Study of missing Black women and children advanced

A bill aimed at improving the reporting and investigation of missing Black women and children in Nebraska advanced from the first round of debate Jan. 30.

Under LB751, introduced by Omaha Sen. Ashlei Spivey, the Nebraska State Patrol would be required to conduct a study to determine ways to expand criminal justice resources for reporting and identifying missing Black women and children.

The patrol would collaborate with state and federal agencies, including the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice, to assess the scope of the issue, identify barriers and improve information sharing and coordination.

An electronic report detailing the study’s findings — including data, analysis, identified barriers and possible future legislation — would be due to the Legislature’s Executive Board by June 1, 2027.

More than 700 Black women and children have gone missing in Nebraska in each of the past five years, Spivey said, and they represented 885 of the more than 1,000 women and children reporting missing in 2023.

She said her proposal is modeled after a bill passed by former Sen. Tom Brewer in 2019 that commissioned a study to increase investigative resources for missing Native American women and children. That study produced actionable measures the State Patrol could implement, Spivey said, including the development of a standard operating procedure for handling missing persons cases.

LB751 could help shed light on why Black women and girls are overrepresented in the state’s missing persons cases and offer possible solutions, she said, adding that the estimated $23,000 cost to hire a consultant to assist the State Patrol with the study would be absorbed by the Nebraska Commission on African American Affairs through their existing general fund appropriations.

“I believe this is an opportunity for our state to step up and do this study to ensure that [we’re] going upstream on this issue, because this doesn’t have to be our reality,” Spivey said.

Lincoln Sen. Carolyn Bosn supported LB751, saying it could have the same positive impact achieved by the state’s previous study on missing Native American women and children.

Lawmakers advanced the measure on a 41-0 vote.