[7][5] He was among firefighters who were unable to save a mother and baby trapped in a burning house in Havelock on the day after Christmas of 1965.

This change in language applied to a broader range of unwanted sexual contact and was intended to make testimony less personal for those who were assaulted.

The new law would use gender-neutral language to designate the assailant and the person attacked, though Barnett was aware that women are more often targeted by sex criminals than men are.

[9] Barnett's effort to outlaw spousal assault received strong support from Senators Ernie Chambers and Warren R. Swigart.

The legislature voted to revise Nebraska's criminal code in 1977 to remove the state's ban on gay sex.

Barnett sponsored a measure requiring keepers of city jails to keep medical records of any procedures done to inmates.

[10] The law against spousal sexual assault that Barnett introduced was upheld and solidified by a Nebraska Supreme Court decision in 1986.

This decision overturned a legal doctrine called "irrevocable consent" and confirmed that there is no spousal immunity for sexual assault in Nebraska.

[8] In 1987 he established the Nebraska Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Program, which provides volunteer peer crisis support to first responders.