Extension of legislative oversight committee approved

Senators voted March 7 to reauthorize legislative oversight of the Beatrice State Developmental Center (BSDC).

LR47, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop, provides for continuation of the Developmental Disabilities Special Investigative Committee, which was established three years ago in response to problems at BSDC and was extended for two years in 2009.

In 2008, the facility was the subject of a federal Department of Justice report that found serious violations of residents’ civil rights, Lathrop said. BSDC subsequently was decertified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he said, resulting in the loss of $25 million per year in federal funding.

Lathrop said the oversight committee has been instrumental in creating positive changes at Beatrice and needs one more year to oversee the facility’s full recertification by the federal government.

“We’re asking to reconstitute [the committee] once again so we can see BSDC through recertification and be with them as they cross they finish line,” Lathrop said.

Fullerton Sen. Annette Dubas supported the resolution, saying the committee has served as an example of constructive cooperation between the various branches of state government.

“This special committee is a wonderful example of what can happen when you bring people together with a very specific focus,” she said.

The resolution was adopted on a 47-0 vote.