Krusin' the Capitol
By Nebraska State Senator Lowen Kruse
2003
Week 11
March 24, 2003
Hi
Appropriations Committee work becomes grim Tuesday. For three weeks we will
meet in late afternoon and evening, after sessions, to make our final
decisions on who gets hurt. No predictions. The churning acts of a fish on
a hook are not going to be understood by fish not on a hook.
We have heard from every agency and from many workers and citizens the past
few weeks, in response to tentative cuts. This letter will record some of
those responses, but does not indicate the final outcome.
There is much good news. At least two-thirds of the agencies reported they
could handle the proposed cut and still fulfill constitutional obligations.
Things will be postponed, but the basic tasks will be done.
I would estimate that $200 million has been cut without passing on the cost,
which is great news. Those are real cuts and are added to at least $300 m.
of real cuts in our first three cutting sessions last year. Together, that
is about 10% of the biennial budget, which is impressive.
Other cuts which have been made and other cuts proposed will cause real pain
to some of our citizens. A few of the cuts will cripple our ability to
function, which is different from pain. Most cuts will simply pass the cost
on to other public dollars.
I will list some of what I have heard this past week. Please understand, no
final decisions have been made. The reactions are to budget proposals from
the governor and from the Appropriations Committee.
>From last year's cuts, a caseworker reports she has cut off aid to the family
of a disabled child, to assist in care. The mother will have to quit her job
(reduces state income) and put the other children on Medicaid (adds to
costs).
In another case where work-to-welfare benefits were removed, the single
mother will have to quit her job and go back on welfare in order to care for
her children. It is particularly painful because this mother was excited
about working and has been studying to improve herself, but does not yet
qualify for a salary which would pay for her child care.
Since the removal of several caseworkers, a mental health specialist does not
have enough time to meet with her families and has denied funds to mentally
ill children who will, by the history of others, find their own drugs, drop
out of school, and fail to get a job. May end up in Kearney.
Depression treatment is being denied a man who has found a good job and has
performed well there, with the steady help of our counselor. His supervisor
says the man is not productive without his meds, will be fired. He will go
either to a jail or an institution.
Omaha has only 18 acute mental illness beds left for the whole city. Police
are to bring psychotic persons to a hospital, but now refuse to even load
them up unless they have identified an open bed by phone, leaving potential
perpetrators on the street or with their families, who have called because
they can no longer handle their loved one.
An operator of a hot line for child protective services cannot keep up with
the calls on her shift, and she has no backup. "We dare not get sick." A
30-year employee, extremely conscientious, quit. She could not take the
stress of more cases than can possibly be managed.
When auditors quit they are not replaced, which means that foster care fraud,
far in excess of auditors' salaries, is on the increase. Regular caseworkers
are doubling their efforts to discover fraud, but when they cannot get into
every home on a regular basis they cannot guarantee that the children are
still there. The department just wrote off quite a number of "bad debts" --
which is trying to get the money back after payment has been made.
Several caseworkers reported they are instructed to work overtime, but are
not to report it. That is illegal, but the only way their department can
continue to serve some folks who are in desperate need. Several health
clients are being evicted.
Under the governor's budget, OPS would lose $23 million, which is the
equivalent of 400 teachers. If that figure holds, whole schools will have to
close. Many smaller districts will increase their property taxes in order to
stay open.
Cuts to public schools will push back the intention to provide a good
education for minority students. We are now graduating only half of them,
which is very expensive down the road. Class sizes will get larger, which
means more marginal students fall through the cracks.
I have not heard of a single Community College or county which will not
increase property taxes in order to cover cuts from the state. A few
counties have excess funds but not enough.
The University has said they will close the Forestry Service, which means,
among other things, that 360 volunteer fire departments will have to return
their fire trucks, which they have on loan from the service. Ag research
will be decimated under present figures, which means a lack of support to
create efficiency in our basic industry.
If we cut the youth prison in Omaha, teenagers will be thrown in with
seasoned adult criminals, and that "training" will replace their drug
treatment and GED programs.
The University will clearly lose students. If they go ahead with the plan to
cut tenured faculty it will be a national black mark against the future
recruitment of top teachers and researchers. So far, we are the only state
to propose this.
We are already seeing an increase in emergency room care -- doubled at some
hospitals. That is a very expensive way to deal with an infection, which
Ruth witnessed this week. Instead of the state paying 40% of a physician
visit, the county must pay 100% of an emergency room visit. If a county is
not able to pay it, the cost pushes onto private-pay bed rates, increasing
health insurance costs.
The list goes on, but that is enough to give an idea of what is happening and
what will be happening to us in increased tax costs in the future. I am not
knocking anybody in these comments. Stalwart state and schools employees are
doing overtime because they care about the people they serve.
We will find more revenues, at least $300 million. But even then, the tough
times mean that some people and programs will be crippled.
Hang in there!
Lowen
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