Adj. Gen. Craig Strong, at podium, addresses Nebraska National Guard members alongside Gov. Jim Pillen, State Sens. Loren Lippincott, Rita Sanders and Tom Brewer, and Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, from left, to celebrate Guard recruitment and retention legislation. Dec. 10, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — Nebraska was set to lead the way July 1 with a new statewide criminal justice diversion program for eligible veterans through evidence-based treatment and case plans. But lawmakers delayed the rollout for two years in the face of growing budget woes.

It’s not yet clear whether Nebraska lawmakers can meet that later timeline and find the roughly $4.7 million in annual funding the state court system says is needed to start by July 1, 2027.

Several current and former state lawmake

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