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Legislature advances bill creating housing assistance fund for domestic violence and trafficking survivors
Summary
LB78 would raise the documentary stamp tax by seven cents and dedicate proceeds to a new Domestic Violence and Trafficking Survivor Assistance Fund for housing-related support; the body advanced the bill after amending it to include statutory mitigation language for survivors in sentencing considerations (AM737).
The Legislature advanced Legislative Bill 78, sponsored by Senator Bostar, to E&R initial after floor debate and the addition of an amendment (AM737) that would add statutory language directing courts to consider a defendant’s status as a survivor of trafficking or domestic abuse as a mitigating factor during sentencing deliberations.
Why it matters: LB78 would create the Domestic Violence and Trafficking Victim Housing Assistance Fund and raise the Nebraska documentary stamp tax by seven cents; revenues would be allocated to that fund to provide housing-related financial assistance — rental payments, security deposits, utilities and similar costs — for qualified survivors served through DHHS-affiliated organizations.
Committee action and rationale: The revenue committee reported LB78 to the floor unanimously. Senator Bostar told colleagues the bill responds to an acute shelter/housing bottleneck: with fewer affordable housing options, survivors increasingly need short-term housing assistance to escape abusive situations and avoid homelessness. The bill’s proponents cited surveys and research showing high overlap of domestic violence and homelessness and argued that targeted housing assistance is a form of homicide prevention and survivor stabilization.
Amendment and related policy: Senator Greco offered AM737 to add LB159 language directing courts to consider a defendant’s status as a current or prior survivor of trafficking or domestic violence as a mitigating factor at sentencing. Sponsors framed the amendment as clarifying legislative intent; the bill’s supporters emphasized that the change would not mandate reduced sentences but would require courts to consider trauma history among mitigating factors.
Votes and next steps: The body advanced LB78 to E&R initial with a recorded 43 ayes and no nays. AM737 was taken up and discussed on the floor prior to advancement; the amendment was presented as germane to addressing trafficking and domestic violence and to align statutory mitigation factors. LB78 now returns in later stages for engrossing and final reading.
