LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska lawmaker has proposed a bill that would hold refugee groups liable for damages if one of the refugees they have accepted commits a crime.
Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion introduced the measure Thursday amid a heated debate over whether Nebraska should accept refugees from war-torn Syria.
The bill would apply to refugees from more than 30 “high-risk” territories, including Syria, Iraq and Russia.
Kintner said he is not aware of any national trends to hold agencies liable for the refugees that they help resettle. The list was adopted from a border security bill that Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul introduced in Congress last year.
Kintner said he will not predict how the bill will fare in committee because he doesn’t know what the opposition will be.
“I don’t know what arguments are: That we shouldn’t protect the citizens from possible jihadists?” Kintner said.
The bill would require groups to compensate state or local governments for the cost of prosecuting a refugee. It also would allow crime victims to sue the groups, and require the refugee agencies to demonstrate that they have the capacity to cover up to $25 million in damages.
Several nonprofit agencies have said they are working to resettle the refugees in Nebraska. Gov. Pete Ricketts has said the state should welcome refugees, but he has concerns about how they’re screened.
Phone messages left Thursday afternoon with two nonprofit refugee resettlement groups weren’t immediately returned.
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The bill is LB966.
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