All Roll Calls
Yes: 157 • No: 4
NebraskaLB80109th Legislature 1st and 2nd SessionslegislatureWALLET
Adopt the Protection Orders Act, require reporting of child abuse and neglect involving military families, provide for domestic violence victims to change rental agreements and request the changing of locks, and change provisions related to landlords and tenants
Sponsored By: Bob Hallstrom
Signed by Governor
Judiciary Committee
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
14 provisions identified: 13 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
No-cost filing and standard forms
You pay no filing, issuance, or service fees for a protection order, unless a judge finds clear, bad‑faith falsehoods. You must file with the district court clerk, and you cannot withdraw your petition without a judge’s order. The clerk gives you two certified copies for free and sends the order for service; the sheriff must serve within 14 days, and documents may be sent electronically. Courts use one statewide petition and affidavit, and you can ask to keep your contact info confidential. You can get help completing the forms, and your petition and affidavit are admitted into evidence unless the judge excludes them. If you give numeric ID details, the court shares them only with enforcement agencies, which must keep them confidential.
Tougher penalties and arrests for violators
It is a crime to knowingly violate a protection order after service or notice. For domestic abuse or sexual assault orders, the first violation is a Class I misdemeanor; later violations are Class IV felonies. For harassment orders, the first violation is a Class II misdemeanor; later violations are Class I misdemeanors. Police must arrest on probable cause, and judges set release conditions and a no‑contact order. Stalking that also violates a protection order becomes a Class IIIA felony, and knowing order violations count as dangerous misdemeanors for weapon sentencing; people under a valid domestic‑abuse order who violate it cannot possess listed weapons. Officers have tighter limits on using citations, courts cannot defer judgment for order violations, and juvenile restraining order violations follow the updated process.
Easier protection order renewals and firearm notice
You can ask to renew a protection order any time within 45 days before it expires, including the day it ends. The court can renew for one year based on your affidavit if there’s no material change, you seek no changes, and the respondent was served and does not contest. If the order includes temporary child custody, the renewed order must state the number of custody days. When a domestic abuse protection order is issued, the court must serve the respondent a federal firearm‑possession warning. Courts may send domestic abuse protection‑order matters to a referee, and the Protection Orders Act controls if another law conflicts.
Faster hearings and clear timelines
If an order is not issued ex parte, courts set a hearing within 14 days and tell the respondent to show cause. Courts can issue or renew an ex parte order when there is immediate danger or likely irreparable harm. The respondent must return the show‑cause request form within 10 business days; the court then holds a hearing within 30 days. Final orders initially last at least one year and up to two years. A respondent can only get their own order by filing a cross petition, and courts may reclassify a case to the most suitable order type.
What protection orders can do
The law lets victims of domestic abuse, harassment, or sexual assault get a court protection order. Orders can stop contact, threats, and harassment, and can make the respondent stay away. In domestic abuse cases, a judge may remove the respondent from your home, bar their firearm possession, and give you temporary child custody for up to 90 days. The court may give you sole possession of a household pet for as long as the order lasts. You cannot permanently transfer or sell the pet without court approval, except for humane euthanasia if a licensed vet recommends it.
Renters can remove abusive cotenants
If a cotenant or occupant abused you and you have a protection order or certification, you can ask the landlord to remove that person from the lease. Give the landlord the document, the perpetrator’s full name, a service date 5 to 30 days out, and your preferred contact method. The landlord must act only against the named person and serve a five‑day notice on your requested date. If the person leaves within five days, the landlord must install a new lock and tell you how to get in. If not, the landlord must sue only that person, tell you the court date, and after winning can recover court costs and reasonable attorney fees from the perpetrator. If both sides ask to remove each other, the landlord only proceeds against someone a court has specifically excluded; otherwise the landlord has no duty under this process.
Fast lock changes for victim renters
If a non‑cotenant abused you and you have a protection order or certification, you can require the landlord to change the locks within 24 hours after your written request with a copy of the document. If the landlord does not act, you can change the locks with similar or better hardware, tell the landlord, and provide a key or code. Landlords may replace the lock, rekey it, or reset an electronic code, and they may keep a copy of the key or code. The landlord can charge you only the actual and reasonable cost of the lock change.
Military notified on child abuse cases
The law defines who counts as a member of a military family. After a child‑abuse report and contact with the family, if the subject is in a military family, DHHS notifies the right military installation. DHHS must set agreements with Nebraska installations on how to identify cases, share needed information, and protect confidentiality. After the investigation ends, DHHS also sends the written result to the installation.
Extra privacy and landlord protections
If a valid protection order covers the driver, captured license‑plate data for the vehicle is kept private. Agencies may share that data only with a court order or a specific automated match. A landlord is not liable for actions taken in good faith under these sections, such as removing a perpetrator from the lease or changing locks as the law provides.
Family courts and elder safety updates
Protection order cases are treated as domestic relations matters, aligning filing and venue rules. Courts may use child‑support referees to speed support, paternity, and domestic abuse protection order work. Actions taken to follow a valid protection order do not count as unlawful 'isolation' of a vulnerable or senior adult.
Nebraska honors out-of-state protection orders
Nebraska enforces valid protection orders from other states, tribes, and territories. The order must come from a court with jurisdiction and give the respondent notice and a chance to be heard. An order that looks authentic is presumed valid, and officers may rely on a copy. Courts also enforce valid foreign harassment and sexual‑assault orders under the same standards.
Clarifies hunting knife exception for licenses
A recreational license includes a Nebraska hunting, fishing, or fur‑trapping license, permit, tag, sticker, or similar proof. With that license, you can possess a knife for butchering, dressing, processing, or harvesting game, fish, or furs. This clarifies who fits the narrow exception.
Clearer rules and police training statewide
The law repeals older, conflicting statutes and updates citations. It clarifies key definitions used in stalking, harassment, and the Protection Orders Act. All law‑enforcement agencies must train officers on domestic abuse, the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act, and the Protection Orders Act. These steps improve consistent, statewide response and enforcement.
State education chief notified in school cases
When a report names a school employee and the child attends that same school, DHHS sends the written investigation result to the Nebraska Commissioner of Education. This keeps the education agency informed about abuse findings tied to that school.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Bob Hallstrom
Senate
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
legislature vote • 5/14/2025
Final Reading
Yes: 46 • No: 3
legislature vote • 4/14/2025
Vote
Yes: 35 • No: 1 • Other: 13
legislature vote • 4/14/2025
Vote
Yes: 38 • No: 0 • Other: 11
legislature vote • Unknown
Vote
Yes: 38 • No: 0 • Other: 11
Actions Timeline
Provisions/portions of LB267 amended into LB80 by AM801
6/6/2025legislatureProvisions/portions of LB141 amended into LB80 by AM801
6/6/2025legislatureApproved by Governor on May 20, 2025
5/20/2025legislaturePresented to Governor on May 14, 2025
5/14/2025legislaturePresident/Speaker signed
5/14/2025legislaturePassed on Final Reading 46-3*-0
5/14/2025legislatureDispensing of reading at large approved
5/14/2025legislaturePlaced on Final Reading
4/29/2025legislatureAdvanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment
4/23/2025legislatureDungan FA99 withdrawn
4/23/2025legislatureDungan FA98 withdrawn
4/23/2025legislatureEnrollment and Review ER50 adopted
4/23/2025legislatureEnrollment and Review ER50 filed
4/22/2025legislaturePlaced on Select File with ER50
4/22/2025legislatureDungan FA99 filed
4/14/2025legislatureDungan FA98 filed
4/14/2025legislatureAdvanced to Enrollment and Review Initial
4/14/2025legislatureStorer FA44 withdrawn
4/14/2025legislatureJudiciary AM801 adopted
4/14/2025legislatureDungan FA90 withdrawn
4/14/2025legislatureDungan FA89 withdrawn
4/14/2025legislatureBallard name added
4/10/2025legislatureDungan FA90 to AM801 filed
4/8/2025legislatureDungan FA89 to AM801 filed
4/8/2025legislatureJudiciary AM801 filed
4/8/2025legislature
Bill Text
Introduced
1/9/2025
Enrolled / Slip Law
Final / Enacted
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