LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Political watchdog groups are asking Nebraska lawmakers to pass a new campaign disclosure law that would make it harder for candidates to hide spending violations.

The bill presented to a legislative committee Thursday would require candidates and office-holders to submit end-of-year balance reports from their banks to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Current law allows them to self-report, so it’s harder to detect mistakes or fraud.

Sen. Sue Crawford of Bellevue says she introduced the bill to protect the system.

Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska says the law would have helped catch former state Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha earlier, before she misspent $63,000 in campaign money at casinos.

Some committee members questioned the wisdom of creating a law based on isolated violations.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would abolish some of Nebraska’s mandatory minimum sentences will be debated on the floor of the Legislature.

An eight-member legislative committee voted unanimously on Thursday to advance the bill.

The bill headed to the floor would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for some offenders deemed habitual criminals. It also would remove mandatory minimum sentences for certain mid-level gun and drug crimes.

The bill by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has 10 co-sponsors and is one of several pieces of legislation addressing a prison system at more than 159 percent capacity.

The Legislature’s fiscal office says eliminating mandatory minimums could ease prison crowding by allowing inmates to qualify for parole an average of 2.3 years earlier.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The same sex-couples challenging Nebraska’s ban on gay marriage say they’re hurt every day the law remains in effect.

At a court hearing Thursday, the couples highlighted concerns about what would happen if one partner dies or if their adopted child is hospitalized and one parent has no legal rights.

That’s why lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska argued that a judge should block enforcement of the ban immediately. But the judge won’t rule until later.

Assistant Attorney General David Lopez says the court should respect the decision Nebraska voters made to enact the gay marriage ban in 2000.

And Lopez says Nebraska has a legitimate interest in defining marriage as only between a man and a woman because the state wants to promote procreation.