Child welfare just became an even more crucial issue this legislative session.

Already a high priority in the legislative session, child welfare issues have taken on new urgency with the decision of the lead agency to pull out and give case management duties back to the state. KVC relinquished the lead agency duties in Families Matter over a funding dispute with the state, keeping a troubled system in crisis, according to Health and Human Services Committee chairwoman Kathy Campbell of Lincoln.

“I would have to say that it has been in crisis for a period of time,” Campbell told reporters. “From the sense of uncertainty, instability, loss of services across the state; where do we think we’re going?”

Families Matter is the state effort to reform child welfare services, begun in 2009 when Nebraska Children and Family Services signed contracts with five private agencies to provide child services statewide. Three pulled out, leaving KVC and Nebraska Families Collaborative. KVC was, by far, the largest provider, serving 4,700 children and their families in 19 southeastern and eastern Nebraska counties, including Lincoln and portions of Omaha. Nebraska Families Collaborative remains in the system, serving Omaha.

Reports last year disclosed problems with the system, many financial. State Auditor Mike Foley criticized the Department of Health and Human Services for failing to publicly bid multi-million dollar contracts with private sector providers. His audit disclosed that Nebraska’s effort to privatize child welfare services increased costs by 27% over the last two years. The legislature’s Performance Audit Committee faulted the leadership of the Children and Family Services Division within the Department of Health and Human Services, stating that Families Matters lacked transparency and accountability.

The Health and Human Services Committee issued a 425-page report that offered 18 recommendations. The top three include returning case management to the state, creating a Children’s Commission and establishing a Department of Children’s Services.

Campbell said the Children’s Commission could help guide the state in wake of the KVC decision.

A member of the committee, Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, has been harshly critical of the contracts the state has signed with the providers, calling them ill-advised and poorly constructed. Krist said now the state must act carefully.

“A priority in this whole concept is look for a way to do the least amount of harm, the least amount of harm to these kids who have already been harmed in the system, by transitioning things back,” Krist said.

The state takes back case management duties from KVC March 1st.

AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [:45]

Nebraska’s largest provider of child welfare services has decided to end its role as lead agency, giving management of foster care cases back to the state.

KVC Behavioral Healthcare Nebraska and the state couldn’t reach an agreement on money. The state Health and Human Services Department will resume case management duties at the beginning of next month.

KVC spokeswoman Tami Soper says the funding provided hasn’t matched the workload expected by the state.

“Throughout the initiative the challenge has been that the estimated number of the children that we were supposed to serve has been much higher than was originally anticipated and we have continued to try to address that issue,” KVC spokeswoman Tami Soper tells Nebraska Radio Network affiliate KLIN, “but, it has been an ongoing challenge.”

Soper claims KVC has had to spend $14 million to make up for a shortfall in funding the Families Matter initiative. Though KVC has decided to end case management duties, it will continue to be a provider in about 300 licensed foster homes.

KVC is, by far, the largest provider of child welfare services, serving 4,700 children and their families in 19 southeastern and eastern Nebraska counties, including Lincoln and portions of Omaha. Nebraska Families Collaborative remains in the system, serving Omaha.

DHHS is expected to hire many of the case workers now employed by KVC and will work with KVC subcontractors beginning March 1st. The state headed off an exit by KVC earlier when it agreed to provide an additional $1.8 million in late December.

Three of the five original private child welfare service contractors dropped their contracts with the state in the first year.

Adam Morfield with Nebraskans for Civic Reform addresses Capitol news conference

Opponents of a bill that would require Nebraskans to present photo identification to vote stated their case today in anticipation of the legislature’s debate on the bill.

A news conference held in the Capitol Rotunda represented more than 20 organizations opposed to LB 239, sponsored by Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont, expected to come before the Unicameral for debate later this week.

“We’re talking needless government regulations when needless government regulations are, in general, very unpopular,” declared Linda Duckworth with the Nebraska League of Women Voters.

Adam Morfeld with Nebraskans for Civic Reform, which organized the news conference, stated the coalition opposes the measure for four reasons: that voter impersonation isn’t a problem in Nebraska, that the bill would prove costly to counties, that the bill contains no provision for voter education and that it would disproportionately impact the poor, youth, senior citizens, the disabled and minorities.

Executive Director Larry Dix with the Nebraska Association of County Officials stated that counties oppose the measure, primarily because of how it would affect county budgets.

“We have polled our counties and it will range anywhere between 15-and-55 cents per registered voter per election,” according to Dix. “So this is an ongoing cost that is going to significantly impact the county’s budget every time we have a statewide election.”

Douglas County Commissioner Mike Boyle said all the commissioners, both Democrats and Republicans, have come out opposed to the measure.

“And I’d like to say, if this were necessary, we wouldn’t be here opposing it,” Boyle stated. “If this were something that should be done, we would have unanimously supported it, but we don’t. We know, we’re on the front line, this isn’t necessary. Please don’t strap us with more additional unfunded mandates, particularly one that makes no sense and is not needed.”

Protestors emphasized the expected impact on older Nebraskans, noting that some elderly residents no longer drive and don’t have photo identification. That’s only part of the problem with the bill, according to AARP Nebraska’s Mark Intermill.

“At AARP, we believe LB 239 addresses a problem that doesn’t exist. It could complicate voting for people who don’t have a photo ID and it will add to the cost of running elections in Nebraska. And, for those reasons, AARP thinks that this is a bill that should not pass,” Intermill stated.

The bill would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot. It is expected to come before the legislature for debate later this week. A filibuster could be mounted against it.

The organizations represented during the news conference opposed to LB 239:

AARP Nebraska

ADAPT NE – Statewide Living Council

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

ARC of Nebraska

Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN)

Black Men United

Bold Nebraska

Center for People in Need

Common Cause Nebraska

Douglas County Commissioners

Latino American Commission

NAACP Lincoln

NAACP Omaha

NACO

Nebraska ACLU

Nebraska Advocacy Services

Nebraska Appleseed

Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs

Nebraskans for Civic Reform

Nebraska League of Women Voters

Nebraska State Education Association

North Omaha Voter Participation Project

Progressive Research Institute

Fremont gets a mixed ruling from a federal judge on its immigration law.

United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp ruled against a portion of the ordinance that would have barred landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. Camp, though, let stand a provision that would require tenants of obtain an occupancy license before renting either an apartment or house. Camp also upheld a provision that would require businesses to verify the immigration status of their employees.

The law begins to take effect on March 4th unless an appeal is made to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

On that date, those wishing to rent in Fremont must apply for a $5 occupation license from the police department. The license would include name, date of birth and citizenship status.

On May 4th, Fremont businesses would be required to use the federal government’s E-Verify program when they hire workers.

Fremont voters approved the immigration ordinance in a June 2010 special election. The city council plans to discuss the ruling during its February 28th meeting.

Camp ruled that the Fremont ordinance, for the most part, did not conflict with federal immigration law since it didn’t attempt to determine who should or should not be admitted into the country.

Don Bowen, KHUB, contributed to this report.

AUDIO: Don Bowen, KHUB, reports on federal judge’s ruling [:30]