Read the full stored bill text
ONE HUNDRED NINTH LEGISLATURE
SECOND SESSION
LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION 304
Introduced by Fredrickson, 20.
WHEREAS, the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for
the safety, permanency, and well-being of five thousand one hundred seventy
children as of November 30, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the State of Nebraska entered into a contract with Stephens Group
in 2022 to conduct a study and make child welfare transformation
recommendations for finance and practice models following the transition of the
lead agency contract from PromiseShip to Saint Francis Ministries; and
WHEREAS, the State of Nebraska entered into a contract with Epiphany
Associates to assist the Department of Health and Human Services to find
efficiencies and cost savings in 2024. In doing so, a Phase I report was issued
identifying efficiency potential for the Division of Children and Family
Services of the Department of Health and Human Services and strategies to
increase federal Title IV-E funding; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Health and Human Services has terminated
contracts or assumed responsibility for lead agency case management, case
management training, family finding, relative and kinship foster care support,
the Nebraska Heart Gallery, and Foster Care Closet since 2021; and
WHEREAS, the State of Nebraska eliminated forty million dollars in
Department of Health and Human Services funding during the 2024 Special Session
and the Department of Health and Human Services has identified a Division of
Children and Family Services budget deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE ONE HUNDRED NINTH
LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA, SECOND SESSION:
1. That the Legislature hereby calls for the Legislative Oversight
Committee to be designated to review, investigate, and assess the effect of
LR304
2026
LR304
2026
-1-
child welfare efficiency practices on child safety, quality of Department of
Health and Human Services services, and public and private workforce stability.
2. That the committee shall consult with the department, service providers
currently or formerly under contract to the department, the Supreme Court, the
Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare, the Foster Care Review
Office, and stakeholders representing state and local government, provider
organizations, consumers, consumer advocates, and other parties as the
committee deems helpful.
3. That the committee shall utilize existing studies, reports, and past
presentations of information by the department relating to the effort to
improve the child welfare system. The committee shall not be limited to such
studies, reports, or presentations.
4. The committee shall issue a report with its findings and
recommendations to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2026. Issues to be
reported upon shall include, but need not be limited to:
(a) The utilization of evidence-based interventions by the Division of
Children and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services;
(b) The effect of the child welfare efficiency practices and contract
terminations on meeting the federal Child and Family Service Reviews' outcomes
and indicators on safety, permanency, and well-being, including placement
stability and case manager continuity;
(c) The impact of expanded services by the Department of Health and Human
Services on case load ratios, Child and Family Services Specialist turnover,
including cross-department position changes, and workforce stability;
(d) The continuity of services and transportation for children and
families in all areas of the state for which the Department of Health and Human
Services is responsible;
(e) The return on investment and system of accountability for consultant
recommendations to improve the practice and financing of child welfare in the
State of Nebraska; and
(f) The option of requesting the Legislative Audit Office and the Auditor
LR304
2026
LR304
2026
-2-
of Public Accounts to conduct a joint performance and fiscal audit or separate
audits of child welfare reforms.
LR304
2026
LR304
2026
-3-