Heineman calls for tax relief, prison reform in State of the State address

LINCOLN, Neb. —Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is calling for a long-term study of Nebraska’s prison system and promising short-term fixes to address the immediate overcrowding problem.

The Republican governor called on lawmakers Wednesday during his final State of the State address to reform Nebraska’s “good time” law for violent inmates. Lawmakers have promised major reforms this year to address overcrowding and to reform the system that allowed the release of Nikko Jenkins, who is accused of four Omaha-area slayings.

“The public safety of our citizens should be priority number one and that should start with violent criminals being required to earn good time rather than automatically receiving it,” said Heineman.