A bill seeking to make a children\u2019s behavioral health screening and referral program permanent was amended April 29 to terminate in 2015.<\/p>\n
In 2013, the Legislature created the Behavioral Health Screening and Referral Pilot Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to develop ways to address unmet children\u2019s behavioral health needs that could be replicated statewide.<\/p>\n
LB240, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen, would remove the Sept. 6, 2015, termination date for the program and an existing cap on the number of clinic sites. <\/p>\n
Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher offered an amendment during select file debate that would change the 2015 termination date to 2017. The pilot project was poorly structured, he said, and too many questions remain unanswered regarding the success of the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s perfectly obvious \u2026 that this pilot program is inconclusive and hasn\u2019t given us the kind of data we need to make it a permanent program,\u201d Schumacher said.<\/p>\n
Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston supported the amendment, saying the pilot program lacked the proper metrics to evaluate its success.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we all know, [once] an item or a program is enacted into law, it is very, very difficult to back out of that situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hansen opposed the amendment. The pilot program has proven to be an important tool in bridging the gap between screening and treatment, he said, and should be available across the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real issue at hand is the efficacy of this program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell also opposed the amendment, saying the pilot program grew out of the state\u2019s safe haven \u201cdebacle\u201d in 2008. In the years following passage of the law, she said, it became clear that Nebraska needed to do more to identify and treat behavioral health disorders in young people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a new rodeo,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThis is an extension of a program that has been very successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Schumacher amendment was adopted 26-9.<\/p>\n
Hoskins Sen. Dave Bloomfield offered a motion to bracket the bill until June 5, saying senators should have access to more data before making a decision on the fate of the pilot program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill would still be alive next session when we would have the required information,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The bracket motion failed 14-31. Lawmakers voted 26-14 to advance the amended bill to final reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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