§ 6-1207.Requirements for establishment or expansion.

Section 6-1207 turns the general approval requirement in Section 6-1201 into a concrete process. Before a court can start or expand a problem-solving court, it needs the Nebraska Supreme Court’s approval, and the program has to follow the ten key components identified by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals along with evidence-based practices supported by current research; family treatment courts also have to follow the Family Treatment Court Common Characteristics.

Getting there starts with a written Notice of Intention to the State Court Administrator, covering the program’s description, location, and type; its target population and expected participant numbers; goals and how they’ll be measured; eligibility criteria, including a validated risk instrument; how participants get accepted; drug and alcohol testing protocols; confidentiality safeguards tied to federal substance-use privacy law; the terms of participation, including treatment, testing, supervision, and any fees; how progress gets monitored; and written administrative policies covering organization, personnel, and finance.

From there, the State Court Administrator refers the request to the Statewide Problem-Solving Court Coordinator, who runs an initial assessment — looking at need, cost, available and needed resources, funding, whether an approved model exists, and applicable best-practice standards — and reports back with recommendations. If the Administrator denies the request, the applying court gets a written explanation and possible next steps. If the Administrator decides the request should go to the Supreme Court, the Coordinator helps the proponents assemble the required documents, checks them for compliance, and works through any deficiencies before submitting the request for Supreme Court approval. Once approved, the court works with the Coordinator on an implementation plan covering personnel, timelines, training, daily operations, and technical assistance, and has to report any later changes to its submitted materials for further approval.

The rule also folds in substance-use screening and treatment standards from Article 13 and gives the Supreme Court ongoing authority to modify these requirements or grant written exemptions, which it can terminate at its discretion.