Hagel in Congress. From left, Jim Seward, director of the Council on Criminal Justice Veterans Justice Commission; Chuck Hagel, chair of the commission, former U.S. Defense Secretary and former U.S. senator from Nebraska; and Brock Hunter, adviser for the commission, at the Nebraska State Capitol earlier this year. (Courtesy of Council on Criminal Justice)
Hagel said the legislation calls attention to an often overlooked issue: the transition from active duty to civilian life, a transition that more than 200,000 active-duty members make each year. Difficulties in making that shift have been exacerbated after the country’s two longest wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq, he added.
“Because of an all-volunteer force, the same people kept going back and back and back,” Hagel said. “It wasn’t unusual to find veterans who had four or five, six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Brewer, who has two Purple Hearts, is one such veteran. His service included six tours in Afghanistan. He’s also made multiple volunteer trips to support Ukraine, including this month.
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Brewer described the legislation as supporting combat-impacted veterans who have made mistakes but who should be treated with respect because of their service to the country.
“Many times that exposure causes issues that they would not normally have in their lives, therefore that’s why their treatment should be uniquely different,” Brewer said in a text. “But it’s not a free ride — if you wanna make mistakes and continue to make mistakes, you will have a harder life than others.”
Civilian life ‘a whole different world’
Hagel said simply that the “transition process is not good” and noted that many service members enlist in their teens and get out 20 years later.
“We could derail a lot of these veterans from getting in trouble with the law or going to jail if we had that upfront transitioning help,” Hagel said.
His commission has aimed to replicate the veteran justice program in other states and aimed higher for congressional and federal action, with Hagel tapping into connections with former U.S. Senate colleagues and federal leaders.
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Soldiers from Fort. Lee, Virginia, help mark Veterans Day ceremonies at the World War II Memorial Nov. 11, 2011, in Washington, D.C. Veterans Day in the United States honors those who have served in the nation’s military and also coincides with the anniversary of the conclusion of hostilities on the western front in World War I. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
One goal is a U.S. Department of Defense undersecretary whose job would be easing the process of transitioning from military service to civilian life.
“One day you’re in a uniform and you’ve had your years and years of being in an institution where there’s structure that you worked hard in, that you admire and you respect,” Hagel said. “And all of a sudden, you’re out — it’s a whole different world.”
According to the Council on Criminal Justice, roughly one in three veterans report being arrested or booked in jail at least once. The suicide rate for veterans is approximately 1.5 times higher than the rate among the general population and even higher for veterans after incarceration.
Under Nebraska’s legislation, all criminal courts — not just specialized courts, which have been established in four of Nebraska’s 93 counties — could consider whether there is “clear and convincing evidence” that a condition related to military service contributed to a criminal offense.
Returning to ‘hero status’
In 1997, Nebraska approved problem-solving courts and expanded them in 2016 to include Veterans Treatment Courts. These are 18- to 24-month intervention programs similar to the new policies advanced this year.
Across the country, 14% of counties operate similar, specialized veterans courts, though eligibility requirements exclude many veterans.
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“The Veterans Justice Commission wanted an alternative to complement Veterans Treatment Courts, and that’s what this model policy does,” Jim Seward, commission director, said. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, center, is joined by Brock Hunter, left, and Jim Seward of the Council on Criminal Justice Veterans Justice Commission. Feb. 23, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
Seward said Nebraska has more than 200 veterans in its correctional system. He said it’s hard to say how many fewer would still be sitting in prison had the new law been in place sooner.
“But I would venture to guess somewhere in the neighborhood of half of them would have been considered for this more intensive, evidence-based treatment program,” Seward said.
Seward said every criminal judge in Nebraska, from Alliance or Scottsbluff to Nebraska City, could recognize a defendant’s veteran status and determine whether there is a connection to the alleged crime.
“If the judge decides that it is, they have this opportunity to build a therapeutic treatment plan for the individual, partnering with the VA and vet centers and all the resources that that brings to bear … to really try and help that veteran get back to what we like to say, ‘hero status,’” Seward said.
“They came home a hero — something went wrong,” Seward continued.
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Minnesota passed similar legislation a few years ago, Seward said, but before the Veterans Justice Commission developed the policy framework.
Program parameters
State Sen. Justin Wayne addresses a pre-hearing briefing on the amendment he worked on with State Sens. Tom Brewer, who reprsents north-central Nebraska, and Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
Under the Nebraska bill, veterans are not eligible if their alleged offense is ineligible for probation, or in other select circumstances, such as if someone died as a result of the alleged crime or if the offense would qualify someone for the Sex Offender Registry.
If necessary for public safety, a veteran might still receive a prison sentence.
If eligible, a veteran’s case plan would be developed with court probation and appropriate experts and would:
Include input from the veteran.
Assess specific risks and needs, including whether there is a risk of intimate partner violence.
Set clear and individualized goals, such as rules, consequences and incentives.
Veteran service status could be used as a mitigating factor but not an aggravating one in determining a sentence. Victims or alleged victims would need to be notified of program eligibility and could request to be part of the veteran’s restorative program.
Nebraska’s state court administrator will record how many veterans receive, decline or are denied participation in the program and will track the outcomes of those who are approved.
An annual report will be issued to the Judiciary Committee beginning July 1, 2026, regarding program completion, recidivism and housing and employment status per veteran. The data will include race, ethnicity, age, military discharge characterization and the involved offense.
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‘Great example for the country’
Seward and Hagel said the country does a good job in supporting veterans with visible wounds — such as amputations — but not as much in supporting “invisible wounds,” such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, which could trigger veterans turning to substances to cope.
“We train them to be part of the most lethal force in the world, and when they come home, many of them struggle to just turn off that switch,” Seward said.
Seward said the commission has continued to work with various organizations, including the national associations for governors, state legislatures, district attorneys and defense attorneys, as well as various state supreme court chief justices.
“It’s really, obviously, a first step, but this is how momentum begins and how change begins,” Seward said. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, left, meets with State Sens. Anna Wishart of Lincoln, center, and Lynne Walz of Fremont. April 9, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
Hagel said he took note of some of the transition challenges during his time as defense secretary for former President Barack Obama and talked with the joint chiefs about the need to do better.
He said Nebraskans should be proud that state lawmakers projected the state “into a real leadership role when it comes to taking care of our veterans,” which can be a model for others.
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At least 10 states are in active talks with the commission, Seward said, and many are lining up “policy champions” to step up, a title he bestowed upon Linehan, Brewer and Wayne.
“It’s a huge effort to try to pass a law in 50 states, but you have to begin somewhere,” Seward said. “Starting in Nebraska, starting in the center of the nation, starting in a state that is, I think, well-known for reasonable politics that are not hyperpartisan, I think it’s a great example for the country.”
The countdown continues to roll and only 76 days remain until the beginng of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 2024 season on August 31 agaisnt the UTEP Miners.
Today’s countdown player spotlight is now on Cornhuskers offensive lineman Jason Maciejczak, a redshirt freshman out of Pierre, South Dakota.
A former standout out at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota, Maciejczak originally enrolled in Lincoln as a defensive lineman but did make the eventual move to the offensive line. He committed to the Gophers over scholarship offers from Kent State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State.
As a true freshman, Maciejczak redshirted, not appearing in any games. In 2024, the South Dakota native will likely play a depth role though seeing the field for an unextended period of time is unlikely.
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Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – As Gov. Jim Pillen seeks to rally Nebraskans behind his property tax relief ideas, tensions are heating up, with rhetoric one senator described as “potshots” at state senators.
Pillen has hosted a dozen town halls across the state, with the latest being held Friday in Auburn and Nebraska City, which are represented by State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar. Pillen has made clear the purpose of the town halls is to encourage constituents to motivate their state senator to support a special session focusing on property tax relief.
Slama was a key voice during the regular 2024 legislative session in defeating the last proposal, criticizing it as unconstitutional because it included a digital advertising tax and because, she said, it would have raised taxes on her constituents.
Pillen directly criticized Slama during his town halls Friday.
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“She’s got to change her ideology and understand balancing a checkbook and what it takes,” Pillen said of the southeast Nebraska senator.
‘Stop trying to raise taxes’
Slama did not attend the gathering. She said in a text that she was home sick with her child. She responded to Pillen’s comment about her ideology by saying, “Stop trying to raise taxes. That part of my ideology will never change.”
She continued, “The governor can talk a big talk, but he still hasn’t had the courage to call and talk with me this interim. … My mom’s a retired bank teller — I learned how to balance a checkbook when I was 5.”
Pillen wants lawmakers to sign off on another $1 billion in property tax relief by year’s end and has threatened to call special sessions “til Christmas” if needed to do so.
A formal plan has not materialized yet. Instead, Pillen has pitched various ideas that he said are “concrete,” such as eliminating some of the state’s 120 sales tax exemptions and accepting more federal dollars.
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Pillen needs 33 votes for his ideas to succeed in a special session, but he has stated he will call a special session regardless of how much support he has leading into one.
In successive town halls over the last several weeks, the governor has moved away from removing certain state sales tax exemptions, such as those on items that are also taxed as personal property after purchase. As of Friday, Pillen spoke of taking three other tax exemptions off the table: groceries, medicine and church transactions.
The carveouts determine which products or services are or aren’t taxed, with taxpayers retaining an estimated $6.5 billion in what could be collected in sales tax revenue each year. Once approved, it’s often difficult to take such tax exemptions away.
Pillen previously said “everybody’s got to play in the game” when it comes to sales taxes.
‘The courage to call’
The governor has encouraged residents to pick up the phone and press their state senator to support PIllen. Yet, according to Slama, he has not picked up the phone to return her calls seeking to help solve the issue of high taxes.
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Pillen has told those attending his town halls that they should call the other 48 state senators if their representative was not interested in supporting his proposals. He has said that if constituents don’t actively support him, they shouldn’t complain about state taxes in the future.
“If you don’t want to call, then don’t (expletive deleted) to me next year about it. If you don’t want to help, (expletive deleted), I can’t do it all myself. I need everybody’s help. … I’m working day and night,” Pillen said at a town hall in Fremont.
“We have to come to a consensus to fix it,” he continued.
State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, Pillen’s former Democratic opponent for governor, is another senator who has not heard from him. She said Friday that he “sounds like a child that is not getting his way.”
“Perhaps if he would quit being so exclusive on who he actually communicates with, he might have a lot of really good ideas for us to go into a special session with,” Blood said. “It’s really inappropriate to talk about my peers and the residents of Nebraska in that fashion.”
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Slama said she takes her orders from her constituents, not from the governor, and said the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches is pretty clear.
“Governor Pillen ought to spend more time working towards a fiscally conservative compromise and less time taking potshots at Republican senators he can’t even muster the courage to call,” Slama said.
EPIC tax opposition
A competing tax proposal is being promoted through a petition drive, which has a July 3 signature deadline to appear on the general election ballot. The “EPIC Option” would eliminate all property, income and corporate taxes and replace them with consumption, or excise, taxes.
Pillen said he appreciates that the EPIC Option would remove sales tax exemptions except for those on groceries, but if it gets on the ballot, he said, he would work “day and night” to defeat it. He said Friday he hasn’t given the petition drive much thought or decided how he would work to defeat it.
State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard said Friday that for nearly six decades, the Legislature has tried and failed to fix the state’s tax system, which he calls broken. He’s a lead sponsor behind EPIC and described anyone who opposes it as being in favor of the tax collector and against taxpayers.
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“The governor speaks about reformative tax reform. EPIC is a reformative solution,” Erdman said in a text. “Nothing the governor has offered is reformative. I’m not surprised by his opposition.”
Erdman said Pillen has already failed to pass a “so-called tax relief plan” this year and that losing again, in the same year, would be “unprecedented.”
“He will need 33 votes for his plan, or stay on the porch,” Erdman said. “Thirty-three will be very difficult to get.”
Next town halls scheduled
Gov. Jim Pillen’s office has scheduled five property tax town halls for this week:
Tuesday, June 18:
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8 a.m. at Fire Hall, 201 W. 16th St., South Sioux City.10:30 a.m. at Wayne Country Club, 302 E. 21st St., Wayne.1 p.m. at Handlebend, 215 E. Douglas St., O’Neill.3:30 p.m. at Ainsworth City Office, 606 E. Fourth St., Ainsworth.
Friday, June 21, 2:30 p.m., Lochland Country Club, 601 W. Lochland Road, Hastings.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and X.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The threat for severe weather has waned for eastern Nebraska into Saturday evening – though some lingering storms will be possible across the far eastern parts of the state through late Saturday into the overnight hours on Sunday morning. Otherwise, our attention turns to a hot and humid forecast into Father’s Day on Sunday. Look for a stationary boundary to keep temperatures cooler across northern and western parts of the state, while eastern and southern Nebraska will see temperatures into the lower and middle 90s by Sunday afternoon.
Cooler conditions are expected for northern and western Nebraska while central, eastern and southern locations rise into the 90s.(KOLN)
Heat index values are expected to rise to right around 100 degrees south of I-80 and into eastern Nebraska. Dew points will rise well into the 60s and maybe even the low 70s making it feel muggy and uncomfortable.
Feel like temperatures are expected to be quite toasty Sunday afternoon!(KOLN)
There is an additional severe weather risk on Sunday with the marginal risk expanding greatly compared to yesterday. Severe thunderstorms are most likely from the Nebraska – South Dakota border and points north. Large hail is the main concern though gusty winds are possible. Timing would be expected in the late afternoon and evening hours.
A few thunderstorms could turn severe across much of the state late in the afternoon and into the evening hours. The best chances for severe weather will remain far to the north.(KOLN)
Another hot day is expected Monday before widespread cooling moves across the state on Tuesday. Temperatures will then struggle to hit the 70 and 80 degree mark on Wednesday bringing our recent hot stretch to a halt. It should be mainly dry on Monday before widespread showers and storms arrive Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hot weather continues for a few more days before cool air arrives on Wednesday. Isolated to scattered storms remain possible throughout the 7-Day as well.(KOLN)
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