Change to state service relocation process stalls

A bill that would require legislative approval for the relocation of state services or agencies costing more than $15 million failed to advance from general file March 31.

Under LB935, introduced by Grand Island Sen. Mike Gloor, the Legislature would have the authority to approve or deny a major relocation from one community to another. Gloor said he was seeking to fix what he sees as a flawed process that was used in the decision to relocate the Grand Island Veterans’ Home to Kearney.

“There needs to be a greater degree of transparency and openness when we move state services around the state,” he said. “[The current process] leaves a hole in the economy of one community while bolstering the economy of another.”

A request for relocation would be submitted to the Legislature’s Executive Board and must include:
• a description of the proposed relocation;
• justification for the relocation;
• a review of the long-term costs;
• measurable goals for improving the quality of the service;
• an assessment of the feasibility of alternatives within the state agency to moving the service;
• any known or foreseeable legal, environmental or other issues related to the proposed move; and
• a description of economic development efforts to use any facility abandoned by the move.

The approval process would not apply to the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska state colleges, the courts, the Legislature or any officer or state agency established by the state constitution.

Fullerton Sen. Annette Dubas supported the bill, saying the current process creates an adversarial approach to moving state services.

“Our communities regularly compete against each other when recruiting new businesses. If they don’t attract them, they didn’t lose because they never had it,” she said. “In [the move of the Grand Island Veterans’ Home], a community lost. [The current process] undermines the ability of people to come together and work cooperatively within a region.”

A Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee amendment, adopted 30-3, removed a provision in the original bill that would have applied retroactively to any move initiated after Jan. 1, 2013.

Hoskins Sen. Dave Bloomfield filed a motion to bracket the bill until April 17, 2014. He said there is too much emotion in the current debate to make an objective decision.

“If we want to discuss this, let’s come back and do it next year when the emotion is removed,” he said. “There is a system in place that works. We don’t want to do anything to jeopardize a new home for our veterans.”

The bracket motion failed on an 18-12 vote.

LB935 failed to advance on a 13-17 vote.