The Legislature's Judiciary Committee met Monday to listen to comments from health care providers, mothers and even abandoned children about the state's safe haven law. The hearing was part of the Legislature's special session aimed at deciding what age limit should be set on safe haven abandonment.

Testifiers had two bills they could comment on. The first was Governor Dave Heineman's bill, introduced by speaker Mike Flood, setting the maximum drop-off age at three days. The second was a two tier bill introduced by senator Annette Dubas limiting abandonment at one year old, with mandatory services provided for children as old as 16.

Eventually, the Judiciary Committee advanced a 30 day age limit bill for the full Legislature to debate starting Tuesday.

Discussion about the topic was emotional at times.

"There are situations where the children were, in my opinion, unnecessarily abandoned," said Todd Landry, the Child and Family Services director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

"You've been making incredibly judgmental statements about [safe haven parents] in the press, about being bad parents, about how they're abandoning their kids when they want to be a part of their kids lives still," said Lincoln Senator Amanda McGill back to Landry.

After the fireworks though, the core issue lay bare. What's the maximum age at which children can be abandoned? Some said three days. Some said a year.

"A child in its first year of life is susceptible to severe abuse like no other time in that child's life," said Jim Blue, president of Cedars Child Services in Lincoln.

"I believe 72 hours is the right age limit," said Landry.

While agreement on an exact age was hard to pin down, no one disagreed that the trauma to older children being abandoned must stop.

"We have watched hysterical children begging their parent not to leave. One said, 'I'll be good, I'll be good, I promise," said Ann Schumacher, the Chief of Operations at Immanuel Hospital in Omaha.

An emotional young man recalled his own childhood abandonment.

"All my life I know I will bear this cross, that my heart hurts, that what is said when a child is abandoned is exactly what it is, 'I don't love you,'" said Lidon Wostrel.

While the official point of the special session is to set an age limit for drop-offs, it's the lack of services for older kids that seemed to have everyone a little on edge.

"You could have a panoply that includes every mental health services available for children. But, if it is out of the reach of those who need it then those services aren't available in my opinion," said Omaha senator Ernie Chambers.

The next step is for the full Legislature to accept the Judiciary Committee's amendment of a 30 day age limit before having full debate on the issue. After the bill is up for debate, it can be further amended.