Nebraska attorney general unveils legislative wish list
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009
LINCOLN (AP) -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning used an assault weapon and text of a sexually explicit online conversation as props while unveiling his legislative wish list Tuesday.
Laws aimed at gang violence, Internet sex predators and dating violence -- as well as a bill that would increase penalties for gas cheats -- will be on the Nebraska Legislature's plate this year at Bruning's request.
The attorney general showed reporters an assault weapon stolen earlier this year from a Lincoln sporting goods store, and a submachine gun possessed by a man who killed Omaha police officer Jason "Tye" Pratt.
Bruning also showed a sexually explicit 2004 conversation between Dennis Jasa and a State Patrol investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Jasa was convicted of online enticement of a child.
"In 37 seconds he goes from 'Let's meet' to 'Let's have sex,"' Bruning said. "This is the kind of disgusting stuff we're dealing with all the time."
The legislative session starts Wednesday, and Bruning's bills will have plenty of competition.
But Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha said these topics are important. Lautenbaugh said he was shocked by the things he found out when Bruning asked him to introduce legislation making it a crime for registered sex offenders to use social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
Jasa is a good example, Bruning said.
"There is no reason for this guy to be on MySpace with 200 friends under the age of 18," Bruning said.
Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha will sponsor a bill targeting gang violence, crime and drugs. The proposed law would increase penalties for some gun-related crimes. And prosecutors would be able to charge people with specific crimes for recruiting gang members, applying graffiti and drive-by shootings.
Gang violence is a problem in Omaha, Bruning said, but also across the state in places such as South Sioux City, Scottsbluff and Columbus.
Law enforcement estimate there are 4,000 gang members in Nebraska, Bruning said, with some 2,500 of those in Omaha.
Another of Bruning's bills targets racketeering and will be introduced by Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah. It would make it against the law to use money gained from illegal racketeering activities for a legal enterprise.
The bill also would let prosecutors combine the losses of multiple victims of financial crimes into a single charge. Under current law, Bruning couldn't charge a western Nebraska gas station owner with a felony for selling gas with ethanol in it at the higher price for regular gas.
For a felony, the total stolen must be at least $1,500, and the amounts stolen from each gas station customer couldn't be added together to qualify as a felony.
Bruning said changing the law would also help prosecutors go after online scam artists who bilk a small amount from a lot of people.
Rogert's bill also would create the crime of identity theft. Currently, identity theft cases are prosecuted under criminal impersonation laws.
The fourth bill, which will be introduced by Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha, would require that schools teach students about dating violence.
It's based on Rhode Island's Lindsay Ann Burke Act, named for a 23-year-old woman killed by her ex-boyfriend.
Laws aimed at gang violence, Internet sex predators and dating violence -- as well as a bill that would increase penalties for gas cheats -- will be on the Nebraska Legislature's plate this year at Bruning's request.
The attorney general showed reporters an assault weapon stolen earlier this year from a Lincoln sporting goods store, and a submachine gun possessed by a man who killed Omaha police officer Jason "Tye" Pratt.
Bruning also showed a sexually explicit 2004 conversation between Dennis Jasa and a State Patrol investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl. Jasa was convicted of online enticement of a child.
"In 37 seconds he goes from 'Let's meet' to 'Let's have sex,"' Bruning said. "This is the kind of disgusting stuff we're dealing with all the time."
The legislative session starts Wednesday, and Bruning's bills will have plenty of competition.
But Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh of Omaha said these topics are important. Lautenbaugh said he was shocked by the things he found out when Bruning asked him to introduce legislation making it a crime for registered sex offenders to use social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
Jasa is a good example, Bruning said.
"There is no reason for this guy to be on MySpace with 200 friends under the age of 18," Bruning said.
Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha will sponsor a bill targeting gang violence, crime and drugs. The proposed law would increase penalties for some gun-related crimes. And prosecutors would be able to charge people with specific crimes for recruiting gang members, applying graffiti and drive-by shootings.
Gang violence is a problem in Omaha, Bruning said, but also across the state in places such as South Sioux City, Scottsbluff and Columbus.
Law enforcement estimate there are 4,000 gang members in Nebraska, Bruning said, with some 2,500 of those in Omaha.
Another of Bruning's bills targets racketeering and will be introduced by Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah. It would make it against the law to use money gained from illegal racketeering activities for a legal enterprise.
The bill also would let prosecutors combine the losses of multiple victims of financial crimes into a single charge. Under current law, Bruning couldn't charge a western Nebraska gas station owner with a felony for selling gas with ethanol in it at the higher price for regular gas.
For a felony, the total stolen must be at least $1,500, and the amounts stolen from each gas station customer couldn't be added together to qualify as a felony.
Bruning said changing the law would also help prosecutors go after online scam artists who bilk a small amount from a lot of people.
Rogert's bill also would create the crime of identity theft. Currently, identity theft cases are prosecuted under criminal impersonation laws.
The fourth bill, which will be introduced by Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha, would require that schools teach students about dating violence.
It's based on Rhode Island's Lindsay Ann Burke Act, named for a 23-year-old woman killed by her ex-boyfriend.
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