LB 454 amends Nebraska law to update rules for regional behavioral health authorities and establish the Behavioral Health Services Fund. It requires these authorities to adopt uniform fee policies based on consumer income (not exceeding service costs), mandate competitive bidding for services unless specific exemptions apply, and maintain separate budgets for behavioral health funding. The new Behavioral Health Services Fund will provide grants, loans, and reimbursements to support community-based behavioral health services statewide, including housing assistance for very low-income adults with serious mental illness. These changes directly affect regional behavioral health authorities, behavioral health providers, and consumers receiving public behavioral health services.
This bill appropriates $1 million from the Medicaid Managed Care Excess Profit Fund for each of fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The funds are specifically designated for Program 33 to support the implementation of Legislative Bill 48 (which establishes Medicaid managed care reforms). The appropriation includes a $60,000 annual cap on salary and per diem expenses for the program. The bill becomes effective September 1, 2025, and directly affects Medicaid program administration.
This bill eliminates numerous state advisory groups, boards, and commissions - including the Climate Assessment Response Committee, Women's Health Initiative Advisory Council, and Palliative Care Act - and removes their funding. It also modifies department responsibilities, such as adjusting the Board of Mental Health Practice and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill specifically terminates the Whiteclay Public Health Emergency Task Force and streamlines overlapping government structures by repealing obsolete provisions. These changes aim to simplify state agency operations by removing redundant entities and consolidating functions.
LB 290 amends Nebraska's Economic Recovery Act to establish new grant rules for business parks in designated areas. It allocates up to $90 million in grants to nonprofit organizations developing business parks within metropolitan cities, specifically in qualified census tracts hit hard by the pandemic. Recipients must hold public input meetings, maintain separate bank accounts for funds, provide 10-year financial plans, and secure support from inland port authorities before receiving funds. The bill prohibits funding for downtown areas near airports and requires projects to serve communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
LB 527A is an appropriation bill that allocates specific state and federal funds to two health programs (344 and 348) under Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services to support implementation of Legislative Bill 527. It provides $18.05 million for Program 344 and $162.40 million for Program 348 in fiscal year 2025-26, with increased amounts for 2026-27, sourced from the Medicaid Access and Quality Fund and federal Medicaid funds. The bill restricts these funds to the purposes of Legislative Bill 527 and prohibits their use for state employee salaries. Approved by the governor on April 7, 2025, it takes immediate effect due to an emergency declaration.
LB 116 amends definitions in Nebraska's Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act and Nebraska Visitors Development Act to clarify eligibility for state funding. It specifies that "associated hotels" and "nearby retailers" must be within 600 yards of a convention center (with special rules if near the State Capitol), and excludes new sports arenas with over 16,000 seats from becoming "eligible facilities" for state assistance. The bill also adjusts funding limits, capping total state assistance at $150 million per project, with modified rules for facilities near the State Capitol. These changes directly affect local governments seeking state financial support for convention center development or related infrastructure.
LB 296A is a funding bill that allocates $0 from the State Department of Education Improvement Grant Fund for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to support Legislative Bill 296. It specifies that total expenditures for salaries and per diems from these funds cannot exceed $160,197 for 2025-26 or $165,403 for 2026-27. The bill directly affects the State Department of Education by providing a procedural funding mechanism for another legislative act. This is a technical appropriations measure with no actual monetary allocation, solely establishing budgetary parameters for a related bill.
