Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9 A.M. a G E N
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OMAHA COALITION MEETING Wednesday, February 13, 2019 9 a.m. A G E N D A I. Welcome and Introductions II. Review of the January 23, 2019 Meeting Minutes (please contact PEM staff with corrections) III. Guest Speaker: Jeff Soukup, Nebraska DHHS Program Manager: The tobacco control movement as a model for evidence-based alcohol prevention IV. Focus Area Updates A. Policy i. 2019 Legislative Tracking Sheet ii. Upcoming Legislative Hearings iii. Alcohol tax fact check iv. Policy Work Group Meeting: DUIs – Tuesday, Feb. 26 @ 3:30 p.m. B. Enforcement i. Metro Area Law Enforcement Work Group meeting, 2/13/2019 @ 10:00 ii. February 2019 Law Enforcement Training: Controlled Underage Party Dispersal C. Youth i. February 27, 2019 LET Youth Volunteers D. Awareness i. January 2019 Research and News Summaries available at www.projectextramile.org V. Additional Discussion/Announcements VI. Adjournment and Next Meeting Date: Dr. Noelle LoConte, M.D. will discuss the ASCO Policy Statement she authored on preventing alcohol-related cancers on March 13th, 9 a.m. @ UNMC College of Public Health, Room 2001 IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS Law Enforcement Training Registration Deadline – February 22, 2019 Policy Work Group Meeting: DUIs – February 26 at 3:30 p.m. Law Enforcement Training – Scottsbluff: February 26 & Omaha: February 27 at 1 p.m. UNMC Grand Rounds – Addressing Alcohol’s Role in Cancer – March 13 at 12 p.m. Nebraska Liquor Control Commission Hearings – March 5 & 6, 2019 PEM Coalition Meeting (DUI Discussion Follow-up) – June 12, 2019 PROJECT EXTRA MILE OMAHA METRO AREA COALITION MEETING MINUTES January 23, 2019 I. Call to Order: Project Extra Mile Executive Director Chris Wagner called the meeting to order at the National Safety Council, Nebraska at 9 a.m. II. Welcome and Introductions: Welcome and introductions took place around the room. Coalition members in attendance: Ryan Lindberg, Mike Kraus, Rebecca Patlan, Virgil Patlan, Andrea Frazier, Nikki Carritt, Paul Letcher, Jeanne Bietz, Lee Polikov, Tim Owens, Jim Timm, Ed Vierk, Mark Segerstrom, Sherri Cannon, Jason Scott, Patrick Nastase, Bonnie Moore, William Acosta-Trejo, James Wrigley, Neal Bonacci, Bill Kovarik, Sharona Crittenden, Mark Magill, Bill Armbrust, Brandi Preston, Sam Petro, Don Hoes and Chris Foster. Staff members in attendance: Chris Wagner, Melissa Rotella, Liene Topko and Lex Ann Roach. III. Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the December 12th, 2018 meeting were reviewed and approved. No additions or corrections were made. IV. Discussion Virgil Patlan, a Nebraska Parole Board member and Burlington Neighborhood Association member, started the discussion by talking the senseless deaths of young people in the Omaha area due to drunk driving. He’s seen prisoners with 8 DUI’s who have up to 4 or 5 first offenses. It’s a problem that needs immediate attention by the judicial and legislative branches. One solution he’d like to see are harsher first-time DUI punishments. Wagner then shared DUI statistics in Nebraska and pointed to the National Academies report on getting to zero alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. Wagner reviewed the recommendations outlined in that report and then asked everyone to provide a brief summary of their efforts to prevent DUIs. a) Jeanne Bietz with DHHS and Nebraska Drive Smart Coalition spoke of a number of public education initiatives aimed at both youth and adults to prevent DUIs. b) Douglas County Deputy Attorney Ryan Lindberg spoke about working closely with law enforcement about keeping track of statistics. He commented that Douglas Co. Attorney’s Office has been very successful in getting lengthy sentences of DUI convictions, particularly for those involving a fatality. c) Interim Administrator Bill Kovarik with Nebraska Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Office remarked they’d like to rewrite Title 177, chapters 1 & 7 to help convict easier. d) Sam Petro, a prevention coordinator Know the Truth informed the group about the personal stories they’re sharing in schools to help prevent alcohol and drug use. e) Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov indicated he’d also like to see tougher sentences for DUIs. He also noted Sarpy County Diversion has been successful in works keeping recidivism rates low in the county. f) Don Hoes with Keystone Treatment Center praised the free ride home and tow to go programs and noted there are 700 AA meetings a week to help those with substance use disorders. g) Sgt. James Wrigley with the SCSO DUI Task Force said that the Task Force is Omaha Coalition Meeting Minutes January 2019 conducting at least one DUI checkpoint per year. They have also had a lot of success with saturation patrols h) Sharona Crittenden with Sarpy Diversion commented on the diversion program offering an evaluation right after the arrest, requiring two AA meetings per week and six months of drug and alcohol counseling, plus interlock installed in the vehicle. i) Ed Vierk with the Attorney General’s Office conducts trainings in rural areas and noted it’s hard to get prison time for motor vehicle homicide without the big city prosecutors. He made the point that if the media and newspaper report more on the convictions the judges in the rural areas will take note and follow suit. j) Capt. Jason Scott with the Nebraska State Patrol remarked that recruiting is down but they’re doing the best they can. The paperwork for DUIs has become more extensive over the years and is time consuming. Despite the paperwork burden, he was open to sharing place of last drink data with local governing bodies and the Liquor Control Commission to help identify problem alcohol outlets. k) Chris Foster with the Gifford Park Neighborhood Association informed the coalition of the Good Neighbor Ordinance and that bars could lose their certificate of occupancy if they disobey the ordinance. Businesses that know the city’s watching are less likely to overserve their customers. He also urged the city to have a more transparent process for using the ordinance. l) Andrea Frazier with MADD informed the coalition that they are monitoring DUI court case results. They are seeing a lot of 7-day jail time and house arrest as opposed to other penalties. m) Paul Letcher with HSO notified the coalition of Project Night Life’s efforts in conducting 1,000 presentations to local high schools. n) Wagner closed noting that the problem is large and no one solution will fix the problem. The coalition needs to approach this issue from all angles if we hope to bring our DUI and DUI fatality rates down. V. Group Discussion/Announcements i. Project Extra Mile encouraged the coalition to attend the follow-up June coalition meeting where we will again discuss DUI’s. VI. Adjournment and Next Meeting Date: The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 13th at 9 a.m. at the National Safety Council, Nebraska. Omaha Coalition Meeting Minutes January 2019 PROJECT EXTRA MILE 2019 Legislative Bill Tracking Bill # Sponsor(s) Description Bill Status Additional Information Permits City and County to enter into an interlocal Blood Provide for interlocal agreements regarding Engrossment LB11 agreement for joint and cooperative action within Urban Affairs nuisances 2/11/19 extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction to prevent nuisances. Hilkemann Change provisions relating to occupant Transportation and protection system enforcement and change Requires all passengers of a vehicle to utilize a seatbelt; LB39 Telecommunications Hearing 3/4/19 certain violations from secondary to primary infraction results in a primary offense and a fine of $25. McDonnell name enforcement added Permits the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission (LCC) to Change special designated licensure deliver a special designated license (SDL) to the licensee Lowe Engrossment LB56 provisions under the Nebraska Liquor Control electronically. Reduces the number of days prior to the General Affairs 2/11/19 Act event from 21 to 12 if the local governing body has established an expedited process for SDL applications. Permits a court to defer sentencing of a defendant pending upon successful completion of probation. The defendant’s charge may be dismissed without judgment upon successful completion of probation and payment or waiver of all administrative & programming fees. A defendant is not eligible for deferred judgement if: o Have previously been convicted of a felony o Have been granted deferred judgement 2 or more Wayne Provide for deferred judgments by courts as times LB91 Hearing 3/20/19 Judiciary prescribed o Had been granted deferment within the past 5 years for a felony o Are not eligible for probation o The defendant is a business entity Court must first determine if deferred judgement will provide maximum opportunity for rehabilitation and protect the community from further offenses by the defendant Upon judgement, the court must specify, in writing, reasons and supporting facts for decision Prepared by Project Extra Mile Last updated: 2/12/2019 Probation limits are: o For a felony, not less than 2 years or more than 5 years o For a misdemeanor, not less than 1 year or more than 2 years o The term may be extended for up to 1 year o The term may be reduced if the purpose of probation has been fulfilled and fees paid Wishart LB110 Judiciary Adopt the Medical Cannabis Act Hearing 1/25/19 AM21 pending *Wishart priority Requires at least one hour of behavioral and mental health training for nurses, teachers, counselors, LB120 Crawford Require teacher and school staff to receive psychologists, administrators, social workers, etc. during Support Education training on behavioral and mental health contract hours. New training topics include trauma- informed care, early detection of behavioral and mental health problems, effective responses for educators, etc. Quick; Albrecht, Increases legal age of use of vapor products to 21; Bolz, Cavanaugh, Violation will result in a Class V misdemeanor.