Bill would let military protective orders be used as evidence in civil hearings

Lincoln — Sen. Victor Rountree told the Judiciary Committee that LB753 would permit courts to consider commander-issued military protective orders (MPOs) as evidence in civil protection-order hearings and would require reciprocal information-sharing practices to ensure civilian law enforcement can check the federal MPO registry.

"This allows victims and advocates to tell their clients a MPO would be admissible in court instead of telling their clients it should be," Rountree said, explaining that the bill aims to close jurisdictional gaps between military and civilian systems.

Proponents included Melanie Kirk of the Nebraska Coalition to End Domestic Violence, who outlined differences between MPOs and civilian protection orders: MPOs are administrative, issued by commanders without notice to the accused and are not enforceable by civilian law enforcement; civil orders require judicial process and carry different enforcement and firearms consequences. Robert Ford, the state military affairs liaison, said MPOs are registered in the federal NCIC database and the bill would improve notification and verification processes so civilian officers can determine whether an MPO exists for an arrested service member.

Witnesses said the bill complements federal and Department of Defense processes and would help protect service members, spouses and families by clarifying admissibility and improving cross-jurisdictional enforcement. Committee members asked how MPOs are issued, registered and terminated; witnesses described command authority, database registration, and the limits of civilian enforcement absent civil orders.

No opposition was recorded in the hearing; supporters asked the committee to advance the bill to improve survivor safety and reduce enforcement gaps between installations and civilian jurisdictions.