Lawmakers advanced the state\u2019s mainline budget bill to final reading May 15 following a successful cloture vote.<\/p>\n
LB294, introduced by Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk at the request of the governor, would fund state government for the next two fiscal years.<\/p>\n
Debate focused on an amendment brought by Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz, vice chairperson of the Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n
The amendment would make a number of technical changes to the bill and incorporate provisions of Bolz\u2019s LB181, which she said were inadvertently left out of the committee amendment adopted during general file debate.<\/p>\n
The provisions would use $87,500 from the Nursing Facility Penalty Cash Fund to pay for a study to examine demographic trends, project current and future service needs and provide recommendations for continued statewide access to long-term care services, including nursing facility care, for Medicaid recipients.<\/p>\n
Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood opposed the inclusion of LB181 and offered an amendment that would have stripped those provisions from the Bolz amendment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department of Health and Human Services testified in opposition to LB181, mainly because they said the department already completes the long-term care redesign study [so] the amendment is really not necessary,\u201d Clements said. \u201cIt places additional administrative mandates and requirements on the [department].\u201d<\/p>\n
Omaha Sen. Sara Howard supported the Bolz amendment. She offered several examples of times when she said the state has \u201cburned money in a barrel\u201d by paying \u201cenormous\u201d fines to the federal government resulting from a lack of sufficient funding to, or oversight of, the department.<\/p>\n
Howard said the proposed study would provide a more comprehensive view of the state\u2019s situation without negatively impacting the department\u2019s budget or placing an undue burden on the administration.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The amendment] really gives us the opportunity \u2026 to make sure that we, as policymakers, fully understand what is going on in our long-term care space and what is happening to that very, very vulnerable population,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After two hours of discussion, senators voted 47-2 to invoke cloture, or cease debate and vote on the bill and pending amendments. The Clements amendment failed on a vote of 21-28. Twenty-five votes were needed.<\/p>\n
Following adoption of the Bolz amendment 40-7, lawmakers advanced LB294 to final reading also on a 40-7 vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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