Sexual assault, sex trafficking identity protections strengthened

The identity of an individual alleging sexual assault or sex trafficking will be kept confidential in the period immediately following a reported crime under a bill passed April 12.

LB1246, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, requires attorneys and criminal justice agencies to withhold any personal identifying information of an alleged victim from the public record until charges are filed.

Relevant information can be shared between criminal justice agencies, attorneys and victim advocacy agencies under certain circumstances. Criminal justice agencies also may share identifying information about an alleged victim with an educational entity, such as a Title IX coordinator.

LB1246 includes a provision of LB204, originally sponsored by Sterling Sen. Julie Slama, which requires convicted sex traffickers to register as sex offenders under the state’s Sex Offender Registry Act beginning Jan. 1, 2023.

The bill passed on a 47-0 vote.