Ruben Cano, principal at Omaha South High Magnet School, came to the microphone in June at Lincoln's NET studio to speak to the Nebraska Legislature's Judiciary Committee.Ìý
Cano's voice was full of emotion as he told senators the work to end racism is not done.
"As a person of color, it breaks my heart," he said. "We cannot let the work stop once the protests are done."Ìý
As the administrator of one of the largest high schools in Nebraska, he cannot welcome students every fall and tell them they can achieve the American dream, he said, because for them the American dream comes with an asterisk behind it.Ìý
He encouraged the eight senators to introduce legislation and seek out policies that will finally put an end to systemic racism. People must not be forced to come back in a year, or two or five, asking them to consider laws that value every citizen so they can know their life is respected, regardless of their color, their age, economic background or legal standing.
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The senators completed those June listening sessions, then came back into session July 20 for 17 working days. But other than hours of talking about it during debates, senators weren't able to get much doneÌýon Cano's request, and the request of so many of those who came to the listening sessions.Ìý
Six Omaha and Lincoln Democrats introduced study resolutions during the session to gather information on systemic racism and to look at potential reform of law enforcement policies and practices.Ìý
Shortly after the session ended, 10 racial and social justice groups called for the Legislature to come back to a special session to address police practices, criminal justice and related issues. Then, 11 senators from Lincoln and Omaha initiated a formal call for a special session dedicated to racial justice.
Senators hadÌýuntil Friday to respond to the request, and as of Friday morning, three more senators had joined the request. It would take the concurrence of 33 members to convene a special session.Ìý
Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne was able to introduce a bill during the 17-day wrap-up of the 2020 session that would create police standards boards in cities and villages with full-time police officers. That bill (LB1222), the Municipal Police Oversight Act, got a hearing but ultimately died at the end of the session like all bills that had not passed.Ìý
Here are six interim study resolutions filed by senators and the reasons for each one, according to the introducing senators.
LR146, introduced by Wayne, seeks to examine the feasibility of a prosecutor-transparency act to collect data and establish a process to report on city and country prosecutors. There is little public information about prosecutors' policies, practices and data on operations of their offices, the resolution said.Ìý
Prosecutor transparency is essential to understanding and addressing mass incarceration and racial disparities present at each and every stage in the criminal justice system, it added.ÌýInformation would include numbers of people in local jails and state prisons, and racial disparities that exist in the criminal justice system.Ìý
LR374, also Wayne, would look at the historical practice of redlining in Nebraska's cities. Redlining is the practice of banks, mortgage lenders, Realtors and others restricting services to certain areas of a community, often based on race.
The study would look at negative impacts of redlining on racial and socioeconomic segregation within cities and villages, and the role of federal, state and local governments in promoting the practice, and potential policy solutions to reverse the negative impacts.
LR377, Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, would look at how to reform policing in Nebraska through independent government oversight of law enforcement agencies. It would include the feasibility of requiring law enforcement agencies to publicly disclose all disciplinary actions taken against officers.Ìý
It would also examine whether to reform practices of chokeholds, electroshock weapons such as Tasers, sprays or other chemical irritants, batons, high-impact munitions for crowd control or the arrest and restraint of suspects. It would examine the use of deadly force, improvements in staffing and hiring practices and training.Ìý
LR417, Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, would focus on policies on the use of force by law enforcement, including the components of the policies, national best practices and their use by agencies and barriers to adopting effective use-of-force policies.Ìý
LR421, Omaha Sens. Steve Lathrop and Sara Howard, would study the racial and ethnic disproportionality in Nebraska's foster care and juvenile justice systems, specifically for those committed to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers.Ìý
There have been continued racial and ethnic disparities in those systems for youth of color, especially those who are Native, African American and Latino. The interim study would include an action plan for reducing those disparities with input from Nebraska's four federally recognized Native tribes and others who have been affected.Ìý
The study also would look at the need for a subcommittee of the Nebraska Children's Committee or a task force to lead the work and advise the Legislature and various state agencies on policy and practice reform.
LR449, Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, would examine systemic and institutional racism in Nebraska and make recommendations to improve systems to make them more equitable for those who are biracial, interracial and people of color.Ìý
Senators will use information gathered in the interim studies to determine any bills to introduce in the 2021 session that begins in January.