ACLU supporters made several victories possible in Nebraska during the 2011 legislative session. Thank you to all who contacted their state senators about these important civil liberties issues.
Defeated multiple attacks on new immigrants.
The Arizona-style law proposed by Fremont Senator Charlie Janssen (LB 48) was left in committee, as was the bill requiring all employers to use E-Verify, the flawed federal employment database (LB 569).
An effort to repeal the Nebraska DREAM Act, which permits the children of immigrants to get in-state college tuition, was killed (LB 657).
Stopped Assaults on Privacy & Democracy
An effort that sought to require drug testing of welfare recipients (LB 221) and the effort to use tax dollars to fund private religious schools via tax vouchers (LB 50) were defeated. A bill requiring photo ID before voting (LB 239), which originally would have made voting very difficult for low-income voters and the elderly, may advance with amendments that address the civil liberties concerns.
Victories In Criminal Justice
At first glance, windshield obstruction may not look like a civil liberties issue – until you hear the many complaints of racial profiling our office receives. Many of the people who believe they were pulled over for DWB (“Driving While Black or Brown”) had windshield obstructions cited, although the obstructions were usually incredibly small, such as an air freshener or religious medal. A bill introduced by Senator Tanya Cook, will limit police discretion in the mass targeting of minorities (LB 500). Police will no longer be able to use windshield obstruction as a primary reason to pull someone over. This is a great example of how your support of both legal and legislative work comes together to defend civil liberties!
Finally, an effort to remove the Ombudsman as watchdog over jail conditions (LB 270) stayed in committee.
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