Martha Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald
March 10, 2009

LINCOLN - What a difference a few days - and several million dollars - can make.

The legislative harmony that carried one safe haven bill easily through first-round debate Thursday shattered Monday as Nebraska lawmakers took up a second, more costly proposal.

Backers of the second measure said it would address a critical underfunding of services that contributed to desperate parents and guardians dropping off 36 youngsters last fall under the state's former safe haven law. Most were teenagers or preteens with mental, emotional or behavioral problems.

Legislative Bill 356, as amended by the Judiciary Committee, would boost state spending on mental health care for troubled children by $15 million a year.

"Please remember, the eyes of the nation, if not the world, are on us to see how we'll react," said State Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, the bill's sponsor. "If we are ever going to do anything, now is the time."

Others said there may be better solutions to the problems that were exposed before an age limit was added to the safe haven law in November.

Sen. Bill Avery of Lincoln said the bill's price tag would keep other proposals from having a chance of passage, such as his bill that would offer health insurance coverage for more low-income children.

"The question is not whether we do something. The question is how do we do it? What do we do?" he said.

Avery's proposal was part of a four-bill package that Sen. Tim Gay of Papillion, chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee, suggested as an alternative to LB 356.

Gay said Nebraska could make major progress in several areas related to behavioral health care with passage of the four bills:

• LB 136, introduced by Avery, would expand eligibility for the state's Kids Connection program to children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The current cap is 185 percent of the poverty level.
• LB 603, introduced by the Health and Human Services Committee, would address the shortage of behavioral health professionals in Nebraska by supporting psychiatric residencies and other training.
• LB 601, introduced by Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha, would require the state to seek more federal Medicaid dollars to support community mental health services.
• LB 346, introduced by Gay on behalf of the governor, was the safe haven bill advanced by the full Legislature Thursday. It would establish a statewide hot line staffed by mental health professionals, create a peer support program to guide families and offer case management for adoptive parents and guardians.

Gay argued that the state puts $260 million a year into mental health services, through community-based mental health services, Medicaid, the child welfare system and services for juvenile offenders.

But Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said much of the $260 million goes for adult services or for state wards.

The only money available for children who are not state wards and not on Medicaid is $4.7 million that goes through the state's six behavioral health regions. LB 356 would quadruple that funding.

Debate about LB 356 is scheduled to continue Tuesday.