Revised court provisions advance

Senators gave second-round approval May 18 to a bill that would revise state and county court provisions.

LB669, introduced by Norfolk Sen. Mike Flood, would:
• expand the state Supreme Court’s options for funding sources to compensate court interpreters;
• provide for clerks and staff of the district and country courts to assist one another on court services;
• create a new position of Judicial Hearing Officer and allow the court to appoint officers as needed;
• provide courts greater scheduling flexibility;
• clarify the authority for delivery of service by a commercial courier;
• provide various deadlines for filing a jury demand in civil cases depending on the role of the litigant doing the filing;
• eliminate the requirement that divisions of a county court be located outside the county seat and that certain cases be filed with the county court clerk in the county seat;
• authorize a court to order that a juvenile be placed directly with the state Department of Health and Human Services to obtain a pre-adjudication evaluation; and
• clarify the responsibilities of the county and the state for covering costs incurred during a juvenile’s detention period prior to adjudication.

Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash offered an amendment, adopted 36-0, that contained provisions from LB296, a bill he introduced that would allow the electronic filing of complaints and information in criminal cases.

“This change would allow for efficient use of resources while maintaining the integrity of the court system,” Coash said.

Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford offered an amendment, adopted 34-0, that would require that agreements between the district courts and county clerks be signed and stipulated to by the state court administrator, the county board and the clerk of the district court after obtaining input from the clerk of the county court, a district court judge, a county court judge and the county attorney.

Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton offered an amendment, adopted 30-0, that would allow for a divorce decree to be entered without a hearing if both parties have certified that they have made every reasonable effort to reconcile.

The amended bill was advanced from select file on a voice vote.