Bill would require legal counsel for juveniles in rural counties

By Noelle Annonen , Multimedia Reporter

Feb. 20, 2026, 5:15 p.m. ·

Juvenile counsel — Senator Victor Rountree presents a bill that would require juveniles to have legal counsel for misdemeanors in rural communitiesto the judiciary committee.

While larger cities must offer juveniles attorneys, state law does not currently require the same of rural counties. Sen. Victor Rountree proposed a bill requiring counties to offer and, if necessary, pay for counsel for juveniles, regardless of population.

He said that sometimes, if a judge deems that a case is minor or to expedite a case, they may encourage offenders not to take counsel.

“A child’s rights don’t change when they cross county lines,” Rountree said.

The bill also requires counties to require age-appropriate explanations of the court proceedings and juveniles’ right to take or refuse counsel.

Youth advocates, like Sarah Mitchell, argue that the consequences teenagers face when they don’t have counsel and don’t understand court proceedings last decades. She spoke from her experience with a shoplifting charge when she was 17 years old.

“When a young person enters a courtroom, their future is on the line,” Mitchell said.

The Nebraska Association of County Officials opposed the bill. It argued that rural counties would be forced to shoulder the financial burden of increased court and administrative costs in addition to attorney costs. The bill does not include funding to offset those costs. The association also says court cases might be seriously delayed because there are not enough attorneys to cover rural Nebraska.

The committee did not take immediate action on the bill, but members asked Rountree if he would be willing to drop the requirement for rural counties to provide counsel and only codify requirements to provide age-appropriate legal explanations. Rountree said he would listen to those discussions.