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Proposal would assess $100 per seized device to help pay for digital forensics in child‑exploitation cases
Summary
LB 910 imposes a $100 fee per electronic device seized in a conviction for child sexual‑exploitation offenses, intended to sustain forensic lab capacity; the State Patrol estimated large annual lab costs and said fees should follow the agency that does the work.
Senator Brian Harden introduced LB 910 to require a $100 fee per electronic device seized in connection with a conviction for a child sexual‑exploitation offense; the fee would be assessed only on conviction and waived for indigence. The sponsor said the fee is meant to offset growing forensic costs rather than have taxpayers cover the entire burden.
Captain Monty Lovelace described the rise in lab costs and workloads, saying the patrol will spend at least about $310,000 in the 2025 fiscal year on upgrades and equipment and that the two primary forensic tools cost nearly $206,000 annually. Lovelace said the state's lab processed "over 2,400 devices" last year and that personnel and time to examine devices are the main costs; small agencies also told the committee that a $100 per‑device payment would help local labs and staffing.
Witnesses asked that the fee be directed to whichever agency conducts the forensic analysis rather than a central fund to avoid unnecessary administrative transfers. Senators asked whether courts already can order costs of prosecution and whether those mechanisms might be used; the sponsor agreed those are points to discuss with prosecutors and counsel.
