Nebraska Lawmakers Consider Age Limit on Safe-Haven Law

LINCOLN, Neb. – A Nebraska legislative committee was scheduled to hold a public hearing on bills that would limit the age of children who could be dropped off under the state's safe-haven law.

The law has no age limit, which has led to the drop-off of 34 children at hospitals, most of them preteens and teenagers.

One bill up for hearing on Monday would limit to 3 days the age of children who could be dropped off.

Another would set two age limits, 1 year and 15 years.

The 15-year age cap isn't expected to be considered by the full Legislature because the bill also calls for those older children to receive new crisis services. Attorney General Jon Bruning says that is outside the limited scope of the special legislative session.