Senators give first-round OK to budget bill
Senators quickly advanced a two-year $6.8 billion state spending package Tuesday to second reading, hitting only two temporary speed bumps in the process.
The only discussions that slowed them down were on the Health and Human Services System and University of Nebraska appropriations.
Omaha Sen. Gwen Howard made an emotional plea for restoring $2 million each year for the administration appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services. Removing that amount from Gov. Dave Heineman’s budget proposal for the department would adversely affect the lives of children and adults served by the system, she said.
Howard said that without the money — or clear guidelines on where the shortfall would be made up, front-line positions — including case managers in the foster care program — would remain vacant and other desperately needed workers would disappear.
“If you’re expecting the same degree of service delivery you’re going to be sorely disappointed with this reduction,” she said.
Just because Appropriations Committee members believe the money should come from administrative positions doesn’t mean that’s where the savings will be made, she said.
Sen. Lavon Heidemann of Elk Creek, the appropriations chair, said the committee did not take its decisions lightly. It intends that the reduction come from administration, but cannot guarantee that it would.
“We were not out to hurt anybody,” he said. “We would not have done it if that was the case.”
Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton said the overall HHSS budget is $2.8 billion for 2007-08 and $2.9 billion for 2008-09.
“We’re talking about a very big agency,” he said.
The state puts a lot of money into it, without a lot of control over what happens to that money, he said.
Omaha Sen. John Synowiecki said that while the committee took baseline reductions in HHSS administration, it put corresponding increases into other programs, such as a visiting nurse program for teen mothers which could help diminish the need for foster care.
Howard said the Legislature, in the next year, has a responsibility to watch how HHSS performs.
“I hope the Appropriations Committee and the body will monitor it closely,” she said.
During Tuesday’s budget discussion, Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery took the opportunity to talk about the University of Nebraska budget.
The committee’s proposal of a 4 percent overall increase in the next two years is much better than the governor’s proposal, he said, but it still barely covers salary increases. And it does not cover such costs as increases in utilities.
Programs, he warned, will be hurt or cut, staff and faculty morale will deteriorate, and tuition will increase, which will reduce the ability of ordinary families to send their kids to college.
“That’s not the way we should be running the university,” he said.
In the past 10 years undergraduate tuition has increased by $78.50 per credit hour to $160. Next year, it could go to $168.
Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.
The only discussions that slowed them down were on the Health and Human Services System and University of Nebraska appropriations.
Omaha Sen. Gwen Howard made an emotional plea for restoring $2 million each year for the administration appropriation for the Department of Health and Human Services. Removing that amount from Gov. Dave Heineman’s budget proposal for the department would adversely affect the lives of children and adults served by the system, she said.
Howard said that without the money — or clear guidelines on where the shortfall would be made up, front-line positions — including case managers in the foster care program — would remain vacant and other desperately needed workers would disappear.
“If you’re expecting the same degree of service delivery you’re going to be sorely disappointed with this reduction,” she said.
Just because Appropriations Committee members believe the money should come from administrative positions doesn’t mean that’s where the savings will be made, she said.
Sen. Lavon Heidemann of Elk Creek, the appropriations chair, said the committee did not take its decisions lightly. It intends that the reduction come from administration, but cannot guarantee that it would.
“We were not out to hurt anybody,” he said. “We would not have done it if that was the case.”
Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton said the overall HHSS budget is $2.8 billion for 2007-08 and $2.9 billion for 2008-09.
“We’re talking about a very big agency,” he said.
The state puts a lot of money into it, without a lot of control over what happens to that money, he said.
Omaha Sen. John Synowiecki said that while the committee took baseline reductions in HHSS administration, it put corresponding increases into other programs, such as a visiting nurse program for teen mothers which could help diminish the need for foster care.
Howard said the Legislature, in the next year, has a responsibility to watch how HHSS performs.
“I hope the Appropriations Committee and the body will monitor it closely,” she said.
During Tuesday’s budget discussion, Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery took the opportunity to talk about the University of Nebraska budget.
The committee’s proposal of a 4 percent overall increase in the next two years is much better than the governor’s proposal, he said, but it still barely covers salary increases. And it does not cover such costs as increases in utilities.
Programs, he warned, will be hurt or cut, staff and faculty morale will deteriorate, and tuition will increase, which will reduce the ability of ordinary families to send their kids to college.
“That’s not the way we should be running the university,” he said.
In the past 10 years undergraduate tuition has increased by $78.50 per credit hour to $160. Next year, it could go to $168.
Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.