Appointments made to three special committees

The Executive Board of the Legislature announced appointments to three special committees March 9.

The Election Technology Committee was established Feb. 29 with the adoption of LR403. The committee will study the longevity of technology used by election commissioners and county clerks and the feasibility of updating or replacing Nebraska’s election technology.

Appointed to the committee are:
Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen;
Omaha Sen. Robert Hilkemann;
Venango Sen. Dan Hughes;
Omaha Sen. Brett Lindstrom;
Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld;
Gretna Sen. John Murante (chairperson); and
Gering Sen. John Stinner.

Lawmakers established the Task Force on Behavioral and Mental Health Feb. 29 with the adoption of LR413.

The task force will study issues relating to the adequacy of the state’s behavioral health system, including monitoring the progress of a statewide needs assessment and strategic planning being conducted by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Appointed to the committee are:
Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz;
Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford;
Omaha Sen. Sara Howard;
Omaha Sen. Heath Mello;
Omaha Sen. John McCollister;
Hastings Sen. Les Seiler; and
Norfolk Sen. Jim Scheer.

The chairperson will be elected by members of the task force.

The AccessNebraska Oversight Committee replaced a special investigative committee that was established in 2014. AccessNebraska is an online and call center system developed and implemented by DHHS to determine public benefit eligibility and deliver benefits to clients.

A committee was established to investigate an array of problems including long wait times for callers, high worker turnover and lost paperwork. Authorization for the committee was extended until the beginning of the current legislative session.

An oversight committee was authorized Feb. 29 with the adoption of LR418. Appointed to the committee are:
Hyannis Sen. Al Davis;
Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen;
Omaha Sen. Sara Howard (chairperson);
Heartwell Sen. John Kuehn;
Omaha Sen. John McCollister;
Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks; and
Gering Sen. John Stinner.

Reports containing the committees’ findings and recommendations are due to the Legislature by Dec. 15.