Meet Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning

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Jon Bruning was elected as Nebraska's 31st Attorney General in 2002 and re-elected without opposition in 2006. He is President-elect of the National Association of Attorneys General and previously served six years as a state senator in the Nebraska Legislature, having been elected twice to that office, in 1996 and 2000.

A fifth-generation Nebraskan, Bruning is an aggressive, effective leader in the fight against crime. He has worked tirelessly to help protect Nebraska's children from sexual predators by prosecuting offenders, educating parents and teachers on protecting their children, and traveling the state speaking to young people. In 2004, Bruning led the charge to pass legislation that created the offense of online enticement. This law gave prosecutors the ability to prosecute sexual predators lurking on the Internet. In 2006, he worked with Nebraska lawmakers to pass tougher laws for child sexual offenders. The new law requires a mandatory prison sentence of at least 15 years for the gravest crimes against children.

Bruning helped stem the tide of methamphetamine in Nebraska's communities. He successfully worked with legislators to increase penalties for meth traffickers and manufacturers. In 2005, Bruning worked to pass a law that required products with pseudoephedrine, a major ingredient in meth, to be sold behind pharmacy counters. One year after the law went into effect the number of meth labs seized in Nebraska decreased by 86 percent.

Bruning ensures the law applies equally to everyone. Appealing excessively lenient sentences, combined with his steadfast prosecution of elected officials who break the law, has earned him a reputation as "the People's Lawyer."

An average of more than $900,000 a year has been returned to victims of scams since Bruning took office. He's provided a voice for consumers by growing his Consumer Protection Division. If Nebraskans have a problem, the Attorney General's Office is the place they call for help.

Bruning is chairman of the Nebraska Crime Commission and serves on the Nebraska Board of Pardons. His bi-partisan efforts earned him the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership in 2005.

Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, he received both his undergraduate and law degrees with distinction from the University of Nebraska. Bruning and his wife, Deonne, live in Lincoln, with their two children, Lauren and Jack.