YRTCs Draw Discussion at Legislature.

Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center Facilities drew debate at the Nebraska Legislature.  There was discussion of restructuring the placement of individuals within the system, but legislators have instead elected to do an interim study.  District 37 Senator Stan Clouse focused on the Kearney institution.

District 33 Senator Dan Quick expressed concern about potential plans to relocate girls from a facility in Lincoln to Hastings as part of the reorganization.

The subject came to the forefront on the debate of LB 867 on Monday. 

This bill changes and eliminates programs involving special need trusts, spousal impoverishment, child support customer service, child care grants, AABD (aged, blind and disabled), the state Commodity Supplemental Food program, maternal health, wholesale drug distributor license fees, and the Division of Children and Family Services. In addition, this bill changes provisions relating to fingerprints in compacts, and tribal age of majority provisions in the Bridge to Independence Program, and eliminates obsolete provisions relating to the Nursing Compact.

As part of Monday's debate, they initially added in LB 1013

LB 1013 allows for flexibility by the state to use youth rehabilitation and treatment center facilities to house either boys or girls, but not both simultaneously. 

That measure was pulled in favor of the interim study on the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment system in the state.