Committee hears bill to create housing fund for domestic violence and trafficking survivors funded by 7¢ documentary stamp increase

Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced LB 78 to the Legislature’s Revenue Committee, proposing a Domestic Violence and Trafficking Victim Housing Assistance Fund paid for by a 7¢ increase to the state documentary stamp tax.

Bostar told the committee the fund would be accessible only through “qualified organizations” — defined in the bill as nonprofit organizations or federally recognized tribes with affiliation agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services — and could be used only for housing-related assistance such as rental and utility payments, security and utility deposits, and other costs tied to securing safe housing. “This change assures that a portion of those funds are supporting housing costs, specifically for the most vulnerable people in our state,” Bostar said.

The bill’s proponents said housing is the immediate and most common financial need survivors report. Jason Stille, assistant chief of the Lincoln Police Department, said Lincoln’s Victim…