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Omaha officials working on city panhandling ordinance

homelessOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha city officials say they’re working on a panhandling ordinance to address a problem that some people believe has gotten worse.

City officials say they’re hearing about the problem frequently. City prosecutor Matt Kuhse says he’s working on a panhandling ordinance that he hopes the city council can vote on by the end of the year.

Kuhse says the ordinance will need to balance what the community wants with what the constitution and federal courts have said about panhandling.

Steve Frazee, senior program director at Open Door Mission, a local shelter, says giving a panhandler money is likely not going to take care of the needs they have.

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