LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers who investigated Nebraska’s prison system will seek an expansion of mental and behavioral health services and sentencing reform to address overcrowding.

Members of a special prisons committee vowed Friday to act this year, saying the problem needs to be fixed before civil liberties groups or the federal government sue the state. Senators have introduced seven bills and other measures.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says lawmakers will work with Gov. Pete Ricketts’ new corrections director, Scott Frakes. Krist says Frakes, who starts on Feb. 2, may have new ideas that lawmakers haven’t considered.

Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings says Nebraska’s criminal code hasn’t been reviewed since 1970, and needs to be updated.

Nebraska’s prison population reached more than 159 percent of its design capacity last month, with 5,221 inmates.