Emergency responder mental health bill advances

A bill that would allow first responders to be compensated for mental injuries alone has advanced to final reading, but so far without Sen. Mark Christensen's support.

The bill would allow first responders who have mental injuries due to a traumatic event on the job, and unaccompanied by a physical injury, to be eligible for compensation. Currently, mental injuries can be compensated only if accompanied with physical injuries.

First responders have been identified in the bill as a sheriff, deputy sheriff, police or state patrol officer, volunteer or paid firefighter.

The bill would sunset in June 2014, so costs of compensating mental injuries could be assessed. But Christensen is not sure which way he will vote on final reading, he said, as the intent is too broad at this point

"It's a difficult issue ... as it could get expanded beyond this," he said this morning at the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Legislative conference call. He also questioned whether the costs of compensation could be adequately estimated in four years.

A similar bill has come up every year since he's been in Legislature, he said, but the sunset provision made it easier to pass this year.

Another bill Christensen touched on that is winding its way through the legislature would allow local governing boards, such as city councils, to expand the time bars could stay open, from the current 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.

The push for the bill comes from the Omaha area, he said, where patrons of Omaha bars have been going across the state lines to bars in Iowa that stay open until 2 a.m.

Christensen offered an amendment, which was adopted, for a two-thirds majority vote of the local governing board, instead of the 60 percent as introduced. This would allow smaller, rural voting boards a super majority vote on the measure.

Lawmakers have advanced the bill to final reading.

Christensen also noted that April 14 is the cut-off date the state will accept names of eligible people and agencies who are interested in serving on a task force that will study water sustainability issues in the Republican River Basin.

The Republican River Basin Water Sustainability Task Force has been approved by the governor and will include 22 voting members appointed by Gov. Dave Heineman. The task force will meet in open meetings throughout the districts, he added.

The legislative session will wrap up next week and has been productive so far, Christensen said, as the state budget shortfall has forced lawmakers to deal with issues that involved little money.

But there has not been a lot of discussion of the expected $680 million deficit in state aid for schools for the 2012-12 year, he admitted.

Still, the budget has been kept to a 2.6 percent increase, so maybe the shortfall in school state aid "should be hit a little harder" he said.

"There are no easy answers right now," he said, with the Executive Board due to meet this noon for another look at the budget.

Christensen expressed reservations this morning about eliminating the state treasurer's office. Voters will be asked in the statewide November ballot a constitutional amendment that would remove the office.

Lawmakers behind the bill said the state could save money if the elected office is removed and absorbed by the Department of Revenue, Christensen said. Other objections were that the office has been used as a stepping stone for other offices.

State offices elected by voters are the governor, auditor, secretary of state and attorney general. The state treasurer makes $85,000 per year.

Christensen said he is not convinced eliminating the state treasurer would work. "I'm not sure if combining things is as good as the intent," he said, citing when two state water departments were merged and when various agencies were absorbed into Health and Human Services.