DHHS budgeting, strategic planning bill approved

A bill that requires the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to include strategic plans in its budget requests was given final approval March 27.

LB974, introduced by Omaha Sen. Heath Mello, requires DHHS to include strategic plans for the following divisions as part of the appropriations process for each of the next two state budget cycles:
• Division of Behavioral Health;
• Division of Developmental Disabilities; and
• Division of Medicaid and Long-term Care.

The bill also extends an existing strategic plan requirement for the Division of Children and Family Services. The strategic plans must include the main purpose of each program, verifiable and auditable goals for each division and benchmarks for improving performance on key goals.

The plans are required until June 30, 2019.

LB974 includes provisions of three additional bills:
• LB837, introduced by the Legislative Performance Audit Committee, which prohibits the state Department of Administrative Services from authorizing agencies with seven or fewer full-time employees from conducting their own expenditure preaudits;
• LB969, introduced by Cedar Rapids Sen. Kate Sullivan, which increases a cap on growth in the special education appropriation from 5 to 10 percent for future budget years; and
• LB1023, introduced by Mello, which updates statutory references to several budgetary reports and requires that a copy of the reports be provided to the legislative fiscal analyst.

Senators passed the bill 44-0.