- Associated Press - Monday, March 4, 2019

Omaha World Herald. February 28, 2019

Anti-discrimination proposal deserves passage by the Nebraska Legislature

Ours needs to be a society where everyone is respected, regardless of background, and given the opportunity to contribute fully in the workplace. A proposal in the Legislature to protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation sends the right message for Nebraska and deserves passage.

The Judiciary Committee recently held a hearing on Legislative Bill 627, sponsored by State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln. Her bill “protects Nebraskans against being fired for simply being who they are and who they love,” she told the committee. “Times have changed, and it’s making Nebraska’s lack of movement on employment discrimination look absurd and archaic.”

LB 627 would prohibit employers, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The measure would build on existing Nebraska law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, marital status or national origin.

Committee members heard from testifiers describing their personal experiences and supporting Pansing Brook’s bill. When members of the LGBTQ community make decisions about where to locate and work, Nebraska’s lack of legal safeguards stands as a huge negative, said Morgann Freeman, who testified on behalf of the Greater Omaha Young Professionals Council.

“We should be able to contribute our expertise and skill to their jobs and careers as their full, authentic selves without fear of discrimination by their employers,” Freeman said.

Omaha for several years has operated under a city ordinance prohibiting such discrimination, and the measure has proved positive for the city. A state law would underscore Nebraska’s commitment to equality.

The Judiciary Committee has approved LB 627 and sent it to the full Legislature for consideration. It deserves passage.

The extension of workplace protection via LB 627 would be a win all around - positive for LGBTQ individuals, who would be encouraged to enrich their workplaces with their talents, experience and perspectives, and positive for Nebraska itself, which would send a needed message of welcome and commitment to equality.

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Lincoln Journal Star. February 28, 2019

Press pause on fairness ordinance talk for now

Nearly seven years after Lincoln voters’ successful petition drive thwarted the city’s attempt to enact the so-called fairness ordinance, the topic never bubbles too far beneath the surface.

Since then, city leaders have taken no action to put a measure on the citywide ballot that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations in the city. Despite this, the discussion has continued - right into Lincoln’s ongoing mayoral race.

Yes, it’s disappointing that Lincoln has failed to pass a policy that would prevent discrimination against these people. LGBT individuals in this city and state deserve the same kind of protection as exists for other protected classes.

Just because this is the right thing to do, though, doesn’t mean it’s the right time. In fact, the timing couldn’t be much worse, for two reasons.

First, rushing a question onto this spring’s ballot would be asking for trouble. Crafting language of an ordinance that would withstand a lawsuit - not to mention a rekindling of the citizen backlash that stopped the council-approved effort from taking effect in 2012 - is not something to be taken lightly. The mid-March deadline to get it on May’s general election ballot further complicates matters.

Secondly, a bill before the Nebraska Legislature prohibiting this type of discrimination statewide has advanced out of committee and will be debated by the full Legislature. Given that a state law would obviously supersede a local ordinance, if such a measure were approved by city voters, it could be rendered moot in short order.

It’s worth noting that business groups all testified in favor of the legislation at the state level, where Nebraska is one of only 12 states with no such protections. Failing to extend those same guarantees to certain populations makes little sense, given the well-documented need to grow the state’s workforce.

Setting protected classes at the state level would prevent a patchwork of laws governing treatment of LGBT Nebraskans based on the city or county they called home. State officials would be wise to avoid that web and instead create a baseline applicable across Nebraska.

On this, Nebraska’s 152nd birthday, look at our state flag. Our motto - “equality before the law” - should seal this discussion. LGBT Nebraskans deserve the same treatment afforded to their brethren, regardless of creed, color, faith, sex, disability and other protected characteristics.

If Lincoln were to pursue the fairness ordinance, it must first give the Legislature time to pass legislation affecting the entire state. With that in mind, such a measure shouldn’t appear on the ballot before 2020.

Our hope, though, is that it never has to go to city voters - and that state senators approve this year’s bill to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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McCook Daily Gazette. February 25, 2019

Money determines how well wheels of justice function

You’ve probably seen the evening news/entertainment stories about overworked, underpaid public defenders, and how little time they have to spend on each case.

As a result, some defendants who are actually innocent plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit for simple expediency.

We’ve often been amazed at the number of incompetent drug users convicted of “attempted possession” of controlled substances - obvious plea deals designed to clear the docket as painlessly as possible.

The proper administration of justice is a costly, hazardous process for small Nebraska counties, such as Gage County, which is seeking state help in paying off a $28 million federal judgment for the wrongful conviction of six people in a 1985 slaying.

The North Platte Bulletin passed along a KETV NewsWatch 7 report that illustrates just how things sometimes work.

Observers were puzzled by the case of Luke Lefever, who faced no charges after leading officers on a wild chase last June, shooting at Dawson County officers, stealing an all-terrain vehicle, then a pickup and trailer before heading west into Lincoln County, and through North Platte before finally being shot near Hershey.

Taken to a Lincoln hospital, one of his legs was amputated, but although he could have been charged with assaults on law officers, stealing vehicles, reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest and other crimes, he wasn’t, because the county would then have to pick up his medical bills.

Unfortunately, the state troopers who were guarding his room in Lincoln left their posts, and Lefer limped out of the hospital and disappeared.

He showed up again on New Year’s Eve in Howard County, where he got in two shootouts and was wounded again, slipping away to hide in a creek bed in the bitter cold.

Lefever was finally caught at 3 a.m. after an extensive search involving a helicopter and Light Armored Vehicle.

Back in the hospital, he was finally charged by the Howard County Attorney.

As a result, Howard County is footing the medical bills at the rate of $2,000 a day, but hopes they’ll peak at $200,000, or about 15 percent of the county’s entire budget.

Like many cases, the failure to prosecute Lefever to the fullest extent of the law turned out to be a false economy. Had he been convicted of the appropriate crimes last summer, his medical bills would actually have not only been lower, but they would also be born by the state, which will ultimately wind up with the bill, regardless.

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