LINCOLN — A “public safety” package on Thursday cleared a second lawmaking hurdle and retains what has been the most controversial element — lowering the minimum age at which a youth can be detained from 13 to 11.

Before Legislative Bill 530 passed on a 35-9 vote, however, lawmakers approved smaller juvenile-justice related changes to address some concerns of certain lawmakers and nonprofits, said State Sen. Carolyn Bosn, chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Among modifications was a requirement that all temporary and alternative placement options be exhausted before a child aged 11 or 12 would be detained in a facility, which critics say causes lasting trauma.

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