Legislature advances bill adding appeal step before placement on abuse registries

Lincoln — Lawmakers advanced LB668 after adopting a committee amendment that clarifies how the bill inserts due-process protections into the child and adult abuse-and-neglect central registries.

Senator Storey, who opened the bill, said LB668 would create an administrative appeals process so individuals are notified and have an opportunity to be heard before their names are added to the Nebraska adult or child abuse registries. "This is simply providing for due process," Storey said, adding the bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to contract for prevention and case-management services that connect families with local resources.

Sponsor-filed amendment AM1723 changes the statutory insertion point of the new language and was offered to address stakeholder concerns about statutory wording and implementation. Senator Hardin and others spoke in support, saying the measure protects due process while maintaining protections for vulnerable populations.

The committee amendment was adopted (Clerk: 36 ayes, no nays), and senators voted to advance LB668 to E & R initial (Clerk: 43 ayes, no nays).

Next steps: LB668 will go through E & R processing and subsequent floor and committee steps. Sponsors said the bill has no fiscal note and emphasizes connecting families with services rather than creating new agencies.

Context: Supporters said the change preserves court-substantiated findings while giving affected individuals notice and a chance to respond before administrative registry placement; contracting for prevention services may allow DHHS to leverage federal funding in some cases.